Proposals for the largest shake-up of UK airspace in its history are set to be laid before the country’s parliament.
The overhaul will be carried out by a new organisation, UK Airspace Design Service, which will be operational by the end of this year.
Concentrating initially on reshaping the airspace around London, with the proposed expansion of Heathrow airport, the service is intended to increase capacity and improve flightpath efficiency.
It is also likely to be tasked, in the longer term, with facilitating the introduction of new aviation technology such as eVTOLs.
Establishing UKADS is a “crucial step” in the modernisation, says air navigation service NATS’ chief, Martin Rolfe, given that the UK handles a quarter of European traffic while being responsible for just 11% of its airspace.
“The UK’s airspace network is one of the busiest and most complex in the world,” he says, pointing out that it handles 2.7 million flights annually.
NATS’ En Route division will run UKADS.
The UK Department for Transport says the redesign aims to reduce the number of aircraft forced into holding patterns, while also enabling flights to climb and descend more efficiently.
Aviation minister Mike Kane says the measures will make the air transport sector “more resilient to disruption”.
The work will be supported by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
Airlines UK, a trade group for UK-registered carriers, says the modernisation is “long overdue”.
“These changes will help to speed up a programme that will provide tangible reforms,” says chief executive Tim Alderslade.
