The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published its Airspace Modernisation Strategy, Part 3: Deployment Plan, setting out the key activities and milestones the industry and regulator will need to deliver together, alongside the regulatory frameworks it will set.
This includes projects looking at how new airspace users, such as drones and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, can fly safely in the same airspace as other aircraft. It also includes work looking at the services needed to support all airspace users, and the technology that needs to be developed for aircraft to detect and avoid each other.
The UK Secretary of State has given the CAA the function to prepare and maintain a coordinated strategy and plan for the use of all UK airspace for air navigation up to 2040, including for the modernisation of the use of such airspace.
“Overhauling our airspace is a long-term and complex endeavour, requiring concerted efforts and collaboration from the aerospace industry,” said Rob Bishton, Chief Executive of the CAA. “It is key to enabling new and innovative technologies to thrive in UK aerospace. Our delivery plan sets out the main priorities for the coming years, providing a framework for co-ordinated action and accountability. It not only outlines our strategic priorities, but also is a blueprint for industry to engage and contribute towards the vision of a modernised airspace for the UK.”
Aviation Minister Mike Kane said the aviation world is undergoing a technological revolution and that it is crucial that UK airspace evolves alongside this. “The Civil Aviation Authority’s plan to modernise our airspace will help ease delays, support efforts to decarbonise and reduce noise. Through continued collaboration with industry, this plan will ensure these innovations are safely and effectively integrated into our skies. We have an analogue airspace in a digital age designed nearer a time Yuri Gagarin reached for the stars. The moment for change is now…”
A first iteration, the Deployment Plan details the work the regulator has committed to, including projects that are ongoing or commencing within the next two years and those activities that will need to be delivered by the industry. It also provides an overview of further scoped work to take place over the subsequent five years. This includes information on nearer-term activities, concepts and challenges that the UK Civil Aviation Authority needs to consider, but where detail, timescales and clear deliverables are yet to be determined.
The Deployment Plan follows the January 2023 update of the CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy and serves as a tool for the aerospace industry to monitor progress and ensure alignment. The CAA will collaborate with the Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG), Ministry of Defence, and NATS Enroute Limited (NERL) to achieve its mission.
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Image: Vertical Aerospace
