UK Civil Aviation Authority reveal plans to modernise airspace

London City Airport (credit: CAA)

The UK Civil Aviation Authority have outlined plans to modernise the UK’s airspace by 2040, outlining how the motorway of the skies could change over the next seven years.

The aviation and aerospace regulator has recently published its ‘Airspace Modernisation Strategy, Part 3: Deployment Plan,’ a significant piece of work to modernise the UK’s airspace.

The publication of the plan demonstrates a crucial progression with the UK Civil Aviation Authority setting the key activities and milestones the regulator and the sector will need to deliver, as well as the regulatory frameworks it will set.

This includes projects looking at how new airspace users, such as drones and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, can fly safely in the same airspace as other aircraft.

It also includes work looking at the services needed to support all airspace users, and the technology that needs to be developed for aircraft to detect and avoid each other.

Rob Bishton, Chief Executive of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “Overhauling our airspace is a long-term and complex endeavour, requiring concerted efforts and collaboration from the aerospace industry. It is key to enabling new and innovative technologies to thrive in UK aerospace.

“Our delivery plan sets out the main priorities for the coming years, providing a framework for co-ordinated action and accountability.

“It not only outlines our strategic priorities, but also is a blueprint for industry to engage and contribute towards the vision of a modernised airspace for the UK.”

Aviation Minister Mike Kane said: “The world of aviation is undergoing a technological revolution and it’s crucial our airspace evolves alongside this.

“The Civil Aviation Authority’s plan to modernise our airspace will help ease delays, support efforts to decarbonise and reduce noise. Through continued collaboration with industry, this plan will ensure these innovations are safely and effectively integrated into our skies.”

‘We have an analogue airspace in a digital age designed nearer a time Yuri Gagarin reached for the stars. The moment for change is now…’ 

A first iteration, the Deployment Plan details the work the regulator has committed to, including projects that are ongoing or commencing within the next two years and those activities that will need to be delivered by the industry. It also provides an overview of further scoped work to take place over the subsequent five years.

This includes information on nearer-term activities, concepts and challenges that the UK Civil Aviation Authority needs to consider, but where detail, timescales and clear deliverables are yet to be determined.

This crucial step in the journey towards modernising the UK’s airspace infrastructure – which has its origins in the 1950s – will help improve the performance (including environmental) of today’s UK aerospace system, as well as support growth opportunities for new technologies and airspace users.

It comes after the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy was refreshed in January 2023, setting out a vision for the future of UK airspace to deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys.

The plan published today builds upon the foundations laid in the refreshed strategy and serves as a tool for the aerospace industry to monitor progress and ensure alignment.

The regulator will collaborate with the Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG), Ministry of Defence and NATS Enroute Limited (NERL) to achieve this ambitious goal.