Civil Aviation Authority launches consultation on UK airspace reform
September 25, 2025
The UK’s aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has announced the launch of a consultation process regarding how future airspace changes will be implemented.
The move comes as the regulator faces unprecedented demand for airspace, with both the growth in commercial aviation as well as the future use of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones, and eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft.
Updating the process of airspace reform
In an announcement issued on 25 September, the CAA set out details of how it is proposing to update the process of airspace reform. The consultation forms just one element of the CAA’s wider plans in terms of how UK airspace will be modernized going forward.
Modernization is considered to be vital to unlocking the full potential of UK airspace in the future, something that is seen to be a key element of ensuring economic growth in the country.
According to the CAA, modernised airspace designs will improve the overall capacity of this key part of the national infrastructure.
The latest process aims to “safely deliver airport capacity limits established in planning decisions, strengthen the resilience of aviation operations, whilst taking account of the government’s environmental objectives.”
Additionally, the modernisation of UK airspace and its regulation will facilitate the “safe integration of new and innovative types of aircraft with other airspace users.”
The consultation document outlines proposals to streamline and improve the timeliness of how airspace proposals are developed. This process must also remain “transparent and evidence-based,” said the CAA announcement.
In line with its obligations to both the general public and to flight safety, the body says it will be seeking views from a wide range of stakeholders on its proposals during the consultation process.
Why the current process needs reforming
The current process of airspace reform was first introduced in 2018. This was later updated in 2023 as the use of airspace grew exponentially in the post-pandemic era.
However, despite the latest reforms having only been implemented in the last two years, the CAA now says that the process should be revisited to “reflect experience of where the current process is effective and where it is not working effectively or is creating disproportionate work.”
Any new reforms must also consider the requirements of the newly formed UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS), said the CAA.
This new industry body has been established by the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT), along with the CAA, to spearhead the UK’s future airspace design and to ensure that any such changes are implemented in a timely and cost-effective manner.
The guidance provided by UKADS is to be provided by an external company, National Air Traffic Services (En Route), under contract to the DfT.
This organisation currently provides air traffic control services for the ‘en route’ phase of flight throughout the UK. The DfT and CAA are working with NATS to have UKADS up and running by the end of 2025.
UKADS will initially focus on modernising the complex airspace around London. Subject to its capability and capacity, DfT and CAA may expand its scope in the future.
In terms of the reforms now being proposed, UKADS will work alongside key stakeholders to deliver modernised designs that come out of the new consultation process.
“A part of the national infrastructure”
“Airspace is one of the UK’s most important pieces of national infrastructure,” said Rob Bishton, Chief Executive of the Civil Aviation Authority.
“If we want our aviation system to grow in line with planning system decisions, be resilient, compete internationally, and adapt to new technologies, the way we manage and modernise that airspace must also evolve.”
“This consultation sets out reforms that will make the system simpler and more proportionate, while retaining the key evidence and transparent approach. It is a critical step towards delivering the airspace modernisation the UK needs.”
According to the CAA’s statement, the consultation will run for 12 weeks, closing on 18 December.
How the UK is planning for the eVTOL generation
As an additional element of its future airspace planning process, on 18 September, the CAA launched its eVTOL delivery model. This document sets out how the safe integration of eVTOL operations alongside existing aviation will develop in the coming years as the introduction of such aircraft nears.
“To enable innovation and new ways of flying within the UK, this delivery model sets out our objectives and delivery principles to regulate effectively,” said a CAA statement.
As part of this work, the CAA has said it will “collaborate with industry, government, and international partners, build on existing aviation rules, and adapt them for this new technology, while prioritising safety and supporting innovation and sector growth.”
The CAA is keen to be seen as supporting the growing eVTOL sector. The regulator says that eVTOL aircraft have the potential to support the wider decarbonisation of aviation, boost the UK’s position as an aviation innovator, and unlock new ways to travel for the public.
With the UK having its own innovator in the eVTOL space in the form of Vertical Aerospace, CAA involvement and cooperation are seen as vital to how that company’s VX4 will reach the certification stage and eventually enter service.
“The emergence of eVTOL offers new opportunities for the aerospace industry and the potential to reshape how people travel, and goods are delivered,” said Sophie O’Sullivan, Director Future Safety and Innovation at the CAA.
“Our eVTOL delivery model outlines how we, as a regulator, are working to enable this new industry to operate with the highest safety standards, and our ambition to put in place the regulatory framework to facilitate commercial eVTOL operations in the UK by the end of 2028 in line with the government’s objectives.”
