Summary
The last iteration to be accepted into the CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS) was Iteration 2 in January 2022.
Since then, we have accepted Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG)’s proposed ‘clustering’ approach to master plan development, grouping proposals geographically.
Following a public engagement exercise, ACOG expect to submit an Iteration 3 covering the Scottish cluster for assessment in early 2024. This will be followed by the remaining clusters in due course.
Next steps
Prior to the submission of Iteration 3, ACOG is required to run a public engagement exercise to gather the views of individual stakeholders on the development of the master plan at a strategic level. This engagement exercise supplements the CAP 1616 consultations for each airspace change proposal.
More information about ACOG’s engagement can be found on acog.aero. ACOG also distribute a quarterly newsletter which you can sign up to here.
The masterplan so far
A high-level chronology of the master plan commission and development year on year can be found below:
2024
January:
The CAA published an updated addendum to the Iteration 2 acceptance decision (CAP 2312A Addendum) that accepts:
- ACOG’s advice on the withdrawal of Cardiff Airport from the masterplan.
June:
The CAA published an updated version of the Airspace masterplan Assessment Criteria and Acceptance Framework (CAP 2156a & CAP 2156b). These were updated to explain that the CAA decision to formally accept a masterplan will only be taken once the relevant CAP1616 assessment has concluded.
2023
October:
The CAA published an updated addendum to the Iteration 2 acceptance decision (CAP 2312A Addendum) that accepts:
- ACOG’s advice on the withdrawal of Aberdeen Airport from the masterplan.
2022
December:
We published updated versions of CAP 2156a (Masterplan acceptance criteria) and CAP 2156b (Masterplan assessment framework).
October:
The CAA published an addendum to the Iteration 2 acceptance decision (CAP 2312A Addendum) that accepts:
- ACOG’s proposed approach to managing interdependencies between airspace changes (the ‘cluster’ approach), and
- ACOG’s advice on integrating a new Farnborough airspace change proposal into the masterplan.
January:
The co-sponsors accepted Iteration 2 of the masterplan and published an acceptance decision (CAP 2312A).
2021
December:
ACOG submitted masterplan Iteration 2 of the Airspace Change Masterplan (CAP 2312B) to the co-sponsors for assessment.
August:
CAA published the Acceptance Criteria (CAP 2156a) and the Assessment Framework (CAP 2156b) of the masterplan.
May:
Co-sponsors wrote to NERL to extend the masterplan commission to cover the rest of the UK.
2019
August:
NERL submitted masterplan Iteration 1.
July:
Co-sponsors wrote to NERL to confirm the iterative approach and the contents of Iteration 1 of the masterplan; plans for future iterations; and how they will assess the first iteration.
2018
November:
Co-sponsors commissioned NERL to draw together a coordinated implementation plan for airspace changes (or airspace change masterplan) in Southern England and, as part of this role, create ACOG that will develop it as per the NERL Air Traffic Services Licence Condition 10A.
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