IAOPA newsletter August 2025

Avgas 100LL Supply in Europe Secured Until 2032

While the EU regulation 1272/2008 formally restricted the production of Avgas with the additive tetraethyl lead (TEL) after May 2025, delays in Brussels meant that production continued on a temporary basis.

That uncertainty has now been resolved. Shell’s application for continued production of Avgas 100LL was approved by the EU’s REACH Committee with overwhelming support: 26 votes in favour, one abstention, and none against. This decision secures a solid legal basis for the continued supply of 100LL at least until April 2032. Two other producers, Warter Fuels and Trafigura, have similar applications pending, and no surprises are expected when these are decided in the coming weeks.

This outcome is the result of years of coordinated advocacy by IAOPA-Europe together with Europe Air Sports, ERAC and GAMA. Joint statements stressed the need for realistic transition periods, the limited environmental impact of GA’s small fuel volumes, and the importance of aligning Europe’s phase-out with the introduction of unleaded Avgas in the US.
While this decision provides breathing space, the transition to unleaded Avgas remains essential — just as it was successfully achieved in the automotive sector decades ago.

Antwerp and Ostend
At the same time, local challenges persist. In May, the airports of Antwerp and Ostend suddenly prohibited aircraft using 100LL from landing, citing environmental reasons. The decision forced based aircraft to relocate and disrupted much of the local GA fleet. AOPA Belgium, with support from IAOPA-Europe, has since challenged this move, pointing out that the EU has explicitly authorized Avgas 100LL until 2032. Encouragingly, Ostend has recently reintroduced slots and even resumed fuel supply, though Antwerp remains restricted.

IAOPA will continue to monitor both the European regulatory framework and local airport practices to ensure that GA pilots have access to the fuel they need — while working towards a smooth and realistic transition to unleaded alternatives..

GA Days 2025 in Egelsbach: A Strong Signal for GA

On 25–26 June, more than 40 representatives from EASA and several national authorities joined over 50 industry participants at the General Aviation Days in Egelsbach. The event was co-organized by GAMA and IAOPA with the aim of showcasing the diversity and innovative strength of General Aviation directly at the airfield, in dialogue with manufacturers, flight schools, associations, and operators.

The EASA delegation, led by Executive Director Florian Guillermet, included the Agency’s Executive Board, its GA team, and experts from a wide range of directorates. Also present were representatives of the European Commission, AOPA-USA President Darren Pleasance, and the leadership of GAMA. Their active participation demonstrated a genuine willingness to listen and learn from GA stakeholders.

Discussions covered operational challenges, modern avionics and propulsion systems, medical requirements, licensing issues, and the shortage of IFR approaches at smaller airfields. Demonstration flights in a diverse fleet - including the Pipistrel Velis Electro, Diamond DA42/62, Cirrus SR22 and Vision Jet, helicopters, and even a Sikorsky S92 - gave participants firsthand insight into today’s GA operations.

The event highlighted how far the relationship between EASA and GA has come since the launch of the GA Roadmap in 2014. While not without ongoing challenges (such as recent medical rule changes or disproportionate cybersecurity requirements) the Egelsbach gathering showed the value of open dialogue and shared understanding.

IAOPA thanks all local partners and supporters who made this successful event possible.

The success of GA Days 2025 was made possible thanks to strong local support at Egelsbach, including TRIWO (airfield operator), Panoramaflug, and the Motorflugschule Egelsbach. See here the video that was made of the event.

On the picture: GA Days 2025 at Egelsbach – a vibrant mix of aircraft, pilots, and regulators in action

Electronic Visibility in GA: Lessons from Finland

Electronic conspicuity is proving to be one of the most effective ways to prevent accidents in uncontrolled airspace. In the U.S., the widespread adoption of ADS-B has reduced accident risk by 50% and fatal mid-air collisions by up to 90%. By 2020, more than 170,000 GA aircraft were already ADS-B equipped.

In Europe, however, progress has been slower. ADS-B is only required at high altitudes, and no broad incentive system has been introduced. The UK has taken steps forward by approving low-power portable ADS-B units and subsidizing installations, while EASA is promoting ADS-L on the 868 MHz band as a low-cost alternative.

To improve safety, ADS-B UAT ground stations are being deployed in Finland (Pyhtää, Mikkeli, Oulu). These stations integrate traffic from various sources—including drones and mobile networks—and broadcast it to cockpits equipped with low-cost portable receivers. Full national coverage could be achieved with just 20–30 stations, each costing under €10,000.

Affordable solutions already exist: portable ADS-L transmitters (<€150, 26 grams), UAT receivers (<€300), and combined ADS-L trackers (<€600). Devices like the uAvionix SkyEcho 2 could also play a role if approved across Europe.

The message is clear: to avoid mid-air collisions, Europe needs wider deployment of ground stations and a mandate for ADS-B or ADS-L on all flying devices—including drones operating beyond visual line of sight.

This initiative is led by AOPA Europe’s working group on electronic visibility, chaired by JP Kinos.

Proposed Restricted Area along almost the entire Danish Border to Germany

The Danish CAA is proposing a restricted area along almost the entire Danish land-border with Germany. The purpose is for the police to patrol the border by drone, but the consequences are severe operational restrictions on two Danish airfields and problems for VFR traffic to fly across the border into Denmark.

The police drone will only operate up to 400 meters from the border but on the Danish side the CAA insist on a 5km buffer zone which means that the two Danish airfields Tønder & Padborg will be directly inside the restricted area and have their operations severely impacted with no guarantee that it will be possible to land or take-off. According to the police the area is expected to be active 24/7 all year long.

Since the restricted area will go up to 1000ft and stretches along almost the entire Danish-German land-border, VFR traffic across the border will also be severely affected if there are clouds below 1000ft.

Among the many controversies surrounding this project is that a 5km buffer-zone is required on the Danish side of the border, but on the German side no such buffer-zone is found necessary and two German airfields which are even closer to the drone operating area will be able to operate unrestricted. It shows that a smaller buffer-zone is a possibility which would save the 2 Danish airfields.

AOPA Denmark is preparing af protest against the plans which are foreseen to come into effect already next month.

The local aeroclub of Tønder has organized a petition agains the plans, which can be found here (in Danish):

Long-overdue court ruling against Flightradar24 in Sweden

Complaints for violations of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) were filed by disgruntled aircraft owners shortly after the regulation's introduction in 2018, but it took until July of this year for the Swedish administration to finally secure a ruling against the online platform Flightradar24.

The business of Flightradar24 and other ADS-B web portals is to collect position data from aircraft operators worldwide and then offer it to interested viewers on their own websites. Basic services are free of charge, while specialized services are even sold at a high price. As long as the data belongs to airlines, there is no legal requirement to protect the data; the airlines are usually very grateful for the free advertising. However, the situation is different when it comes to the movement data of private aircraft, when the position data can be linked to the movement patterns of private individuals. In that case, publishing this data is a criminal offense because it violates the European General Data Protection Regulation. This is the view of the German judiciary for years. That's why this information about private aircraft cannot be found on any internet portal in Germany. Only on a Swedish platform. In Sweden, there is traditionally a different understanding of which data of private individuals is private and may not be made available to the public. In Sweden, even the income tax information of private individuals is freely accessible, something that would be unimaginable in the rest of Europe. This is probably the reason why the Swedish judiciary apparently had difficulty with the conviction. But ultimately, the ruling was made that the position data may no longer be published if the owner of the aircraft objects. We would have liked the court to have reasoned differently, that the data may no longer be displayed unless the owner explicitly consents.

How can concerned aircraft owners now "make themselves invisible"? There is currently no option to request deletion in the menu on the Flightradar24 website, but this should change soon. One option that already works is to request deletion for all portals "worldwide" on the FAA website, as data privacy is also considered very important in the US. You can also submit the request to the FAA. The data should then no longer be published.

The major obstacle: The US website ADS-B Exchange has so far successfully refused to stop publishing any flight data, even for military aircraft or police helicopters. The basic principle: We publish everything, and no one can stop us.

AOPA Slovenia Welcomes Members at Slovenske Konjice (LJSK)

AOPA Slovenia is proud to call Slovenske Konjice Airport (LJSK) its home base. Visiting AOPA members enjoy free airport fees upon presentation of a valid membership card.

Additional member benefits at LJSK include discounts on 100LL fuel, aircraft maintenance and CAMO services through PICO EASA-approved organizations, as well as reduced rates for hangarage and parking, both short- and long-term.

LJSK also offers a broad range of aviation services: a flight academy up to ATPL level, type rating training for Airbus A320 and A330, as well as aircraft production facilities and more.

Pilots visiting Slovenia will find LJSK not only a welcoming AOPA hub, but also a full-service airport with excellent facilities for both training and private flying.

Member Benefits:

No airport fees for AOPA members presenting a valid card.
Discounts on 100LL fuel, maintenance, and CAMO services provided by PICO EASA-approved organizations.
Reduced rates for short- and long-term hangarage and parking.

More information: AOPA Slovenia | PICO Aviation (Slovenske Konjice Airport)

FAA Publishes Final MOSAIC Rule – What It Could Mean for Europe

In July, the FAA published its long-awaited MOSAIC Final Rule (Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification). The reform is one of the most significant shifts in U.S. GA regulation in decades, expanding the Light Sport Aircraft (LSA) category and sport pilot privileges. The process in the US was inspired by the success of the simple regulations for light aircraft in Europe. The FAA has built on these simple European rules, went even further, and now it would be logical for Europe to take the next bold step toward less bureaucracy.

Key provisions include:

No more strict weight limit: eligibility instead based on stall speed (up to 54–61 kts) and speed (up to 250 kts). Many legacy four-seat Cessnas, Pipers and similar aircraft will now qualify as LSA.
Up to four seats for airplanes under LSA rules.
Broader privileges for sport pilots, including night flying, retractable gear, and controllable-pitch propellers with appropriate training.
Driver’s license medical standard continues for most operations.
Simplified certification & maintenance: new Part 22 rules, performance-based repairman training, and expanded privileges for light-sport repairmen.
Innovation enabled: acceptance of new propulsion types, avionics, and simplified flight control systems.

The FAA expects this to make flying more affordable and accessible, while maintaining safety.
Within IAOPA Europe, members see this as both a challenge and an opportunity. As Peter Prukl (AOPA Spain) wrote, MOSAIC shows that the world’s largest GA regulator is confident safety can be preserved with lighter regulation. This strengthens IAOPA’s arguments for simplified medicals and more proportionate aircraft categorisation in Europe.
Others warn that if EASA does not follow suit, Europe risks losing competitiveness: manufacturers may focus on the U.S. market, where certification burdens are lower. “IAOPA must unite its voice and lobby EASA, the EU Commission and Parliament to bring MOSAIC-inspired reform here as well,” one member concluded.
The MOSAIC rule will take effect in two stages: most sport pilot and repairman changes in 90 days, with certification and new aircraft category rules in 12 months.

Please keep us informed about the aviation news in your country

If you have any news or things that you would like to share with pilots in other countries - for instance if you organize a Fly-in that might be of interest or if there is news about airports or new rules and regulations in your country that other pilots should know.

Please don't hesitate to send all your news to me: Gerrit Brand | Netherlands | email: gerritbrand@hotmail.com | telephone or whatsapp + 31 6 50831893