Open almost any UK flight guide and you'll see "PPR" next to a lot of airfields. It stands for prior permission required: you need the airfield's permission before you fly there. For pilots new to touring, it can feel like a hurdle. In practice it's usually a short phone call, form or email, and it's often the most useful briefing you'll get about the place.
This guide covers PPR at UK civil airfields and strips. Military airfields, international flights and larger airports have their own processes and aren't covered here.
Why airfields ask for it
Airfields use PPR for different reasons, and knowing them helps you see why it matters.
- To brief you. Many smaller airfields want to tell visitors about things that aren't obvious from the chart: a soft patch on the grass, a noise-sensitive village, a non-standard circuit, works in progress. Highland Council, for instance, says PPR at Skye aerodrome is there so visiting pilots are fully briefed on the current situation.
- To manage numbers. A small airfield may only have room for a few visiting aircraft, or only one person on duty.
- To check you're suited to the strip. Some will ask about your aircraft and experience before agreeing, especially for short or difficult strips.
- To say no when they need to. The runway may be waterlogged, a display practice may be planned, or the airfield may be closed that day.
- Insurance and paperwork. Some airfields need confirmation of insurance or other details before they'll accept a visit.
A few airfields also charge more for landing without PPR. Skye's published conditions, for example, have a higher landing fee for landings made without it.
Where to find out if it's needed
Check the airfield's entry in the UK AIP (for licensed aerodromes), a current flight guide, and the airfield's own website. The airfield's website or AIP entry usually also says how to get PPR and how far ahead to ask. Some airfields are PPR all the time; some only at certain times or for certain aircraft. If in doubt, ask.
How to ask
Airfields take PPR in different ways:
- By phone. Still very common. IWM Duxford, for example, is strictly PPR by telephone.
- By online form. Many airfields now have a PPR booking form on their website. Old Warden (the Shuttleworth Collection's aerodrome) is one.
- By email, at some smaller sites.
- By radio, occasionally, on the day. Old Warden's conditions say landing permission may sometimes be given by radio on days its air/ground or flight information service is running, but that you should ideally get PPR before you set off. Never assume radio permission will be available.
However you ask, do it in good time and follow what the airfield says. Some want 24 hours' notice; others are happy with a call on the morning of the flight. Some need the pilot to ask in person, because they give a short briefing at the same time.
What to have ready
Have the details to hand before you call or fill in the form:
- Aircraft registration and type
- Your name and a contact phone number
- Date and estimated time of arrival, and roughly how long you'll stay
- Where you're departing from
- Number of people on board
- Whether you need fuel, and which type
- Whether you're staying overnight, and need parking or hangarage
- Non-radio, if you have no radio, as the airfield may want to agree an arrival time
- Anything unusual, such as a tailwheel, a microlight or a heavier twin
If you're flying in from outside the UK, there's extra paperwork (such as a General Aviation Report), and some airfields ask for its reference with the PPR request.
What the airfield will tell you
Listen carefully and write it down. A good PPR call usually covers:
- Runway in use and its condition, especially on grass after rain
- Circuit direction and height, and the joining procedure (an overhead join, for example)
- Frequencies and the type of radio service, if any
- Noise-sensitive areas and anything to avoid
- Where to park and where to sign in
- Landing fees and how to pay
- Opening hours and anything happening that day, such as other traffic, events or works
If you don't understand something, ask. It's much easier to clear up on the phone than in the circuit.
Landing fees
Landing fees vary a great deal: by airfield, by aircraft weight, by whether you've booked, and sometimes by day. Some airfields waive fees for particular events or for members of certain schemes. Check the current fee with the airfield, and pay it as they ask. Rates in guides and online directories can be out of date.
If your plans change
If you're not going to make it, tell the airfield. A quick call or email if the weather turns, the aircraft goes unserviceable or you decide not to go is basic courtesy. It frees the slot for someone else and stops anyone waiting or worrying.
PPR at fly-ins
Fly-ins sometimes handle PPR differently for the day: a registration form, an arrival slot, or a blanket "PPR by booking". Read the event's briefing and follow it. An RSVP on Events.Aero tells the organiser you're coming and can include your aircraft details, but it isn't PPR unless the organiser says it is. Where an event on Events.Aero needs PPR, the listing says so and shows the phone number or email to use when the organiser has given one.
Sources and further reading
- UK Civil Aviation Authority, The Skyway Code (CAP 1535), version 4, 28 November 2023.
- Old Warden Aerodrome, Terms and conditions of use, checked October 2026 (PPR booking, radio permission, GAR reference, overhead join).
- Highland Council, Isle of Skye airfield landing fees and conditions of use (purpose of PPR, higher fee without PPR).
- Orkney Islands Council, Airfields, checked October 2026 (24 hours' notice and insurance before PPR is approved).
- Imperial War Museums, IWM Duxford airfield information: Duxford is PPR by telephone (check the current UK AIP entry for EGSU).