The UK Department for Transportation has unveiled new plans to modernise the UK's airspace design.
A consultation launched on October 22, 2024, will seek views on proposals to establish a UK Airspace design service - a new team of aviation experts who will aim to improve the way planes fly in, out and over the UK - starting by looking at London's airspace.
The UK Airspace Design Service would create a holistic and integrated design - simplifying the process and bureaucracy in coordination with airports, airlines and air navigation service providers - to deliver benefits for passengers and local communities impacted by aviation noise.
“UK airspace is one of the nation’s biggest invisible assets, but it’s been stuck in the past – a 1950s pilot would find that little has changed," Mike Kane, UK minister for aviation. “Our once-in-a-generation creation of a UK Airspace Design Service will not only drive forward airspace modernisation and create a system that’s fit for the future, but it will help create quicker routes, ease delays, and reduce harmful emissions - making air travel a better experience for all.”
Both the Department for Transport and UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are seeking views on how a UK Airspace Design Service could deliver on airspace modernisation, as most of the current airspace design was implemented in the 1950s.
Rob Bishton, chief executive at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “Modernising our airspace is crucial to delivering a more efficient, sustainable, and resilient system. The proposals we’ve outlined today set out the next steps in our ongoing efforts to progress the modernisation of UK airspace."
Bishton continued: “These builds on the important work already done across the industry towards a more streamlined, sustainable airspace system that benefits passengers, airlines and local communities.”
This new imitative coincides with government plans in the UK to achieve net zero by 2050.