Airspace redesign
Please note - on February 23 2009 NATS announced that it is to conduct a new consultation on revised proposals for the TCN region. Following simulation and technical testing of those new designs there is still more work to be done before we publish our plans for this part of the airspace.
On October 22 2009 NATS announced that, as a result of the further work still required to be done on the designs and the downturn in air traffic internationally, any further consultation would not now be held before September 2010 at the earliest.
The information on this website relates to the 2008 consultation, which closed in June 2008, and is being kept live for information only. The new proposals will be posted on this site when the new consultation begins.
This is the latest in a rolling programme of UK airspace reviews. There are a number of reasons for reviewing the way airspace is managed:
- Safety: Our overriding priority is to ensure the safe movement of aircraft. As the skies become busier we review the way airspace is managed to ensure we can maintain and enhance our high safety standards.
- Delay: We are required under our licence from the CAA to be capable of meeting any reasonable level of overall demand. Busier, congested skies lead to flight delays and this airspace change proposal is designed to address that.
- Environment: We recognise the effects of aviation on the environment and a key aim of this process is to minimise those effects wherever possible.
Work on this proposal started in 2004 and has involved discussions with local authorities, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the Armed Forces, airports, airlines and other aviation organisations.
The range of interests raises many different expectations and our challenge has been to find the most accommodating overall solution. At the end of the consultation period we must demonstrate to the CAA that we have achieved the very best balance of demands and objectives.
Our overriding priority is safety and the TCN design primarily seeks to assure future safety while also seeking to demonstrate significant efficiency gains and an overall environmental benefit.
For full details on the airspace design process please refer to the consultation document.