CAA unveils plans to upgrade UK airspace
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has launched its “delivery plan for the full-scale modernisation of UK airspace” by 2040, with the initiative outlining the regulator’s strategy for the next seven years.
The CAA describes its ‘Airspace Modernisation Strategy, Part 3: Deployment Plan’ as a “significant milestone in the once-in-a-generation work to modernise the UK’s airspace”. This plan includes projects to look at how new airspace users (including eVTOL and uncrewed platforms) can safely share the same airspace, as well as associated services and technology.
Although specifics, timescales and clear deliverables of the plan have yet to be determined, the Deployment Plan does detail “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 next five years.
Noting that the task of overhauling the UK’s aerospace is a “long-term and complex endeavour, requiring concerted efforts and collaboration,” chief executive of the CAA Rob Bishton added: “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”.
“The world of aviation is undergoing a technological revolution and it’s crucial our airspace evolves alongside this,” explained Aviation minister Mike Kane. “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”.
The deployment plan published today builds on the January 2023 refreshment of the CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy, which set out a vision for the future of UK airspace to deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys. In order to achieve its ambitious goal, the regulator will continue to collaborate with the Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG), the Ministry of Defence, and NATS Enroute Limited (NERL).
