CAA launches specialised portal for airspace changes

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has launched a dedicated portal for proposed changes to UK airspace.

It will provide communities and all interested stakeholders with a one-stop shop of information about designs of UK airspace that might impact them and an easy way to provide their views about changes. This forms a central element of the new airspace change process introduced by the CAA in January 2018.

The portal has been designed to be accessible for both the organisation proposing the change to the design of UK airspace, and all stakeholders with an interest in it. Changes can be located by searching for specific locations or by browsing each change being proposed by airports or organisations (change sponsors).

All airspace change sponsors using the CAA’s new process must use the portal to make available all material relating to any airspace change proposal. This will include background information, options development, consultation documents, responses, and decisions made by the CAA. The portal will also allow impacted stakeholders to provide public feedback on the documents at relevant steps in the process, including the details of the proposed design and the CAA’s draft decisions for major change proposals.

Tim Johnson, Policy Director at the CAA, said: “At the core of our new airspace change process is a commitment to transparency. Anyone interested in the design of UK airspace, and how it might impact them, has a right to be able to access relevant information about proposed changes to flight paths and to provide feedback on it. Airspace is a complex issue, but we believe this new portal is a proportionate way to ensure that the airspace change process is transparent and comprehensible.”