Flightpath Changes
10th July 2024
FNG has withdrawn from the CAA’s Aispace Modernisation Strategy consultation process. The reasons for this are:
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The CAA has refused to meet with FNG and will not discuss the issues we have, so our concerns are being ignored.
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The names of consultee groups are being positioned as “supporters” of the CAA’s proposals and we do not want to be seen as complicit in such a fudged consultation.
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The change in airspace is primarily to facilitate an increase in the number of aircraft that we do not agree with as it means the UK will not be able to achieve Net Zero (Sustainable Aviation Fuel that the aviation industry is promoting as a solution to achieve New Zero is a white elephant).
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Nor do we agree with the metric of “fewer people overflown” which results in the design principle (now adopted) of putting more flightpaths over rural/quiet areas, including National Landscapes that should be protected for their tranquillity under the Air Navigation Guidance 2017.
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We do agree that there should be a re-design of airspace but it must be based on a significantly smaller number of flights, not more flights. The UK is out of step with other European countries who are moving in that direction.
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FNG contributes to and is a member of the national aviation groups Stay Grounded and the AEF who are better positioned to challenge the CAA on national airspace issues.
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By way of an update on AMS, progress has been slow. The obvious flaw in the CAA’s design approach has come to the surface. Airports were responsible for their airspace designs up to 7,000ft and the CAA was responsible for designing the airspace above. Airports won’t agree to proposals from other airports that impact their airspace and three-way negotiations are challenging. A new body (UK Airspace Design Service – UKADS) has been established to oversee all the designs.
29th May 2024
The AMS (or FASI-S in this area) has been rolling on. There have been two public consultation sessions with complex information provided by the Airport/CAA. It is not something members of the public can pick-up and understand without a lot of additional information. The latest document showing potential new flightpaths and holding stacks is here. The proposals are significant changes with additional holding stacks over Petersfield and Alton, new flightpaths to the south and east.
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We have provided a response to the consultation documentation and asked for a meeting because it isn't possible to go through the various points, that are quite technical, over a public Teams call. This request has been refused and FNG's opinion is that the consultation is not meeting the Gunning Principles that set out what is required for consultation to be valid.
10th March 2024
The Times has recognised the looming impact that the Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS) will have on people in the south east. There will be many more reports like this. It is a re-run of how the CAA "consulted" with people regarding Farnborough's flightpaths. You may think you aren't impacted by flightpaths now - well you could be. And by 2030 the government is planning for additional runways at Heathrow and Gatwick and 2 million flights a year.
26th January 2024
FNG has reviewed the information from the last meeting and provided a report here. This has been submitted to FAL/CAA. There are plans to put a holding stack above south Farnham and areas further afield such as Petersfield, a new low-level flightpath between Biggin Hill and Farnborough, Heathrow's/Gatwick's flights will increase to 2m a year and GPS navigation will be used to concentrate more flightpaths, particularly over rural areas at 7,000ft. There will be more night-flights to increase capacity/cargo. The expectation is that Heathrow will get a third runway and Gatwick will complete its second runway. As we have seen from Farnborough, the concentration of flights using GPS flightpaths is at least ten times more aircraft overflying and a considerable increase in noise. You may think that concentrating the flights means that overall, fewer people will be impacted. No…. it gives the CAA the opportunity to put in more flightpaths. There will be nowhere in the south east that will be able to avoid aircraft noise.
18th December 2023
This is a new section to better cover the CAA's Airspace Modernisation Strategy (sometimes called FASI-S). There is an overview of it here. The CAA has been progressing these discussions and the public need to be aware of the proposals as there will be a significant change to the number of flights overflying them. The latest presentation is here and a review of it will be provide in the next week or so.
