Aviation Anthology Vol 1 2026 - Digital Version - Flipbook - Page 23
The proposed update to UK Civil Aviation Authority CAP 790:
ramp risk, regulatory expectations and implications for liability
and insurance
Overview
Airport ramp damage and ground handling incidents
remain a significant and costly category of loss within
commercial aviation. Low speed collisions involving
aircraft, airside vehicles and ground support equipment
on the apron can give rise to substantial repair costs,
operational disruption and, not infrequently, complex
disputes as to legal liability. Against that background, on
27 March 2026, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (‘CAA’)
launched a consultation on a proposed update to CAP
790, the guidance governing UK Airside Driving Permit
(‘ADP’) schemes.
inadequate vehicle specific training, communication
failures between drivers and flight crew or headset
operatives, and the gradual erosion of airside driving
standards, over time.
From an insurance and liability perspective, this risk
profile is complicated further by the multi party nature
of apron operations. Aircraft operators, ground handling
agents, aerodrome operators, and equipment providers
may all have some degree of involvement, giving rise to
disputes over responsibility, contractual allocation of risk
and the adequacy of safety oversight arrangements.
CAP 790: background and consultation context
Ramp incidents: a persistent risk profile
Modern airport operations rely on specialised ground
support vehicles and equipment to service, manoeuvre,
and support aircraft during turnaround. Many of these
vehicles have restricted sightlines, articulated arms,
or elevated working platforms. Typically, they are
operated in confined spaces around aircraft and in
congested stand environments. In those conditions,
driver competence, operational familiarity, and effective
supervision are critical to reducing the risk of incidents
arising, for example, due to misjudged clearance or
unintended contact with aircraft fuselage or other
equipment.
According to the International Air Transport Association
(‘IATA’), ground damage costs exceed US$4.5 billion
annually and may rise to US$9.7 billion over the next 15
years in the absence of corrective measures.[1] A total
of 29,608 aircraft damage events were reported under
IATA’s Incident Damage Exchange (‘IDX’) programme
by 188 operators between 2024 and 2025 in which the
cause of damage was identified as passenger stairs, belt
loaders or high-loaders.[2]
Ramp damage is frequently the result of multiple
contributory factors rather than a single act or
omission. Common causal factors identified in incident
investigations include poor distance judgement,
Aviation Anthology 2026 - Volume I
CAP 790 (Civil Aviation Authority, CAP 790: Requirement
for an Airside Driving Permit (ADP) Scheme) was issued
on 29 February 2012 and remains at Version 1, with no
amendment history or later revision dates recorded on
the CAA publications website.[3] It applies, in broad
terms, to most commercially operated airports, but not
to smaller aerodromes operating solely under visual
flight rules. Its stated objective is ‘to set out requirements
for a scheme designed to minimise the risk of accidents
and injury to individuals, and damage to aircraft and
property, arising from the use of vehicles in airside areas’.
[4] CAP publications are guidance documents, not
primary or secondary legislation. However, they typically
represent the view of the CAA in terms of industry best
practice.
The CAA formally opened its consultation on proposed
amendments to CAP 790 on 27 March 2026, with the
consultation closing on 8 May 2026.[5] Responses were
invited from aerodrome operators, ground handling
organisations, training providers, and other airside
stakeholders, to ensure the revised ADP framework
remains, “effective, proportionate and aligned with
current operational practices and safety expectations’.[6]
DAC Beachcroft
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