Today, the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are launching a consultation proposing the creation of a new UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS) that would act as a single guiding mind for modernising the design of UK airspace.
The consultation demonstrates the Government’s commitment to delivering holistic and modernised UK airspace as part of the CAA’s airspace modernisation strategy (AMS). The AMS vision is to provide quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys, and more capacity for the benefit of those who use and are affected by UK airspace.
Modernisation will help meet the needs of passengers, businesses and the wider economy, while bringing environmental improvements that contribute towards the aviation sector achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
UK airspace is an invisible but vital piece of our national infrastructure. Using an ageing network of ground navigation beacons, its design has remained largely unchanged since the 1950s, when there were fewer than 1 million flights per year in UK airspace. This compares with 2.5 million flights in 2019 and projections of 3 million annually by 20301. In many cases, today’s aircraft still use the same outdated routes, flying further than necessary at sub-optimal altitudes and speeds because the routes rely on the location of the ground navigation beacons, instead of following shorter, more efficient flight paths.
Doing nothing is not an option. If UK airspace is not modernised, NATS (En Route) plc (NERL), the UK’s licensed provider of en route air traffic control services, estimates that by 2040, delays at a national level may increase by more than 200%, which would result in one in five flights experiencing disruption of more than 45 minutes2.
Modernised airspace will make it easier for aircraft to fly more direct routes, with better climb and descent profiles to and from energy-efficient cruising altitudes to help reduce CO2 emissions. It will also ensure that future technologies such as remotely piloted aircraft systems can operate beyond visual line of sight in the UK in a safe and efficient manner.
The current model for airspace change requires airports and air traffic control providers to develop their own airspace designs individually. Co-ordinating these changes creates significant challenges, particularly for the airports in and around the complex London area, where airspace designs overlap.
The consultation proposes creating a new single guiding mind on future airspace design, to deliver much-needed modernisation at scale and at pace. This will help to instil confidence among stakeholders in the delivery of airspace changes that will facilitate overall reductions in carbon emissions, noise and delays.
The consultation seeks views on the overall concept of a UKADS, including its responsibilities, governance and funding. Views from stakeholders will be critical to the next phase of work and we welcome responses from all interested parties.
1 NATS (En Route) plc forecast traffic growth estimates (2026 to 2040)
2 Airspace Change Masterplan Iteration 2, CAP2312b, ACOG (2022).
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