Blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag. The arms feature a woman in green dress, Erin, the female personification of Ireland, standing beside a yellow harp and embracing a large dark cross with her right arm. Erin and the harp are symbols of Ireland reflecting the territory’s Irish ancestry. Blue represents awareness, trustworthiness, determination, and righteousness.

Flag courtesy of the CIA World Factbook

Map courtesy of the CIA World Factbook

Google Earth

Topographic map of Montserrat showing the “exclusion zone” due to volcanic activity, and the new airport in the north. The roads and settlements in the exclusion zone have mostly been destroyed.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Google Earth

Last updated on April 18, 2024

Government

According to Britannica, Montserrat is an internally self-governing overseas territory within the Commonwealth. The British monarch is the head of state, represented by an appointed governor. The most-recent constitution was promulgated on September 1, 2011, and came into force later that month, on September 27. It provides for an executive branch, consisting of a premier and an Executive Council, and a unicameral legislature called the Legislative Assembly. The governor appoints the premier, who is an elected member of the nine-seat Legislative Assembly and is usually the head of the majority party. The Executive Council includes four official members, the governor, the premier, and three ministers, and members of the Legislative Assembly are popularly elected at large for five-year terms. In addition, the attorney general and the finance secretary serve as ex officio members of both the Executive Council and the Legislative Assembly. The superior court of record is the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, based in Saint Lucia. Notable political parties in Montserrat have included the New People’s Liberation Movement, the National Progressive Party, the Movement for Change and Prosperity, and the Montserrat Democratic Party.

Civil / National Aviation Authority (CAA/NAA)

The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is an eleven-member grouping of islands spread across the Eastern Caribbean. Together, they form a near-continuous archipelago across the eastern reaches of the Caribbean Sea. They comprise the Leeward Islands: Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Montserrat, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands; and the Windward Islands: Dominica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, Martinique and Guadeloupe.

The Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA) evolved from the Directorate of Civil Aviation – Eastern Caribbean States, which may be considered as one of the oldest, if not the oldest institutions in the Eastern Caribbean region. From inception, the Directorate was seen as a vehicle for facilitating a collective and uniform approach to Civil Aviation matters affecting the then Windward and Leeward Islands, which now comprise the OECS Group.

Airspace

SkyVector – Google Maps – ADS-B Exchange

ICAO countries publish an Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). This document is divided into three parts: General (GEN), En Route (ENR) and Aerodromes (AD). ENR 1.4 details the types of airspace classes they chose to adopt from classes A through G. Montserrat AIP – requires user name and password

Drone Regulations

ASSI

Legal requirements for the operation of small unmanned aircraft in the UK Overseas Territories

The requirements for the use of Small Unmanned Aircraft (SUA) in the UK Overseas Territories are laid down in the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) Order. The main rules for their use are laid down in Article 73, however, Article 191 highlights the other articles that also apply to the use of small unmanned aircraft.

The following ASSI SUA Information Leaflets give details of the legal requirements for the use of SUAs, as well as guidance on various activities using SUAs.

ASSI SUA Information Leaflet No 1: Legal Requirements for SUAs (Issue 1, dated August 2022)

ASSI SUA Information Leaflet No 2: Operational Guidance for SUAs (Issue 1, dated August 2022)

ASSI SUA Information Leaflet No 3: Definitions and Glossary for SUAs (Issue 1, dated August 2022)

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)

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