In a speech to an Airlines UK dinner, UK Transport Secretary Chris Grayling, confirmed that the Government will shortly be publishing proposals to support the modernisation of the way UK airspace is managed. These changes will include the use of new technologies that will mean routes planes use when coming in to land, or take off will be rationalised, increasing capacity, reducing delays and speeding up journeys and reducing emissions. The proposals will also help address the impacts of noise for those living underneath flight paths, giving the opportunity to make the most of quieter modern aircraft and helping provide more predictable periods of relief from noise.
“Airports’ arrival and departure routes can now be upgraded,” says Grayling. “By using satellite navigation we can add capacity for more flights and create more predictable respite from noise for communities under flightpaths, thanks to more reliable routing.
“In addition, the use of technology to better target flight paths and manage arrival times more accurately will help to build additional capacity. New technology can steepen take-off and landing and reduce the need for stacking, which can also reduce the impact of noise. This is in addition to the benefits of quieter, modern planes with a typical noise footprint 50% smaller than the ones they are replacing on departure, and 30% on arrival being introduced by major airlines.”
“Airspace modernisation can also make journeys faster and more environmentally friendly by reducing delays. Analysis commissioned by the DfT and carried out by NATS, predicts total delays due to air traffic management could reach 4.4 million minutes by 2030 – that’s 3,100 days of delays and 72 times more than 2015, if nothing is done.”
“We will be urging the public across the UK to respond to the consultation which will be launched next week and will last for 16 weeks.”