Insurance & travel

Insurance is admittedly not be the most glamorous subject.  But it is hugely important.  So please take the time to read the information and advice below.  We set out some key considerations, including when travelling to skydive outside the UK.  Following this guidance could save you and yours a great deal of money, time and heartache.

The two main types of insurance for skydiving:

1  Members' insurance

Third party legal liability insurance & death and critical injury insurance

Members' third party legal liability insurance covers accidental harm you may cause to others by your skydiving, for instance by damaging their property through an off-landing. 

Third party insurance cover is included in your BPA Membership - the insurance premium forms part of the membership subscription you pay.                

BPA members' insurance summary 2012-3

The indemnity limit of the BPA third party public liability insurance policy is £2m at BPA Affiliated Centres and £100,000 at overseas non-affiliated drop zones, excluding the USA where the policy does not apply.   The policy does not provide cover for instructor negligence at non-affiliated drop zones. 

Please note in particular that:

  1. except for death and critical injury cover (see note below), BPA insurance does not include personal accident cover.  The BPA strongly recommends that all members who jump overseas should take out their own personal accident travel insurance policy which includes cover for skydiving, with repatriation to the UK in the event of an emergency.  It should include equipment and baggage cover.  See section 2 below.
  2. BPA insurance cover does not apply at wind tunnels
  3. BPA insurance cover for non-UK residents and/or citizens performing activities outside the UK applies only at BPA Affiliated Centres or as part of a BPA-Registered Display Team.

Since 1 April 2009, BPA Members' insurance has also included a separate policy giving £15K death and critical injury cover.  A summary of this policy  is included in the Members' insurance summary document (click on link higher up page).

2  Personal accident insurance

Insurance against harm to yourself when you are skydiving (or doing whatever else that a specific personal accident insurance policy may cover you).  Apart from death and critical injury cover (see note above), personal accident insurance is NOT included in your BPA Membership - you need to take it out separately.  Typically, a personal accident policy might cover you if you were off work recovering from an injury sustained in sport parachuting - say for example your work involves driving and you sustain a broken ankle that prevents you from working until it has healed.   

If you're jumping in the UK only, many UK Drop Zones may be able to provide information on companies that provide Personal Accident Insurance that covers UK jumping. 

If you are thinking of jumping outside the UK, in the rest of the European Union or the rest of the world, personal accident insurance should include medical fees and repatriation cover to the UK in the event of a serious skydiving injury or any medical emergency.  The BPA strongly recommends that Members should take out travel [personal accident / medical repatriation] insurance cover that is suitable for your own personal needs, see below.

3  Further information

Click here for 'Insurance essentials for skydivers'.

Click here for our 'Travel checklist for skydivers', which contains web links to some insurance providers.

Updated 10 April 2012