CAA licences NATS to deliver UKADS

Image courtesy NATS

From yesterday (6th May), changes to NATS’ air traffic services licence have come into effect, giving NATS a new role in helping to modernise the UK’s airspace.

UKADS will focus on the London Terminal Control Area, supporting strategically important airspace changes across multiple airports and the wider network in south east England, including future changes associated with major runway infrastructure developments. It is intended to help unlock complex proposals that have previously been difficult to progress, reducing barriers to modernisation in the UK’s busiest airspace.

In addition to its focus on London, NATS will provide a coordination service for interdependent airspace change proposals in other areas of the UK where the Airspace Design Service is not being delivered directly. These changes are intended to create a clearer and more coordinated way of progressing complex airspace design work across the UK.

For passengers, airlines, airports and the communities around them, modernising the way airspace is designed is an important part of building a more efficient and resilient aviation network for the UK. A coordinated approach will help support progress on changes that affect multiple parts of the aviation system, while maintaining the highest standards of safety.

The CAA’s decision also states that NATS will deliver these new services within a framework shaped by strategic objectives set by the Secretary of State and process guidance issued by the CAA which it has said will be published this summer.

Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation Minister, Keir Mather, said: “Modernising UK airspace is essential to ensure we can continue to safely support growing demand, including ensuring flight paths in and out of Heathrow are optimised for a third runway by 2035.

“The new UK Airspace Design Service represents a major change in how modernisation is being delivered and will provide the coordination and expertise needed to redesign our skies, improve flight efficiency and support sustainable growth across the sector.”

Martin RolfeNATS CEO, Martin Rolfe, said: “The licence change is an important milestone for airspace modernisation and we look forward to beginning delivery of the UK Airspace Design Service. The UK has some of the busiest and most complex airspace in the world, and modernising its design is essential to building a more efficient and resilient aviation network for the future. There is still important detail to work through with the Department for Transport and the CAA, but this licence change provides a clear basis for that work to move forward.”