Membership is an arrangement with the International Air Rail Organisation, an unincorporated membership organisation, Suite 3, Charter House, 26 Claremont Road, Surbiton KT6 4QZ. Contact: patrick.hicks@iaro.com.
Who can join
IARO has two membership categories. The category describes the member’s role in the sector. It does not change access or the fee, which follow organisation size.
- Air-Rail Member — organisations with direct responsibility for owning, funding, commissioning, regulating or operating an airport rail service or an active airport-rail project. This includes airports, rail operators, infrastructure managers, transport authorities and formally constituted project bodies. Airlines are Air-Rail Members only when they are directly involved in an integrated air-rail product or partnership.
- Associate Member — organisations that advise, design, build or supply the sector, including consultancies, engineering firms, manufacturers, technology providers, professional advisers, universities and research organisations. Individual membership is an Associate membership for a named person.
Air-Rail and Associate Members currently receive the same access and pay the same rate according to organisation size. The category identifies each member’s role in the sector. The Secretariat confirms the category when it accepts an application.
Organisation membership covers employees of that legal entity, including overseas branches of the same company. It does not automatically cover a wider corporate group. Small-organisation membership is for organisations of four people or fewer. Individual Associate membership is for a named person. The Secretariat issues named logins. Organisation membership does not automatically create a separate login for every eligible employee; extra named accounts are issued on request. Applying does not create membership until the Secretariat accepts the application and the invoice is paid, unless the Secretariat agrees otherwise in writing.
Term and the 2026–27 offer
A membership accepted on or after 4 September 2026 and before 1 January 2027 runs to 31 December 2027. That is the “pay for 2027, the rest of 2026 is included” offer. After that, membership is for the calendar year unless the invoice says otherwise. Renewals are invited before expiry. To cancel a renewal, tell the Secretariat in writing before the new term starts.
Fees, currencies and VAT
Published rates are Individual Associate (one named person) £195; Small organisation (up to four people) £395; Organisation (five or more people) £795. EUR and USD invoicing are available. The Secretariat will confirm the equivalent and any applicable VAT. UK VAT at 20% is added where UK VAT rules require it. Cross-border VAT can depend on the customer. The invoice is the confirmation of treatment. Payment is due as stated on the invoice.
From 1 January 2027, the annual Organisation rate (five or more people) is £1,200 for both Air-Rail and Associate membership. Individual Associate and Small organisation rates remain £195 and £395 respectively. The new organisation rate applies to new memberships and renewals starting in 2027. Memberships accepted under the September–December 2026 offer retain their agreed fee and access through 31 December 2027, with no additional payment due because of this rate change. An application alone does not secure the offer: the Secretariat must accept it before 1 January 2027, and payment is due as stated on the invoice.
What you receive
Once accepted and paid, Air-Rail and Associate Members receive the same access: the member website (planned and cargo records, member notes, the report library), the searchable Express archive, introductions arranged by the Secretariat, and an included conference place. One conference place is included per membership, with advance registration and subject to capacity. Additional places follow the arrangements for that event. Travel and hotels are not included. The Express email briefing is also available free to people who subscribe. Organisation membership covers colleagues of that legal entity; it does not automatically create a separate login for every employee unless the Secretariat issues one.
If the Brussels conference is postponed or cancelled, IARO will offer an alternative date or format where it reasonably can. The membership fee is not refunded solely because an event changes. A separate event charge, if any was paid, would be refunded or credited.
Accounts and confidentiality
Credentials must not be shared outside the member organisation. Member-only reports, notes and planned-project records are confidential to current members and may not be republished.
Cancellation and refunds
If you apply as an individual in the United Kingdom, distance-selling rules may give you a 14-day cooling-off period. Contact the Secretariat. If you ask us to start member access during that period, you may lose the right to cancel for the service already supplied. Organisation membership is a business arrangement. Fees already invoiced for a started term are not ordinarily refunded, except where the law requires it or the Secretariat agrees.
Suspension and ending membership
IARO may suspend or end access if fees are unpaid, if credentials are misused, or if these terms are broken. When membership ends, website access to member-only material ends. Directory listings are removed when no longer current.
Liability, law and complaints
Membership does not make IARO responsible for operational decisions you take on the back of IARO material. Nothing limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. Complaints: email the Secretariat. You may also have the right to use an appropriate UK dispute service or to complain to the ICO about personal data.
Related pages: Privacy Notice, Website terms, Membership fees.