Summary: The complainant asked for the identities of airlines which had been subject to targeted inspections by the Civil Aviation Authority. The DfT confirmed that it held information on the identity of foreign carriers who had been inspected under the Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft Programme, but refused to disclose this information, citing sections 27(1) and 31 of the Act. During the investigation of the case the DfT also cited section 43(2) to withhold the information in question. After investigating the case the Commissioner decided that the information was exempt from disclosure under section 27(1)(a) and (c) and that the public interest in disclosure was outweighed by the public interest in maintaining the exemption. However he found that the DfT had not complied with the requirements of sections 17(1), 17(1)(b) and 17(1)(c).
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: FOI 17 - Complaint Upheld, FOI 27 - Complaint Not upheld