Gibraltar ‘not reinventing aircraft registration’ says registry CEO

Castillo said user experience was central in the development of the new registry which took two years to set up and is under contract with the Gibraltar government for 20 years.

The choice of prefix — ZD or VP-G — gets to the heart of what the Gibraltar Aircraft Registry says it is all about. Opened on August 3rd, the registry is the third brand in the Aircraft Registry Group after San Marino and Aruba.

Initially assigned a VP-led prefix in line with the protocol for British Overseas Territories, CEO Lindy Castillo told CJI the registry requested a unique prefix that “identifies us as different”.

“The UK CAA assigned Zulu Delta. We’re using Zulu Delta in our marketing, but again, VP-G is available as well. So we have two prefixes, and at the end of the day it’s about your aircraft, your choice,” she said.

“Gibraltar doesn’t really need to reinvent aircraft registration. What we want is to improve the experience around it. Although the registry is new, the experience behind it is not… We’re taking the opportunity to take what we know works, what we’ve learned from experience and embrace technology as well, from day one, to build this registry around the expectations and needs of today’s owners and operators.”

Castillo said Gibraltar is a boutique registry. “Very selective, responsive, technologically advanced and building a close relationship with our clients. We are taking advantage of having the aviation experience and knowledge, combined with a clean sheet of paper,” she said.

The pitch for choosing Gibraltar rests on the certainty of its English common law system, political stability and strong international finance, legal and insurance sectors.

“Banks and financiers need certainty around clear ownership and the ability to register security interests, such as mortgages,” said Castillo. “That’s exactly what Gibraltar provides: an English common law framework with clear processes for ownership and mortgage registration and creditor protection, designed around the expectations of the international aviation finance market.”

“We don’t want to become the biggest aircraft registry. We want to become one that is highly respected,” she added.

The Gibraltar Aircraft Registry has published a 10-year roadmap. The first five years of which are centred on attracting aircraft from high-net worth individuals, family offices, and international business operators, while building a positive global reputation.

“I would like the aviation market to associate Gibraltar with credibility, safety, responsiveness, technology and exceptional personal service. Once we establish the relationships and gain the trust of the industry, the numbers will just come. In ten years’ time, I’d like to have about 350 to 400 aircraft on the registry. I know it will take time, but if we get things right from the very beginning, we believe we can be as successful as San Marino and Aruba have been,” she said.

Initially, the registry wants to attract executive aircraft, but by the first quarter of 2028 it intends to open up to commercial operators. Gibraltar is already a commercial shipping hub.

Known by Gibraltarians, who are British citizens, as ‘The Rock’, Gibraltar is unique as an overseas territory, with its right to establish its own civil aviation regulatory framework in a similar way to the Crown Dependencies.

As the UK remains the ICAO Contracting State responsible for Gibraltar under the Chicago Convention, the Gibraltar Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) is subject to UK oversight to provide assurance that Gibraltar meets the applicable ICAO Standards. As part of the establishment of the Gibraltar Aircraft Registry, the GCAA was therefore required to undergo an audit by UK ASSI before aircraft registrations could commence. Following a successful ASSI audit, the UK Department for Transport authorised the GCAA to launch the Gibraltar Aircraft Registry for private and corporate aviation. 

With the first audit passed, the next stage is commercial aviation. Castillo said the majority of the regulatory work is already complete and that the registry is confident it will be in a position to accommodate commercial operations following completion of the second audit and implementation of the remaining regulatory requirements for Air Operator Certificates (AOCs).

“Being an overseas territory, we’ve designed the ownership criteria to recognise natural persons and entities from the Commonwealth, Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies, among others” said Castillo. “That’s given us flexibility on international ownership, recognising ownership structures that qualify directly for registration purposes.”

Gibraltar is also recognising UK, EASA, FAA and Transport Canada approvals for Type Certificates, maintenance organisations and CAMOs.

Castillo does not see Aruba, San Marino and Gibraltar as competing registries. “We see them as three distinct brands within one group,” she said. “No single registry can meet the needs of every owner and operator. Naturally there will be some overlap, but our objective is to serve a broader global market and provide owners and operators with a wider choice of jurisdictions within the group.”

“So that’s how we distinguish it: three jurisdictions, three distinct brands, three different doors into one group.”