SI 2026/67 - The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Aintree) Regulations 2026

S T A T U T O R Y I N S T R U M E N T S 2026 No. 67 CIVIL AVIATION The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Aintree) Regulations 2026 Made - - - - 28th January 2026 Coming into force - - 9th April 2026 The Secretary of State has decided that it is necessary in the public interest to restrict the flying of unmanned aircraft in the area specified in regulation 3(1) by reason of the intending gathering of a large number of persons in the vicinity of Aintree Racecourse, Merseyside. The Secretary of State makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by article 239 of the Air Navigation Order 2016(a). Citation and commencement 1. These Regulations may be cited as the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Aintree) Regulations 2026 and they come into force on 9th April 2026. Interpretation 2. In regulation 3(1) the times referred to are Co-ordinated Universal Time(b). Restricted airspace 3.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), beginning with 0600 hours and ending with 1800 hours on each of the three days beginning with 9th April 2026 and ending with 11th April 2026 no unmanned aircraft is to fly below 2,200 feet above mean sea level within the area bounded by a circle having a radius of 1.5 nautical miles which is centred at 532832N 0025657W. (2) Paragraph (1) does not apply— (a) insofar as flying is already prohibited by the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Prisons and Young Offender Institutions) (England and Wales) Regulations 2023(c), (b) to any unmanned aircraft operated by or on behalf of an emergency service, or (c) to any unmanned aircraft flying in accordance with a permission issued by the Merseyside Police Service. (a) S.I. 2016/765, amended by S.I. 2024/990; there are other amending instruments but none is relevant. (b) Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) is one hour behind British Summer Time (BST). (c) S.I. 2023/1101.Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport Joe Thompson Senior Executive Officer 28th January 2026 Department for Transport EXPLANATORY NOTE (This note is not part of the Regulations) These Regulations impose restrictions on the flying of unmanned aircraft in the vicinity of Aintree Racecourse, Merseyside, where the Grand National 2026 horse racing event is due to take place on 9th to 11th April 2026, inclusive. There will be a gathering of a large number of persons so, at the request of the Merseyside Police, the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport agree that the flying of unmanned aircraft should be restricted in the vicinity of the event for reasons of public safety and security. The times mentioned in regulation 3(1) are Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) which is one hour behind British Summer Time (BST). In relation to the permission mentioned in regulation 3(2)(c), the Merseyside Police Service may be contacted as notified. Full details of this Statutory Instrument will be promulgated by Aeronautical Information Circular (AIC) and Notice to Aviation (NOTAM). The point of contact in the Civil Aviation Authority is Mr David Ridley, Airspace Regulator, Safety and Airspace Regulation Group, on telephone number 03301 382471. 2