How a massive overhaul of UK airspace promises to cut flight times and delays

Faster flights and fewer delays have been promised in the largest redesign of UK airspace in seven decades, as the government drives plans to change flight paths.

New laws have been set out in Parliament on Monday 2 June to open up new and more direct flight routes for planes arriving and departing the UK’s airspace.

The airspace has not seen a change on this scale since it was first formed in the 1950s, when only 200,000 flights traversed it per year.

Currently, 2.7 million flights use the UK’s flight paths and global forecasts expect a near doubling of passengers and cargo in the next 20 years.

Airlines such as easyJet have complained that inefficient use of airspace contributes to increases in fuel consumption, carbon emissions and flight times.

While it said this is a universal issue, the “greatest inefficiencies” are generated during its operations in the UK.

Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent at The Independent, said: "The skies of the UK, especially in southeast England, are the busiest in the world – and yet planes are still flying on paths devised in the 1950s.

“Imagine Britain in 2025 without the motorway network, and you get the idea.

“The trouble is: airspace modernisation can’t happen overnight, and there will be some noisy objections from people who fear they will get more noise."

The Department for Transport (DfT) has stated that noise and air pollution will be reduced for residents who live along flight routes, as the redesigned ‘skyways’ could allow for planes to climb quickly during take-off and descend more smoothly.

It also said that travellers can expect less disruption to flights and shorter journey times due to increased capacity in the air.

A reduction of emissions per flight resulting from planes circling the airport waiting for a slot to land can also be expected.

The DfT and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) established the UK Airspace Design Service earlier this year after a consultation process in 2024.

The service’s first focus will be on redesigning London’s airspace, with the DfT stating that the expansion of Heathrow alone will create 100,00 jobs, drive economic growth and strengthen its position as a global hub.

It is not just commercial flights that may benefit from a flight path redesign, as the UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS) could also design routes for emerging technologies such as drones and flying taxis.

The DfT said this would be in aid of “spurring British innovation and delivering highly skilled jobs in the tech space”.

The new UKADS will be fully operational by the end of 2025 and will be run by the air traffic control service NATS.

Martin Rolfe, CEO of NATS, said: “The UK’s airspace network is one of the busiest and most complex in the world. We handle a quarter of Europe’s traffic despite having only 11 per cent of its airspace, with one of the best safety and delay records anywhere.

“However, we have to modernise airspace if we are to maintain this level of performance as traffic grows towards 3 million flights per year.

“The government’s announcement to create a UK Airspace Design Service is a crucial step, building on the work we’ve already completed in other parts of the UK.

“We look forward to working with the government and the CAA to finalise the details regarding the best way to implement the plan and the processes required to ensure UKADS is successful.”

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