Turkey has replaced its 2012 flight-inspection regulation with a broader framework covering satellite and ground-based radio navigation, surveillance systems and visual approach aids. Published in Official Gazette No. 33388 on 2 October 2026, the new SHY-UK rules apply to organisations authorised by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and to the specialist personnel performing inspections. For international aviation operators and infrastructure investors, the material change is wider technical oversight; the regulation does not announce a passenger timetable change or an airport closure.
The scope now extends beyond ground-based navigation
The superseded 2012 regulation focused on ground-based radio navigation systems. The new text expressly includes satellite navigation such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou, related augmentation systems, radar and radar-data processing, and visual approach aids including PAPI, approach lighting and runway lighting. It also retains systems such as VOR, DME, NDB and ILS.
Only authorised organisations may perform the inspections
Flight inspections for systems serving civil aviation in Turkish airspace must be conducted by legal entities authorised by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. They must maintain procedures, monitor equipment calibration and work to national and international standards. The regulation does not create an open licence for ordinary aviation consultants or airport contractors to certify systems.
Four inspection types and a safety priority order
The framework distinguishes site-selection, commissioning, periodic and special inspections. Accident investigations, unplanned service restoration and reports of signal degradation receive first priority. Periodic checks and commissioning are second; site-selection assessments and other reviews are third. The authority may reorder work when urgent safety needs arise.
Reports feed NOTAM and AIP decisions
Inspection teams must document measurements and the operational status of the system under ICAO Doc 8071. Findings can support the issue, amendment or cancellation of a NOTAM, while continuous or long-term limitations must be taken forward for publication in Turkey's Aeronautical Information Publication. Initial commissioning records remain for the system's service life; other approved reports and data must generally be kept for at least five years.
Personnel and equipment requirements are explicit
A flight-inspection team must include two trained pilots and at least one inspection specialist. The regulation specifies relevant pilot or ATSEP credentials, instrument qualifications, system training and minimum aviation-English competence. Inspection aircraft need airworthiness and IFR approvals, suitable performance and capacity, and environmental controls for sensitive measurement equipment.
Existing organisations have a two-year transition
Authorised flight-inspection and CNS service organisations must bring their arrangements into line with the new rules within two years. Existing personnel keep acquired rights for systems they are already authorised to inspect, but new or expanded privileges require the stated training, experience and authorisation. This transition is an organisational deadline, not a two-year suspension of current safety checks.
What passengers should and should not infer
The regulation took effect on publication, but it does not cancel flights, change airline schedules or declare any airport system unsafe. A specific operational restriction would normally appear through the relevant NOTAM or AIP process. Travellers should therefore rely on their airline, airport and official NOTAM-derived information for an actual journey rather than treating the regulation itself as a disruption notice.