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Written question asked by Lord Rana (Conservative) on Monday, 25 June 2018, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 9 July 2018. It was answered by Baroness Sugg (Conservative) on Wednesday, 4 July 2018 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Air Traffic Control

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to reclassify existing areas of unnecessarily controlled airspace to improve safety, efficiency and access to airspace for general aviation traffic.

Answer

The Government is working with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and other key stakeholders to modernise our airspace. The specific needs of general aviation, including whether existing areas of controlled airspace should be reclassified, will be considered by the independent airspace regulator, the CAA, which is responsible for the classification of UK airspace.

Last year, the Secretary of State for Transport commissioned NATS to produce a feasibility assessment of the potential future demands for airspace of airports in the South of the UK. This work was the first step in the co-ordination of airspace modernisation, examining its feasibility and potential implementation. It was a design requirement of the NATS modelling that the total volume of controlled airspace does not increase and that where possible, controlled airspace would be released to other airspace users, including general aviation. The Government expects to publish the high level findings of this later in 2018.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL8927
Session
2017-19
Subjects
Air traffic control Airspace
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk