The future of airspace

PBN is a very accurate way of flying aircraft which uses satellite technology to allow aircraft to fly routes with more precision and consistency.

Previous generations of aircraft couldn’t fly as precisely as they can today, which meant navigating the skies using ground-based beacons and routes having a wide envelope of airspace surrounding them.

In the future, we will be able to create new, more closely spaced routes which will reduce vectoring and which can be alternated on an agreed basis to provide noise respite for communities below.

PBN can bring an end to stacking as we know it today. Instead, we’ll be able to using new concepts such as Point Merge and enable more continuous climbs and descents. While these aren’t new concepts — they’ve been used for decades — continuous climbs and descents are not always achievable in the airspace around busy airports.

Changing how we manage arriving aircraft will improve procedures for departing traffic which will no longer need to level-off to safely pass underneath the stacks. In the future, aircraft will more quickly reach altitudes where they are more efficient, and this will make it easier to manage the impact of noise on people who live near airports.

• Read more about how we manage noise.
• Read more about plans to systemise airspace and end stacking as we know it.

NATS is responsible for modernising the higher-level route network (what we call ‘en-route’), and airports are responsible for their low-level departure and arrival routes. In order to coordinate the changes required, an independent body has been set up — ACOG. Find out more about ACOG here.

To change airspace, we follow a process set out by the CAA called CAP1616, which provides guidance on when consultation is required with people who may be affected, whether they are airspace users or the wider public. For more information about specific airspace changes and to respond to open consultations visit our consultations section.

Demand Capacity Balancer extends an airport's operational plan by accurately forecasting demand, capacity and performance ahead of time - from 90 minutes at the day of operations and up to six months in advance.

Based on the local weather forecast, matching airport weather scenarios that have a defined effect on available capacity are selected. Together with user input on the expected infrastructure availability and operation mode, DCB calculates an effective capacity profile.

DCB is part of a SESAR concept developed to improve airport participation in the collaborative decision-making process between the Eurocontrol network manager and the Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP).

Even with the most efficient ways of managing final approach, we can’t effectively manage arrival flows without working with other Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs).

Cross-border queue management makes it possible to work with neighbouring ANSPs like France and Maastricht Upper Airspace Centre to slow aircraft down up to 550 nautical miles from landing. This better manages the flow of aircraft into UK airspace by absorbing delays en-route.

The approach is already fully operational at Heathrow Airport and at Gatwick Airport.

Time Based Separation (TBS)

When there are strong headwinds, aircraft ground speed slows, which means that using distance to separate aircraft on final approach reduces the landing rate. This causes delay. TBS dynamically adjusts separation distances using time, rather than distance, to keep landing rates consistent in strong headwinds. TBS forms part of a product developed by NATS and Leidos, known as Intelligent Approach. It was first introduced at Heathrow in 2015.

Enhanced Time Based Separation (eTBS)

Following the success of TBS, NATS and Heathrow further developed the system for higher efficiency. Known as eTBS, the new system uses the latest European Wake Vortex Reclassification (RECAT-EU) for arrivals and departures.

eTBS provides Air Traffic Controllers with separation indications to the runway based on aircraft weight. This is supported by an Optimised Runway Delivery tool, which models the compression between aircraft pairs as they slow down to their landing speed.

The tools also provide controllers with runway occupancy indications for pairs of arriving aircraft when that is more limiting than wake separation.

Find out more about Intelligent Approach and its compenent technologies at: IntelligentApproach.aero

Point Merge is a system by which the aircraft queuing to land fly an extended flight path around an arc instead of holding in circles. Aircraft fly along the arc until the next slot in the landing sequence is free. These arcs are generally higher than the stacks we currently use today. Point Merge was introduced at London City Airport in 2016 and is in operation at more than 25 airports worldwide.

Access to airspace is critical for the UK’s security. We work closely with our counterparts in the military, with military and civilian Controllers sitting side by side in the operation to ensure that when required military jets can get in the air without as little disruption to civil air traffic as possible.

In the UK,there are sections of airspace the military use to train — commonly known as danger areas.

When the military are using it, passenger aircraft are not allowed in, but a cooperative approach (sharing tools, data and operational and technical processes) means that once the military is no longer using the airspace, they hand it back to civilian Controllers.

This means we can provide more efficient management of airspace, often reducing the distance an aircraft needs to fly.

When aircraft fly through European airspace, they’ve always had to fly in accordance with the airspace structure whichever country they are flying over. This often means flying further than necessary.

Free Route Airspace allows aircraft to fly the route they want between a defined entry and exit point rather than using these established routes. This allows airlines to fly a fully optimised flight path based on factors like weather and windspeed and will improve efficiency and reduce flight time, fuel burn and emissions.