Section 1.4 of ICAO Annex 14 Volume II, “Certification of heliports”, already in the Annex, will be applicable on 26 November 2026. This is what it asks of States, and what it means for anyone who owns or runs a heliport.

What a certificate means

A certificate tells operators and other organisations working on the heliport two things. At the time of certification, the heliport met the specifications for the facility and for its operation. And the certifying authority judged it able to keep meeting them for as long as the certificate is valid.

Certification also sets the baseline the authority uses to keep checking compliance afterwards. The certification status of each heliport is published in the national AIP.

ICAO recognises that States own, run and oversee heliports in different ways. The way it recommends is a separate safety oversight body, with clear procedures and the legislation to back them up.

Which heliports

States shall certify heliports used for international operations. They do so through a regulatory framework that applies Annex 14 and the other relevant ICAO specifications.

ICAO also considers it useful to certify heliports open to public use, for the safety, regularity and efficiency of their operations. This is a recommendation in a note, not a Standard.

For a heliport on an aerodrome, the Heliport Manual (Doc 9261) explains how heliport certification relates to aerodrome certification.

The framework

The national framework shall set the criteria and the procedures for certifying a heliport. ICAO’s guidance on how to build that framework is also in Doc 9261.

The heliport manual comes first

Before a certificate is granted, the applicant shall submit a heliport manual for approval or acceptance. The manual covers:

• the site, facilities, services and equipment;
• operating procedures;
• organisation and management, including a safety management system (SMS).

Doc 9261 explains:

• what the manual should contain;
• how it is submitted and approved;
• how compliance is checked and the certificate granted.

The SMS requirements for certified heliports are in Annex 19. The general SMS guidance is in the Safety Management Manual (Doc 9859), and the heliport-specific part is in Doc 9261.

What to do now

If your heliport serves international flights or is open to public use, check how your State is transposing section 1.4 and when. Then start on the heliport manual and the SMS. In practice they take the longest to prepare, and without them there is no certificate.

I can write the heliport manual and the safety management manual, or support your team in writing them. Get in touch or see what I do on a heliport project.

Source: ICAO Annex 14, Volume II, section 1.4, already published and applicable from 26 November 2026. This note is a summary; the Annex and your national regulations are the reference.