GovWire

The Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS) refresh, published on 23 January 2023, sets out, through 9 elements, the ways and means of modernising airspace, focussing on the period until the end of 2040.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) must report to the Secretary of State annually on the delivery of the AMS, through an annual progress report. This report details the progress made by industry, as well as work the CAA have conducted against each of the AMSs elements. For 2022, the progress report reports on the previous AMSs 15 initiatives.

In total, 6 of the 15 initiatives are assessed as requiring attention, 2 are on track, one has been implemented and 6 initiatives have been assessed as having major issues.

The department is working with the CAA to strengthen delivery and ensure greater progress is made in implementing the airspace modernisation programme. Ministers are giving the programme urgent attention and have already announced measures to tackle these challenges, including the consultation launched on 22 October 2024 on our plans to create a new UK Airspace Design Service. This will drive forward airspace modernisation and create a system thats fit forthe future by delivering quicker routes, easing delays, and reducing harmful emissions.

Areas of progress

Free Route Airspace (Initiative 2) was implemented in Scotland in 2021 and remains on track for deployment in Q1 2023 across southwest England and Wales. This will see airlines being able to fly more direct routes in upper airspace reducing aviations carbon emissions and will save CO2 every year equivalent to the power used by some 3,500 family homes (12,000 tonnes CO2 per year).

The Airspace Classification Review (Initiative 10) has made significant progress with thepublication of the findings into the review of the Cotswold Region. This work has identified where airspace can be opened up for all airspace users to use (for example general aviation).

Under the Deployment of Electronic Surveillance Solution (Initiative 11), Department for Transport (DfT) and the CAA established the Surveillance Standards Task Force, developing national, voluntary specifications for Electronic Conspicuity. This is a key enabler in the refreshed AMS, bringing together current and new airspace users, such as drones, in order to promote a safe and integrated lower airspace.

Areas assessed as having major issues

There are a number of initiatives assessed as having major issues, in part because of COVID recovery and the complexities of the airspace changes in the London cluster. However, formal acceptance of Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG) Masterplan Iteration 2 in January 2022 was a critical milestone. This was enabled in part to 9.2 million funding by government. Iteration 3 will be published later this year following a number of public engagement exercises.

Of the 6 initiatives requiring attention, timescales and delivery plans have been reassessed and re-baselined as a result of publication of the refreshed AMS.

I will place a copy of the Airspace Modernisation 2023 progress report in the libraries of both Houses.