Delivering successful airspace change is one of the biggest challenges facing airports and ANSPs today. Airspace design must respond to environmental pressures while also improving capacity, increasing efficiency, and meeting community expectations around noise. At the same time, regulatory expectations have increased, with greater emphasis on transparency, evidence, and meaningful stakeholder engagement.
In the UK, the CAP1616 process and the formation of ICCAN have raised the standard for airspace change activity. It is no longer just about flight procedure design. It now requires a wider process involving consultation, environmental and carbon assessment, economic appraisal, and structured options evaluation.
