£5.5m to drive improvements to UK’s ‘motorways in the sky’

Friday, 19 March 2021 09:02

Up to £5.5m made available to support airports in reducing journey times, pollution and delays Funding will aid industry as it develops and evaluates new flight routes to modernise UK airspace Move will play a vital role in Civil Aviation Authority’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy, ready for when travel restrictions lift The UK’s ‘motorways in the sky’ are on track to be redesigned for the first...Request free trial

Up to £5.5m made available to support airports in reducing journey times, pollution and delays
Funding will aid industry as it develops and evaluates new flight routes to modernise UK airspace
Move will play a vital role in Civil Aviation Authority’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy, ready for when travel restrictions lift

The UK’s ‘motorways in the sky’ are on track to be redesigned for the first time since the 1950’s thanks to a £5.5m investment announced today (Friday 19 March).

Before the pandemic, there were approximately 7,000 aircraft in UK airspace dependent on a complex network of routes that allows planes to operate safely. However, since these flight paths were initially mapped out decades ago, growing numbers of routes and a surge in demand has resulted in an increase in delays, noise and pollution.

The £5.5m fund announced today will support airports to develop and evaluate new design options aimed at making journeys quicker, quieter and cleaner.

Although national lockdown restrictions remain in place, meaning everyone must stay at home unless travelling for a very limited set of reasons, this work will help the sector build back better and greener from the pandemic.

Aviation Minister, Robert Courts said:

“As an island nation, our airspace is vital in keeping us connected to the rest of the world.

“Modernising our ‘sky motorways’ could put an end to the days of circling the airport waiting for a landing slot, improving efficiency and leading to flights that are quicker, quieter and greener than ever before.”

Mark Swan Head of the Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG) said:

“We’re delighted that the Government has reaffirmed the essential role that airspace modernisation will play in helping the aviation industry to build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We will continue to work with our partners across the industry to ensure this programme is one that delivers for all of the UK.”

Creating a more efficient and streamlined airspace not only benefits airports and airlines but also the passengers and communities surrounding them, through reduced emissions, lower levels of noise pollution and fewer delays.

The investment has been made available to airports involved in the Airspace Modernisation Strategy to ensure this vital project remains on track, reflecting the Government’s commitment to modernising the airways while supporting the aviation sector as we recover from the pandemic.

The Government has also put in place one of the most comprehensive packages of business support in the world, pledging around £7 billion for the aviation sector since the start of the pandemic while working to develop a framework for the restart of safe and sustainable international travel. The Global Travel Taskforce will publish its recommendations next month, with international travel resuming from 17 May at the earliest.

Notes to editors

Notes to editors

Combined with the development of new technology, airspace modernisation will:

help to reduce aviation’s carbon emissions, contributing to ambitions such as the global industry goal to reduce net emissions by 50% by 2050
reduce the need for stacking, where aircraft join a circular queue to land at busy airports, helping to reduce carbon emissions and noise impact
create opportunities for airports to manage how noise impacts local communities, including the introduction of ‘planned breaks’ for noise respite
increase the resilience of flights, so we can all be more confident that both holidays and travelling for work will not be affected by unnecessary delays
increase airspace capacity, providing more choice and better value for passengers.

The fund is to support the Future Airspace Strategy Implementation initiatives set out in the Airspace Modernisation Strategy
Airspace Change Organising Group:

To assist with the delivery of the CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy, the Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG) was established in 2019 at the behest of the DfT and CAA. It’s role is to coordinate the delivery of the UK’s airspace change programmes involving 21 airports and NATS, as the provider of the upper level airspace. ACOG’s role is to help ensure that the proposed changes fit together seamlessly and contribute to an effective airspace infrastructure for the future.