Route 4 airspace change consultation – Deadline 28th April 2026
This is the departure route that heads west and turns northeast.
Consultation at: http://www.route4acp.co.uk/
Email address for questions: LGWairspace.Rte4@gatwickairport.com
CAGNE is holding a Route 4 online event – Wednesday 4th March at 7pm
Book here and ask questions, as we aim to help you:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/help-with-route-4-airspace-consultation-tickets-1982772224097?aff=oddtdtcreator
In 2014, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) gave guidance that concentrated departure routes be located down the centre line of the Noise Preferential Route (NPR). Route 4 struggled to comply – in fact, it flew outside of the NPR, causing a few noise groups to be created. Legal action was taken by one noise group.
Now there is a public airspace consultation – CAA CAP1616 – sponsored by Gatwick Airport. If you live under or near the route, you need to participate through online webinars and in-person events, details of which can be found at www.route4acp.co.uk. Please take part in the consultation.
CAGNE has already written to the CAA to complain about the misleading map that has been circulated with press material, but the CAA is doing nothing about it.
The CAA approves the stages of CAP1616 and the final decisions on the route. The CAA is funded by the industry it serves and applies policy/ safety decisions.
Questions to ask when you respond or attend events:
• Ask where the historical NPR corridor is, and areas that have been historically impacted. This will give you good guidance on how your area was impacted before 2014.
• Ask what the noise shadow will be from this concentrated route (areas to be impacted cannot be shown by a single black line, but those within the shadow will experience the noise as if being overflown).
• Ask why the media illustrations and online maps are not true to what is flown; they do not show that the route vectors (turns) southeast (after initially turning northeast).
• Ask what will happen if the government changes air navigation guidance, so that noise is only considered up to 4,000ft. Over which area(s) will the route be vectored (turned)?
• Ask what will happen when it comes to airspace change through UKADS (new government-appointed body to ensure aviation gets their desire routes with no compensation), which will combine Heathrow’s flight paths with Gatwick’s to the north of the airport.