Flight path shake-up: UK to overhaul 'highways of the skies' to cut delays and emissions

Airspace transformation will allow widespread use of new technology such as spacecraft and drones, authorities say

The UK's current airspace policy was designed in the 1950s when there were fewer flights and aircraft navigated using a series of ground-based beacons. Getty

Britain is planning the biggest shake-up of its airspace in nearly 70 years to cut flight delays, reduce carbon emissions and to allow the use of spacecraft and drones over its skies.

The government and the Civil Aviation Authority on Tuesday launched a consultation to seek views on the creation of the UK Airspace Design Service, a team of experts who will attempt to improve the flow of planes.

They will first examine how planes fly in and out of London's airspace, which air-traffic controllers say is one of the busiest and most complex in the world, with take-offs and landings at five major airports and several smaller ones.

The UK's current airspace policy was designed in the 1950s when there were fewer flights and aircraft navigated using a series of ground-based beacons.

Officials believe enabling planes to use modern navigation technologies will boost efficiency, including by reducing the need for aircraft to enter holding patterns before receiving permission to land at airports such as Heathrow.

The more efficient flight paths should mean less time in the skies for aircraft, reducing emissions and allowing a greener industry through the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the aviation regulator says.

It is also hoped that the reforms will help to reduce noise for residents living beneath busy flight paths.

In July, UK airspace experienced some of its busiest days on record with over 8,239 flights. The UK flies over 2.6 million aircraft annually.

Unveiling the plan, aviation minister Mike Kane said the UK's flight industry was a major asset to the country but said much of it was “stuck in the past” and that a 1950s pilot would find that little has changed in the intervening decades.

“Our once-in-a-generation creation of a UK Airspace Design Service will not only drive forward airspace modernisation and create a system that’s fit for the future, but it will help create quicker routes, ease delays and reduce harmful emissions,” he said.

Last month, easyJet, the UK’s biggest airline, said inefficient use of airspace contributes to increases in fuel consumption, carbon emissions and flight times.

The carrier described the problem as a “universal issue” across the whole of Europe, but said the “greatest inefficiencies” for its operations are in the UK.

Among the problems are aircraft being required to climb in steps after take-off, complex routing, and delayed descents to manage the workload of air traffic control (ATC) staff.

EasyJet published the results of an AI-based study that found airspace inefficiencies increased its CO2 emissions in the year to the end of July by 10.6 per cent.

Rob Bishton, chief executive of regulator the CAA, said: “Modernising our airspace is crucial to delivering a more efficient, sustainable and resilient system.

“The proposals we’ve outlined today set out the next steps in our ongoing efforts to progress the modernisation of UK airspace.

“This builds on the important work already done across the industry towards a more streamlined, sustainable airspace system that benefits passengers, airlines and local communities.”