The CAA has launched a consultation on our airspace classification review

Words By: Drone Major

Help us identify volumes of controlled airspace in which the classification could be reviewed

On 30 October 2019 the Secretary of State for Transport wrote to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to amend the 2017 Air Navigation Directions to give us a new role regarding the way in which airspace is classified. This now means that we must:

• Regularly consider whether to review the classification of airspace;
• consult airspace users as part of that review;
• where we consider a change to classification might be made, amend it ourselves in accordance with a new procedure that we must develop and publish;
• in developing that procedure and our policy describing airspace classifications, seek to ensure that the amount of controlled airspace is the minimum required to maintain a high standard of air safety and, subject to overriding national security or defence requirements, that the needs of all airspace users are reflected on an equitable basis.

We are now beginning the first airspace classification review and we would like your help. We have published online a consultation inviting respondents to identify volumes of controlled airspace in which the classification could be amended to better reflect the needs of all airspace users on an equitable basis. This consultation exercise forms the start of the first review, and once it closes, there will be three more stages to complete the work:

• Shortlisting volumes of airspace for potential amendment, using analysis of evidence about airspace use and consultation responses
• Preparing and consulting on guidance for a new regulatory process to reclassify volumes of airspace identified through the review exercise
• Developing solutions to enable airspace reclassification

More information about the review process, together with a series of visualisations that show how controlled airspace is being used at set times during the week over different flight levels can be found on our consultation website. How to respond to this engagement exercise  Please visit our dedicated consultation website to view the visualisations on the use of controlled airspace, and then identify which volumes could be reviewed. We are asking for comments before 3rd March 2020. We cannot commit to taking into account comments received after this date.