The British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar last month issued an unanticipated request for expressions of interest “from individuals and organisations interested in developing and operating a Gibraltar Aircraft Register”.

The official notice stated that the Gibraltar government would “consider proposals for the development of either a private or commercial aircraft register, although the preference would be to initiate the project with a private aircraft register that would transition to a commercial aircraft register once a proven regulatory track record has been established.”

The notice goes on to note that the government is interested in the establishment of a long-term strategic partnership to develop, launch and manage the registry. It also makes clear that any new register would be considered as a sub-part of the UK register and would therefore be subject to scrutiny by the UK CAA. The deadline for expressions of interest is midday on 19 July 2019.