With support of the Terrence Higgins Trust, the National Aids Trust and the British HIV Association, the regulator has published new guidance on how pilots living with the disease will be medically assessed to obtain and continue to hold their UK licences.
The regulator’s new guidance confirms that with a timely diagnosis of HIV and antiretroviral therapy, there is a much lower risk of a pilot suffering conditions that could impair their ability to safely fly aircraft.
The moves means there is a now a much clearer way for pilots living with HIV to obtain unrestricted (Class 1) medical certification in the UK. For some pilots living with HIV, it will also reduce the need for additional cognitive testing.
The regulator has also announced a six-month period during which any pilot or air traffic control officer, who has in the past not declared their HIV positive status when applying for an aeromedical certificate, can come forward in total confidence to the CAA to correct their record, without having to notify their employer.
Anyone doing this within the six-month period will face no enforcement action for not previously declaring their positive HIV status and the regulator’s medical team will work through a review of their health status with them, following the new guidance, to ensure their medical information is accurate and up to date.
Richard Moriarty, chief executive of the CAA, said: “The UK will continue to lead the way in supporting pilots living with HIV to fly safely and pursue their careers and dreams.
"Recent medical advances mean that if someone with HIV effectively manages their condition, they should be able to live a near-normal life.
"Our new guidance recognises this. I want to appeal personally to anyone who has previously not declared their HIV status to contact us within the next six months so we can reset this with you in total confidence."
Pilots’ union Balpa welcomed the move and said pilots "should never be barred on administrative or bureaucratic grounds as the only thing that matters in becoming a pilot is ability to fly".
The organisation’s head of flight safety Joji Waites urged members to "feel empowered" to report their HIV status to the CAA within the next six months.
"We believe this rule change will help ensure the only thing that matters for assessing pilots is their ability to fly," Waites added.
