CAA selects NERL for UK Airspace Design Service

Above: Click here for further information on the UK Airspace Design Service.
Courtesy CAA

As a result, when this decision comes into effect on 6th May 2026, NERL will be the sponsor responsible for proposing a modernised design of airspace covering the whole London TMA region.

At the same time, NERL will also be responsible for coordinating other strategically important interdependent airspace changes across the rest of the UK. These are the airports in the Scottish (Edinburgh and Glasgow), Manchester (Manchester, East Midlands, Leeds/Bradford and Liverpool) and West (Bristol) clusters.

These developments will be funded by a new Airspace Design Charge, paid by airspace users who pay the UK en route charge.

The Government has also recently published rules and eligibility criteria for the UK Airspace Design Support Fund for eligible sponsors of eligible airspace changes.

Benefits of modernising UK airspace
Together these decisions will enable the development of the modernised airspace the UK needs to ensure that it is fit for the future, as set out in CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy published in January 2023.

Modernisation will benefit UK consumers through greater system capacity and better resilience to disruption. It will also help UK aviation to achieve net zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050 and better manage aviation’s noise impact. The CAA have published a document with more information about why it needed to modernise the way we do airspace design.

Published documents
The CAA’s decision to modify NERL’s air traffic services licence, along with associated guidance and requirements, is available here:

• Economic Regulation of NERL: Decision to modify NERL’s Licence to support the implementation of a UK Airspace Design Service (CAP 3225)
• Airspace Modernisation: Guidance for the UK Airspace Design and Coordination Services (CAP 3219)
• Airspace Modernisation: Requirements for the UK Airspace Coordination Service and associated guidance (CAP 3220)

Consultation outcomes
More information on why the CAA have taken these decisions can be found in the outcomes of its consultations: 

• Airspace Modernisation: Outcome of the consultation on draft guidance for the UK Airspace Design and Coordination Services (CAP 3161)
• Airspace Modernisation: Outcome of the consultation on draft requirements for the UK Airspace Coordination Service (UKACS) and associated guidance (CAP 3162)

The CAA have also published stakeholder responses to CAP 3164, its final proposals for modifying NERL’s licence.