Under the 1949 Wireless Telegraphy Act it is illegal to listen to air traffic radio communication in the UK on a scanning receiver which can be bought in any High Street. It is not illegal to OWN an airband radio, you just can't use it ! The law permits the listening to broadcasts that are intended for "general reception" only, including amateur, CB and public broadcast radio. The listening to air traffic communication is not, and never has been, a security issue to the UK and we are the only country that does not allow the rebroadcast or even discussion of such transmissions. In today's multimedia world, this is something that needs to change.

Millions of people every day use airband radios unaware they are breaking the law. More importantly, millions more people every day now listen to live streaming of air traffic radio around the world via the Internet, from every country - except the UK, thanks to the antiquated 1949 Act. With London Heathrow the busiest international airport in the world, UK airspace one of the most crowded and the UK at one end of the world's busiest air corridor (the North Atlantic), it is unacceptable that the Act prevents the enjoyment of listening to British air traffic communication to millions around the world. The UK has one of the most in-demand airspaces in the world for global air traffic enthusiasts to listen to, but remains the only one for which it is not possible. The Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 needs to be repealed.