Summary
NATS (En Route) plc (NERL) is responsible for providing an airspace coordination service (UKACS) which replaces the masterplan role previously undertaken by the Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG).
NERL’s role, as the provider of the UKACS, is to facilitate coordination of certain strategically important interdependent airspace change proposals.
These changes will upgrade the UK’s airspace around certain neighbouring airports to deliver the objectives of airspace modernisation.
The UKACS
Provision of the UKACS requires NERL to facilitate coordination between the sponsors of certain strategically important interdependent airspace change proposals forming geographic 'clusters'. Through UKACS, NERL must prepare cumulative assessment and safety strategy outputs encompassing all the proposed airspace change proposals in that cluster.
The requirements and guidance that NERL and relevant sponsors are required to follow is set out in CAP 3220 (as well as the guidance of CAP 3219 including how NERL will create its strategic delivery plan, its stakeholder engagement plan and appoint an Advisory Board). The DfT has published strategic objectives for NERL’s provision of its UKADS and UKACS obligations.
UKACS clusters
The sponsors of strategically important interdependent airspace change proposals requiring coordination as part of the UKACS are currently those airports and NERL airspace changes in the West (Bristol), Manchester (Manchester, Liverpool, East Midlands, Leeds Bradford) and Scottish (Edinburgh, Glasgow) clusters.
NERL has an ongoing requirement to keep under review the need for coordinating any existing or new strategically important airspace change proposals. The scope of the UKACS service may therefore change. More information on the transition and history of development can be found here.