Statistics
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Velocity Interoperability Network publishes statistics on the activity it regulates: aircraft movements at the aerodromes of the Network, the aircraft register, licence holders and operators, reported occurrences and the Authority's own oversight activity. This first release covers the transition period from 10 August to 5 September 2026, during which member organisations transferred their aviation functions to the Authority, and records the position at establishment on 6 September 2026.
The figures are drawn from the returns of member organisations, from the movement logs of the six aerodromes, from occurrence reports made under the interim arrangements and from the Authority's reconciled registers. Figures for the transition period are provisional and will be revised in later releases where late returns are received or records are found to be duplicated.
The position at establishment. The figures below record the registers as they stood on 6 September 2026.
- 214
- Aircraft on the Network register at establishment
- 1,120
- Licence holders whose records were transferred to the Authority
- 14
- Air operators certified by member organisations and recognised at establishment
- 6
- Aerodromes on the register: two certified, three licensed, one registered
Of the 214 aircraft on the register, 96 are multi-engine turbine aeroplanes, 58 single-engine aeroplanes, 27 helicopters, 31 unmanned aircraft of 25 kg or more and two balloons; the breakdown by registration series is set out on the Aircraft Registration page. Of the 14 operators, nine operate aeroplanes, three operate helicopters and two operate unmanned aircraft. Six approved maintenance organisations and four training organisations were also recognised at establishment.
Aircraft movements during the transition. A movement is one take-off or one landing. Movements were recorded by the air traffic or flight information service at each aerodrome; at Meridian Airstrip, which has no service, they were recorded by the site.
| Aerodrome | 10 to 23 August | 24 August to 5 September | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Exchange Aerodrome | 1,612 | 1,748 | 3,360 |
| Northgate Airfield | 486 | 522 | 1,008 |
| Eastfield Airfield | 402 | 458 | 860 |
| Westbrook Cargo Airfield | 388 | 419 | 807 |
| Southbank Heliport | 312 | 341 | 653 |
| Meridian Airstrip | 74 | 78 | 152 |
| All aerodromes | 3,274 | 3,566 | 6,840 |
Central Exchange accounted for 49 per cent of movements, of which 62 per cent were scheduled public transport. Training circuits made up the majority of movements at Eastfield and about a third at Northgate. The rise in movements between the two halves of the period reflects the seasonal pattern reported by the aerodromes for previous years rather than any change in arrangements.
Licence holders by category. The 1,120 records transferred to the Authority are analysed below. Holders of more than one licence are counted once, under their highest pilot licence where they hold one.
| Category | Licence holders | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Private pilot licences | 226 | 20.2% |
| Commercial and air transport pilot licences | 186 | 16.6% |
| Aircraft maintenance engineer licences | 238 | 21.3% |
| Air traffic controller licences | 64 | 5.7% |
| Remote pilot certificates | 318 | 28.4% |
| Flight operations officer licences | 88 | 7.9% |
| All licence holders | 1,120 | 100% |
Reported occurrences during the transition. Occurrences were reported to member organisations under the interim arrangements and passed to the Authority. The classification below applies the Authority's definitions, which are set out on the Safety Oversight page. The two serious incidents are under investigation by the Authority's investigation unit.
| Category | Reports | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Accidents | 0 | None |
| Serious incidents | 2 | One runway incursion at Central Exchange; one loss of separation in the terminal area, recovered |
| Incidents: technical defects | 14 | Engine, landing gear and avionics defects found in flight or on pre-flight inspection |
| Incidents: airspace infringements | 9 | Entry into an aerodrome traffic zone without contact, of which four by unmanned aircraft |
| Incidents: air traffic service | 5 | Read-back errors and one late clearance |
| Incidents: bird strikes | 6 | All at Central Exchange and Westbrook; no damage affecting airworthiness |
| Incidents: other | 2 | One fuel spillage on the apron; one ground handling collision without injury |
| All occurrences | 38 |
The rate of 5.6 reported occurrences per thousand movements is within the range the Authority would expect for aerodromes of this size, but the Authority notes that reporting under the interim arrangements was not uniform between member organisations and expects the rate to rise once mandatory reporting begins on 14 September 2026, as more incidents are captured. Four of the nine airspace infringements involved unmanned aircraft; the Authority has published the rules for unmanned aircraft on the Airspace page and will address the matter in its first safety notice.
Oversight capacity from September 2026. The figures below record the capacity the Authority has established for its first months of operation.
- 22
- Inspectors in post at establishment across five inspectorates
- 48
- Audits and inspections scheduled in the first oversight cycle to 31 March 2027
- 3
- Air traffic control units staffed by the Authority's Air Navigation Service
- 97%
- Transferred aircraft and licence records reconciled and digitised at establishment
The Authority will publish statistics quarterly. The next release, covering the quarter ending 30 September 2026, will be published in October 2026 and announced in the Newsroom. It will add the audits and inspections completed, the licences and registrations issued, and the analysis of occurrences reported under the mandatory scheme. For the schedule of the oversight cycle these figures report on, see Safety Oversight; for the milestones of the reporting cycle, see History. Questions about these figures may be sent to contact@aviation.gov.vin.