CAGNE is calling on all Members of Parliament to review the Modernisation of Airspace to ensure a ‘balanced approach’. As it stands, homeowners will be subjected to negative mortgages due to new flight paths and increasingly concentrated routing over their quiet homes. This process is offering no compensation to those impacted, purely benefitting aviation through growth.
The Modernisation of Airspace, declared necessary and imperative as lobbied for by the aviation sector, could be the next scandal this government faces as they agree to an additional tier of bureaucracy in the consultation process.
“CAGNE will be at the forefront of legal challenges at Gatwick Airport, as the airspace consultation process to date has been unfit for purpose” says CAGNE, the umbrella aviation community and environment group.
The Conversative government was instrumental in signing up the UK to transform the airspace above homes, known as Future Airspace Strategy Implementation South and North (FASIS/ FASIN).
The Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, declared on 17th March that she agrees to the formation of UKADS* (UK Airspace Design Service) to push through airspace change, hoping that it will be agreed before the summer recess. The details about how each airport will hand over the control of its airspace change projects are still unknown.
CAGNE calls on all political parties to consider a ‘balanced approach’ as required in so much of aviation policy, as there must be benefits for residents as well as for aviation.
“Any increase in growth will undoubtably negate any savings of CO2. Currently, all aspects of airspace change are stacked firmly in favour of aviation growth and profits”, says CAGNE.
This new tier of bureaucracy could trigger changes to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) consultation process (CAP 1616) this summer, which has already been weakened by the sector it serves.
“CAP1616 was meant to offer residents hope of a fair voice, but increasingly this seems to be deteriorating in favour of aviation.”
The CAA is also playing judge and jury throughout the airspace consultation process. For example, at Gatwick Airport, mapping has been unclear as to what is proposed, so consultees have been unable to reach informed opinions to respond effectively – yet the CAA have approved it at every stage.
“The hypocrisy of airspace change is that residents are totally unaware of what is being discussed or proposed until too late in the process – stage 3 of the CAA’s CAP1616 – with the sponsor (the airport) conducting the first stages with only selected consultees. By stage 3, the airport has normally already decided on their preferred routes for greatest growth and efficiency. At the end of the process the CAA decides the overall verdict”.
At Gatwick Airport’s recent planning process for a new runway (the Northern Runway Project), FASIS was not permitted to be included in the process – even though it was clear that the airspace would need redesigning to meet the predicted aircraft movements and growth forecasts.
According to the CAA data Gatwick retained its position as the UK’s worst airport for flight delays (21.4.25). “It surely can only become more congested with a second runway and a desire for a 101,000 more planes a year.”
While Gatwick Airport was submitting plans for a new runway, it continued to progress flight path design behind closed doors, with the government body ACOG (Airspace Change Organising Group) identifying the south of the airport for growth in the air.
Residents were unknowingly being asked to support a new runway, with the airport being able to state, ‘no new flight paths from the new runway’.
The London Airspace South (LAS) will potentially be implemented in 2028, with the northern section of Gatwick’s airspace (which also impacts Heathrow) to be considered in a subsequent stage of airspace change.
“Elected members need to act fast to prevent this and pause the process, to allow for an independent body that can re-address the balance of the approach to Modernisation of Airspace.”
* https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/securing-the-future-of-aviation