Plans to upgrade airspace unveiled by UK regulator

At a glance

• UK’s aviation and aerospace regulator launches delivery plan for the full-scale modernisation of UK airspace.
• Plan outlines main industry activities for next seven years and how the UK Civil Aviation Authority will play a coordinating role.
• Target to modernise UK airspace by 2040, with collaboration from across the industry required to make it a success.

Plans to modernise the UK’s airspace by 2040 has taken a significant step forward, with the UK Civil Aviation Authority outlining how the motorway of the skies could change over the next seven years.

The aviation and aerospace regulator has published its ‘Airspace Modernisation Strategy, Part 3: Deployment Plan’, a significant milestone in the once-in-a-generation work to modernise the UK’s airspace.

Publication of the plan signifies a crucial step forward with the UK Civil Aviation Authority setting out the key activities and milestones the industry and regulator will need to deliver together, alongside 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.

Notes to editors

• The UK Civil Aviation Authority published it’s refreshed Airspace Modernisation Strategy in January 2023, setting out a vision for the future of UK airspace which will help deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys, as well as create more capacity for the benefit for those who use and are affected by UK airspace.  

• The Secretary of State has given the UK Civil Aviation Authority the function to prepare and maintain a co-ordinated strategy and plan for the use of all UK airspace for air navigation up to 2040, including for the modernisation of the use of such airspace. This is consistent with the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s role as specialist aviation regulator and its statutory responsibilities. 

• More information on the Airspace Modernisation Strategy 2023–2040.