UK CAA bilateral agreement Transport Canada CASA 2026

What did the UK CAA agree with Transport Canada in 2026?

The UK CAA and Transport Canada signed a Simulator Implementation Procedures agreement in June 2026, allowing mutual acceptance of recurrent simulator evaluations. This reduces duplication for training organizations holding approvals from both authorities, lowering administrative costs and scheduling burden for operators and regulators.

What does the UK CAA and CASA bilateral agreement cover?

The UK CAA and CASA (Australia) signed an agreement in June 2026 covering design, production, certification, and maintenance. It facilitates cooperation on airworthiness and enables reciprocal recognition of certificates and approvals between the two authorities, benefiting UK Part 145 organizations operating in Australia and vice versa.

Quick Compliance Summary


Regulatory body	UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
What happened	Three new bilateral agreements signed at the 2026 FAA-EASA International Aviation Safety Conference
Parties	Transport Canada, Australia’s CASA, Brazil’s ANAC
Key agreements	Simulator Implementation Procedures (UK-Canada); Airworthiness reciprocal recognition (UK-Australia)
Who is affected	UK-approved training organisations, CAMOs, MROs, and airlines with Canadian, Australian, or Brazilian operations
Compliance deadline	No immediate deadline — agreements create new frameworks, not urgent compliance actions
Source	UK CAA, July 3, 2026

Who Should Read This

This update is directly relevant to:

Directors of Training at UK-approved training organizations
Continuing Airworthiness Managers (CAMs) with cross-jurisdictional fleets
Directors of Maintenance at MROs holding UK Part 145 and Canadian or Australian approvals
Regulatory Affairs staff tracking post-Brexit bilateral agreement developments
Airlines operating UK-registered aircraft in Canadian or Australian airspace

If your organization holds approvals from the UK CAA and either Transport Canada, CASA, or ANAC — or is planning to seek such approvals — these new arrangements directly affect how you manage certification, maintenance, and training across those jurisdictions.

UK CAA bilateral agreement Transport Canada CASA 2026: At a Glance

Item	Details
Event	2026 FAA-EASA International Aviation Safety Conference, United States
UK CAA agreements signed	Transport Canada, CASA (Australia), ANAC (Brazil)
Agreement 1 (UK-Canada)	Simulator Implementation Procedures — mutual acceptance of recurrent simulator evaluations
Agreement 2 (UK-Australia)	Design, production, certification and maintenance — reciprocal recognition of certificates and approvals
Agreement 3 (UK-Brazil)	Details to be confirmed via UK CAA official publication
Policy context	Part of the UK CAA’s ongoing post-Brexit bilateral agreement program
Immediate compliance action	None — framework agreements, not mandatory rules

What Was Signed

Representatives of the UK CAA met with colleagues from Transport Canada, Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), and Brazil’s Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) at the 2026 FAA-EASA International Aviation Safety Conference held in the United States.

Three separate agreements were signed. Each covers a different jurisdiction and a different regulatory area.

Agreement 1 — UK CAA and Transport Canada: Simulator Implementation Procedures

This agreement establishes a new arrangement on Flight Simulator Training, to be known as Simulator Implementation Procedures.

The key practical effect: mutual acceptance of recurrent simulator evaluations.

Under the previous arrangement, organizations holding both UK CAA and Transport Canada approvals had to manage separate recurrent evaluation processes for each authority. This created duplication — administrative cost for operators and scheduling burden for both regulators.

The new Simulator Implementation Procedures allow evaluations conducted under one authority’s oversight to be recognized by the other. This reduces cost for operators. It also reduces the administrative burden on both the UK CAA and Transport Canada.

For UK-approved flight training organizations with Canadian operations, or Canadian training organizations with UK approval, this agreement materially simplifies compliance management.

Agreement 2 — UK CAA and CASA (Australia): Airworthiness Cooperation

This agreement covers design, production, certification, and maintenance.

The core commitment: facilitating cooperation in airworthiness and enabling reciprocal recognition of certificates and approvals.

In practical terms, this means:

A certificate or approval issued by one authority may be recognized by the other without a separate full assessment
Design and production approvals can be pursued with reduced duplication of effort
Maintenance organizations holding approvals from both authorities benefit from clearer mutual recognition pathways

This is particularly relevant for UK Part 145 organizations already holding or seeking CASA approvals, and for aircraft type certification work spanning both jurisdictions.

For CAMOs managing fleets with UK-registered aircraft operating to or from Australia, this agreement strengthens the bilateral airworthiness framework under which continuing airworthiness is managed across the two registries.

Agreement 3 — UK CAA and ANAC (Brazil)

The UK CAA signed a third agreement with Brazil’s ANAC at the same event. Full details of the scope of the UK-Brazil arrangement were not available in the public announcement at the time of writing. The UK CAA is expected to publish the full text of all three agreements through official channels.

Why It Matters

These agreements are part of a broader pattern. Since the UK left the EASA system at the end of 2020, the UK CAA has been building its own network of bilateral agreements. EASA bilateral coverage, once automatic, now requires separate negotiation for each jurisdiction.

The 2026 FAA-EASA International Aviation Safety Conference provided the CAA with a single forum to advance three agreements simultaneously. That efficiency reflects the pace at which the UK is trying to rebuild bilateral coverage post-Brexit.

For operators, each agreement narrows a specific area of regulatory friction. Simulator evaluation duplication (UK-Canada) and airworthiness approval duplication (UK-Australia) are both genuinely costly for organizations managing cross-jurisdictional compliance. These agreements reduce that cost.

They also signal the direction of UK CAA policy. The UK is pursuing mutual recognition rather than alignment — a different model from EASA’s harmonization approach. Each jurisdiction negotiates its own terms. The resulting framework is more fragmented than the EASA single market, but also more flexible for specific bilateral pairs.

What Operators Should Do Now

For training organizations with UK and Canadian approvals:

Watch the UK CAA website for publication of the Simulator Implementation Procedures text. Once available, review how your current recurrent evaluation schedule maps to the new mutual recognition framework. Identify any process changes needed to take advantage of the reduced duplication.

For MROs and CAMOs with UK and Australian approvals:

Monitor the UK CAA and CASA for formal implementation guidance on the reciprocal recognition framework for certificates and approvals. Reciprocal recognition agreements typically require specific implementation procedures before practical benefits apply.

For all operators:

Do not assume immediate practical benefit. Bilateral agreements create frameworks. They take effect operationally once implementation details are published and adopted by both authorities.

Key Dates

Event	Date
2026 FAA-EASA International Aviation Safety Conference	June 2026
UK CAA bilateral agreements signed	June 2026
UK CAA public announcement	July 3, 2026
Full agreement texts published	Pending — monitor UK CAA website

Source Documents

UK CAA — News: UK CAA signs agreements with aviation regulators in Canada, Brazil and Australia
AeroTime Hub — UK’s CAA signs agreements with aviation regulators in Canada, Brazil & Australia
UK CAA — Bilateral agreements
Transport Canada — tc.canada.ca/en/aviation
CASA Australia — casa.gov.au

FAQ

Do these agreements mean UK CAA approvals are now automatically accepted in Canada, Australia, and Brazil?

No. Bilateral agreements create frameworks for mutual recognition. Practical implementation depends on the specific procedures published under each agreement. Automatic acceptance is not the typical outcome — each agreement specifies the scope and conditions of recognition.

Does the simulator agreement apply to all UK-approved training organizations with Canadian operations?

The Simulator Implementation Procedures agreement covers recurrent simulator evaluations. The full scope of which organizations and evaluation types are covered will be defined in the agreement text. Monitor the UK CAA website for the published procedures.

When will the practical benefits take effect?

Both authorities need to publish implementation guidance before operators can benefit from the reduced duplication. The timeline for that guidance has not been confirmed publicly.

Is this related to the UK CAA Aviation Safety (Amendment) Regulations 2026 exemption powers expansion?

No. These bilateral agreements are separate instruments. The 2026 Amendment Regulations expand the UK CAA’s internal exemption powers. The bilateral agreements govern UK recognition of other countries’ certificates and approvals.

What does ANAC Brazil’s agreement cover?

Full details of the UK-Brazil arrangement were not in the initial public announcement. Check the UK CAA newsroom and official publications page for the agreement text.

UK CAA Signs Three Bilateral Agreements — New Arrangements with Transport Canada, CASA, and ANAC