Review of CAP 1616 Airspace Change process

In 2015, we started reviewing our airspace change process and undertook nearly three years of detailed review work and two public consultations.

• 2015 - an independent review was conducted by consultants Helios
• 2016 - we held a consultation on the principles of the new process
• 2017 – we held a further consultation focused on the guidance materials.
• 13 December 2017 - we launched CAP 1616 Airspace Change. The process was effective from January 2018.
• 2017 consultation:
  • The 2017 consultation documentation included the draft guidance document, a draft environmental technical annex to the guidance, a  document on the new category of airspace change (known as 'Tier 2') , and a PDF version of our consultation document and questions.
  • You can view our 2017 consultation and the responses we received (consultation now closed). Our detailed analysis of all the responses and recommendations we received is available in our report Outcome of the CAA consultation on draft airspace design guidance (CAP1615)

On first publication, the CAA committed to undertake a review of CAP 1616 process in 2021, three years after its implementation.

The CAA has completed a full review of CAP1616, with version 5 of CAP1616 published in Autumn 2023. 

• The revised process and guidance take into consideration feedback and insights from stakeholders affected by airspace change
• The improvements focus on simplification, clarification, and proportionality and will make the airspace change process easier to follow.

• The scope of the airspace change process has been clarified, to focus on changes to existing airspace design or changes that could impact the airspace design. Administrative changes (previously level 0) are no longer within the scope of the process
• Level definitions have been modified
• References to ‘steps’ have been removed from the process so that the focus is on the seven stages and related activities within these stages
• To highlight the degree of compliance expected against each requirement, we have used will/must, should or may – the use of each one has been defined
• Guidance on temporary airspace change proposals and airspace trials has been separated into a standalone publication
• Outside of the process and associated guidance, we have developed submission checklists for change sponsors to use for Stages 1-4, the use of which are now a mandatory requirement.

Stage 1

• There is more emphasis on development of the current-day scenario and detailed guidance on what should be included
• Mandatory and discretionary design principles have been introduced.

Stage 2

• There is more emphasis on developing realistic and viable design options
• Clarification has been provided on development of baseline scenarios and detailed guidance on what should be included
• Engagement requirements have been explained more clearly.

Stage 3

• Clarification has been provided on how consultation can be scaled, when appropriate
• The responsibility for moderating consultation responses has been transferred to the change sponsor
• The requirement to publish a consultation response document has been brought forward from Stage 4 to Stage 3.

Stages 4, 5, 6 and 7

• These stages remain largely unchanged, but we have clarified the requirements and our expectations.

We held a webinar on 28 November 2023 to run through some of the revisions and improvements made to the process. The slides for the webinar are available to read, and include questions that were asked during the session.

Approach

Our approach was aligned to CAP 1616 principles on engagement and consultation. It involved initial stakeholder engagement at a representative level and a formal consultation process.

Timeline

Activity	Timeline	Delivered
Internal workshops	Summer 2021	June 2021
External workshops - Stakeholder engagement at representative level	Autumn 2021	September 2021
Public engagement	Winter 2021/2022	November 2021
Formal consultation	Winter / Spring 2023	March 2023
Publication of updated process	Autumn 2023	Autumn 2023

Internal workshops

In June 2021, the CAA held internal workshops where Airspace Regulators reviewed all stages of the airspace change process as well as the processes governing trials and temporary airspace changes. The outputs from these sessions informed further stakeholder engagement held in Autumn 2021.

External workshops

In Autumn 2021, the CAA held a series of virtual workshops where invited stakeholders representing industry including sponsors, approved procedure design organisations (APDOs), general aviation, environmental bodies and community representatives were asked for their input. The content of the workshops was informed by the CAA discussions on where amendments could be made to the process or where further guidance could be provided.

Public engagement

Our early engagement activities were followed by a public engagement exercise - launched in November 2021. This provided all our stakeholders with 28-days to provide feedback on potential changes or amendments to the CAP 1616 process, through an online survey. The CAA analysed all feedback received and published an engagement summary report setting out our findings on the CAA’s engagement platform.

Consultation

Our formal consultation closed on 19 March 2023. Thank you to all those who responded. The consultation materials and consultation response document can be accessed on our engagement platform.