Written question asked by Lord Berkeley (Labour) on Thursday, 7 September 2023, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 21 September 2023. It was answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Conservative) on Tuesday, 19 September 2023 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Airports: Safety

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the announcement on 7 September that the UK will re-join the EU's Horizon and Copernicus programmes, whether they will include the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) to facilitate early improvements in the reliability and air safety of small airports.

Answer: The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is separate to the Horizon and Copernicus Programmes. The DfT is working with other departments to understand the case for a UK Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS). As well as replacing the functionality of EGNOS, this system could offer benefits across transport and multiple Critical National Infrastructure sectors. To support this, the DfT is assessing the requirements following loss of access to EGNOS. The DfT is funding a UK SBAS testbed project to demonstrate the capabilities of such a system. This will inform the DfT’s consideration on next steps for this work.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL9965
Session: 2022-23
Subjects: Airports Safety Air traffic EGNOS Copernicus programme Horizon Europe
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk