Minister for Aviation (): Modernising our airspace is
a priority for this Government, and the upgrades that have been
made to date are already providing improved reliability to
services and helping to deliver our climate and environmental
obligations. The benefits of modernisation don't stop at
conventional passenger aircraft – it will also enable the safe
integration of emerging aviation technologies, futureproofing our
skies for the next generation of aircraft and making meaningful
contributions towards our net zero targets.
Modernisation has an important role in ensuring that the growth
of UK aviation proceeds in a sustainable manner, minimising where
possible noise impacts for communities and emissions through more
efficient flight paths.
As the Programme enters its third year following the refresh of
the Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS), there continues to be
considerable progress. Some of the most significant developments
include:
- The establishment of the UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS),
which will deliver holistic and modernised airspace design for
the complex London Terminal Airspace by taking forward airports'
airspace change proposals (ACPs) in a coordinated manner.
- The creation of a new UK Airspace Support Fund to cover
relevant costs of the sponsors of eligible ACPs that are outside
the scope of the UKADS.
- Progress being made by the 18 airports advancing their ACPs
as part of the Terminal Airspace Redesign element, with Edinburgh
and Glasgow Airports conducting their consultations.
- Work progressing well on enabling the full integration of UK
airspace, including supporting the safe integration of new
airspace users, like drones. The CAA consulted on beyond visual
line of sight operations (BVLOS) for unmanned aircraft systems
and work has begun mandating the carriage of electronic
conspicuity technology.
- The funding of six new projects to support the development of
integration and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations.
- The publication in August 2025 of the updated Part 3 of the
Strategy, consisting of the Deployment Plan outlining the
delivery milestones for projects in progress or due to commence
over the next 7 years.
The Airspace Modernisation Annual Progress Report, prepared by
the CAA, is required by the Secretary of State for Transport and
provides details of the progress made within the Programme, as
well as the policy development work carried out by the CAA
against each of the AMS's elements. This report covers the period
from January to December 2025.
It provides a clear overview of the progress that has been
delivered across the nine delivery elements and the multiple
projects within each one. It also illustrates areas of delay or
concern and what mitigations and measures are in place to reduce
them. The full report is available on the CAA website.
Since 2022, the Department for Transport has placed the Annual
Progress Report in both libraries as a record of the workstreams
initiated and work carried out. However, as the programme has
matured and gained momentum, many aspects have become business as
usual activities.
This WMS therefore represents the final time the CAA's Annual
Progress Report will be placed in both libraries. The CAA will
continue to produce the report and publish it on their website
with appropriate publicity.
