The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Portrush, Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026

Published: Wed 22nd Apr 26

The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Portrush, Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026 impose temporary flight restrictions below 3,300 feet above mean sea level within a precisely defined area around Portrush, Northern Ireland, to ensure public safety during the North West 200 Motorcycle Races scheduled for May 6th, 7th, and 9th, 2026, exempting specified essential services and authorized entities.

Arguments For

Flying restrictions are necessary to ensure public safety during the anticipated large gathering of persons for the North West 200 Motorcycle Race.
Establishing a restricted airspace below 3,300 feet minimizes risk from low-flying aircraft over the event area.
Specific exemptions for emergency services (Police, Emergency Medical Service, Coastguard) and authorized entities (Police Service of Northern Ireland, Cutting Edge Helicopters Ltd) preserve essential operational capabilities during the event.

Arguments Against

The restrictions cause temporary limitations on normal civil aviation operations, potentially disrupting local air traffic or activities not related to the event.
Establishing restricted airspace requires coordination and can impose a temporary burden on aircraft operators needing specific permissions to enter the zone.
The requirement for pilots to adhere to specific time zones (UTC) and vertical limits necessitates careful pre-flight planning and awareness.

2026 No. 434

CIVIL AVIATION

The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Portrush, Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026

| Made - - - | 20th April 2026 | |---|---| | Coming into force - | 6th May 2026 |

These establish the instrument as the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Portrush, Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026, identifying it under the Civil Aviation category, bearing the number 434 for the year 2026.

The Regulations were officially made on April 20th, 2026, and take legal effect on May 6th, 2026.

The Secretary of State has decided that it is necessary in the public interest to restrict flying in the area specified in regulation 3(1) by reason of the intended gathering of a large number of persons in connection with the North West 200 Motorcycle Race.

The Secretary of State makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by article 239 of the Air Navigation Order 2016( a ).

The Secretary of State determined that restricting flights was required in the public interest due to the large crowds expected for the North West 200 Motorcycle Race.

The authority to create these specific restrictions comes from powers granted under article 239 of the Air Navigation Order 2016.

Citation and commencement

These Regulations may be cited as the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Portrush, Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026 and they come into force on 6th May 2026.

This section provides the formal short title for the legislative text.

The Regulations officially become active law on May 6th, 2026.

Interpretation

In regulation 3(2) the times referred to are Co-ordinated Universal Time( b ).

This clause defines that any times mentioned in Regulation 3(2), which specifies the restriction periods, must be interpreted using Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC).

Restricted airspace

-(1) Subject to paragraph (3), during the periods specified in paragraph (2) no aircraft is to fly below 3,300 feet above mean sea level within the area bounded by straight lines joining successively the following points-

(a) 551210N, 0063902W,
(b) 551159N, 0063845W,
(c) 551039N, 0063854W,
(d) 550901N, 0063926W,
(e) 550900N, 0064047W,
(f) 550916N, 0064058W,
(g) 551014N, 0064144W,
(h) 551049N, 0064244W,
(i) 551113N, 0064335W,

( 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).

(j) 551136N, 0064256W,
(k) 551154N, 0064155W,
(l) 551206N, 0064049W,
(m) 551209N, 0063954W, and
(n) 551210N, 0063902W.

(2) The periods referred to in paragraph (1) begin with-

(a) 0700 hours and end with 1400 hours on 6th May 2026, and
(b) 0700 hours and end with 2000 hours on 7th and 9th May 2026.

(3) Paragraph (1) does not apply to any aircraft-

(a) flying with the permission of-
(i) the Police Service of Northern Ireland, or
(ii) Cutting Edge Helicopters Ltd, or

(b) operated by or on behalf of-

(i) a Police Air Support Unit,
(ii) an Emergency Medical Service, or
(iii) the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

This key section establishes that aircraft cannot fly below 3,300 feet above sea level within a specific geographical area defined by a sequence of 14 defined geographical coordinates (latitude/longitude points).

This restriction is active during the times detailed in paragraph (2), unless an exemption under paragraph (3) applies.

The defined times are 0700 to 1400 UTC on May 6th, 2026, and 0700 to 2000 UTC on May 7th and 9th, 2026.

Exceptions exist for aircraft flying with permission from the Police Service of Northern Ireland or Cutting Edge Helicopters Ltd, or aircraft operated by police air support, emergency medical services, or the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport

20th April 2026

This signifies that the instrument was formally approved and signed on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport on April 20th, 2026.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations impose restrictions on flying in the vicinity of Portrush, Northern Ireland where a large gathering of persons is expected to attend the North West 200 Motorcycle Racing events that are due to take place there on 6th, 7th and 9th May 2026.

At the request of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport agree that the flying of aircraft should be restricted in the vicinity of the events for reasons of public safety.

The times mentioned in regulation 3(2) are Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) which is one hour behind British Summer Time (BST).

In relation to the permissions mentioned in regulation 3(3)(a), the Police Service of Northern Ireland and Cutting Edge Helicopters Ltd may be contacted as notified.

Full details of this Statutory Instrument will be promulgated by Briefing Sheet 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 0330 1382471.

Karen L Michaels Grade 7 Department for Transport

This non-statutory note clarifies that the purpose of the Regulations is to restrict flights near Portrush during the North West 200 Motorcycle Races due to expected large crowds, based on an agreement involving the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Civil Aviation Authority, and the Department for Transport for public safety.

It confirms that the scheduled times use UTC, which is one hour behind British Summer Time (BST).

Operational details and permissions contacts are managed through standard aviation communications like NOTAMs, and a specific contact within the Civil Aviation Authority is provided for inquiries.

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