In April 2019 a remarkable Guernsey milestone was reached. That month saw the 500th aircraft registered in the States of Guernsey’s own prestigious “2-REG” aircraft registry.
Aircraft, just like cars, need to be registered. Unlike your car, though, which will be registered in the place where it is driven, an aircraft can be registered in one jurisdiction but operated in another.
the first A380 aircraft flown by Singapore Airlines now has a 2REG registration mark
The prefix for the Guernsey registration mark is “2” , hence the registry is normally referred to as “2REG”. Small aircraft, helicopters and larger commercial aircraft can all be registered on 2REG.
The Registry opened for business in December 2013, starting with 4 locally based private aircraft. Since then it has grown and grown to the point where the first A380 aircraft flown by Singapore Airlines now has a 2REG registration mark!
The 2- registration has continued to be a selling point for attracting new aircraft, due to the various personalised aircraft “number plate” permutations that can be made such as 2-HIGH, 2-CHEZ, 2-MATO etc etc.
How is it Set Up ?
The registry is unique in that it is a public- private partnership between the States of Guernsey and SGI (Guernsey) Ltd, a local subsidiary of the Dutch based company “SGI Aviation”.
This means that the States of Guernsey has been able to contract out the administration of the registry to a local company, employing full time staff on the Island specialising in flight operations and airworthiness who, in turn, are also able to call upon the expertise and back office support of the global aviation services company behind them. The Dutch parent company provides access to a pool of many engineering surveyors located around the world needed for aircraft inspections.
Why Use the Guernsey Registry ?
Guernsey is one of a number of smaller jurisdictions, in addition to the larger countries around the world, that offer aircraft registration services. So why is the registry here in the Bailiwick of Guernsey so successful?
- Personalisation : Ability to have a personalised aircraft “number plate”.
- 24/7 Service : Unlike the offices of some of the larger aviation authorities 2-REG staff provide support 24/7 . On one occasion, an aircraft was even registered on Boxing Day.
- AOCs : 2-REG can grant approvals known as Air Operator Certificates (AOC)
- Temporary Registry Expertise : Airlines around the world tend to lease aircraft rather than own them. In the case of large airlines, the aircraft will normally be registered in the country where they are based and when the lease ends, the aircraft are deregistered. This means that the aircraft have to be put on to a temporary registration in order to fly them to their next home. This is an area that 2-REG specialises in and the registry has built up good working relationships with the major leasing companies around the world.
Although most of the aircraft on the 2-REG have never been to Guernsey, the registration process provides a good income to the Island.
So, if you’re travelling abroad and you see an aircraft with a “2-” registry, usually situated near the tail fin, you can be proud to know that it’s registered here in little ol’ Guernsey !
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