The Cape Town Convention: Set to enter into force in the UK on 1 November 2015

The Cape Town Convention for Aircraft will enter into force in the United Kingdom on 1 November 2015.

As reported in our article on 4 August 2015, the UK ratified the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment (the “Convention”) and the Protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters specific to Aircraft Equipment (the “Protocol”) (collectively, the “Cape Town Convention”) on 27 July 2015, the necessary documentation was then filed with Unidroit and as a consequence the Cape Town Convention will have effect in the UK, Guernsey, the Cayman Islands and Gibraltar from 1 November 2015.

It will be implemented in the UK by the International Interests in Aircraft Equipment (Cape Town Convention) Regulations 2015 (the “Regulations”).

Another important country for aviation which had not previously ratified the Protocol of the Cape Town Convention is Spain.

Recent Spanish legislation and parliamentary activity (including Parliamentary authorisation to ratify the Protocol granted on 16 September 2015 and the approval of the Additional Provision 6th of the Royal Decree 384/2015 implementing legislation on matters of registration of international security interests over Aircraft which will be effective as from 1 December 2015) indicate that the Protocol will be effective in Spain in the very near future too. Watch this space.

Full details as to the UK’s ratification of the Cape Town Convention can be found by accessing our previous article “UK ratification of the Cape Town Convention”.

If you would like further information on Spain’s forthcoming accession to the Cape Town Convention please contact Abraham Najera or Jacobo Otero (Associate, Madrid).