The Westminster Department for Transport has announced plans to modernise the airspace under its jurisdiction, which it says will lead to quicker flights and fewer delays.
A new English Airspace Design Service will be operational by the end of the year, managed by NATS where crumbling infrastructure has seen a series fo spectacular failures, including a complete shutdown on August 2023 caused when staff could not be contacted during a bank holiday.
The redesign targets London’s airspace, where the majority of the busiest airports are located.
Changes are expected to support job growth in aviation and tourism while reducing emissions and delays.
Martin Rolfe shared that modernising airspace is essential for maintaining safety and performance standards with increasing flight numbers: “The changes laid in Parliament today will enable the largest redesign of English airspace since it was first formed in the 1950s. We have to modernise airspace if we are to maintain this level of performance as traffic grows towards 3m flights per year. The government’s announcement to create an Airspace Design Service is a crucial step, building on the work we’ve already completed in other parts.”
