Residents ‘living in fear' as UK flight paths set for overhaul

Telegraph

3 days ago

Residents near British airports are 'living in fear' as the Government prepares to overhaul flight paths for the first time in 70 years.
The Department for Transport (DfT) says the plans to modernise UK airspace will deliver quicker, quieter flights and promote growth in the aviation sector.
However, campaign groups say that the changes could create more noise pollution for communities near airports, including areas that do not currently fall beneath existing flight paths.
Here is everything we know about the proposed 'skyways', including how they could impact holidaymakers and residents.
Why are flight paths being redrawn?
Britain's air corridors date back to a time when aircraft navigated the skies using ground-based beacons.
In the 1960s, Britain's air traffic grew from one million to 15 million passengers per year, meaning airports had to establish set arrival and departure routes. Many of these are still in place today, meaning flight routes designed for Comets are now being flown by Airbus A380s and Boeing 787s.
Some of the problems in UK airspace include a requirement for aircraft to ascend in steps after take-off, complex routing, and pilots having to delay descents to manage the workload of their air traffic control colleagues on the ground.
Announcing plans to overhaul the UK's air corridors, Mike Kane, the Aviation Minister, said: 'Redesigned 'skyways' will turbocharge growth in the aviation industry, not least by boosting airport expansion plans and supporting job creation, driving millions into the UK economy as part of the Plan for Change.
'Modernising our airspace is also one of the simplest ways to help reduce pollution from flying and will set the industry up for a long-term, sustainable future.'
What will this mean for holidaymakers?
If delivered as promised, a modernised airspace system will equate to fewer delays and quicker flight times.
It is also potentially good news for passengers with an eye on their carbon footprint. The DfT says that allowing aircraft to use modern navigation technologies will boost efficiency and reduce the need for pilots to enter holding patterns before getting permission to land on busy runways.
In September 2024, easyJet released a report on the ineffectiveness of the UK's airspace systems. The airline said that seven of its 10 least efficient routes occur inbound into London Gatwick, and that its UK operations had the 'greatest inefficiencies' of anywhere in Europe.
In total, easyJet predicts that airspace inefficiencies across Europe increased CO2 emissions by 663,710 tonnes per year.
Martin Rolfe, CEO of NATS (National Air Traffic Services), said: 'The UK's airspace network is one of the busiest and most complex in the world. We handle a quarter of Europe's traffic despite having only 11 per cent of its airspace, with one of the best safety and delay records anywhere. However, we have to modernise airspace if we are to maintain this level of performance as traffic grows towards 3 million flights per year.'
Could my local area be negatively impacted?
It is unknown how the new 'skyways' will be drawn. One possibility is that aircraft approaching airports could be channelled into new, relatively narrow highways in the sky. If this is the case, some communities near airports might see a greater number of planes flying overhead.
But groups close to the process say hard information is thin on the ground.
A spokesperson for Stop Heathrow Expansion told The Telegraph: 'The only documents we have seen recently relate to the outcome of the consultation on a UK airspace design service, which appear to be concerned with the way changes will be made, rather than the changes themselves.'
Sally Pavey, the chair of the campaign group Campaign Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (CAGNE), says: 'There is a real lack of transparency in this process. Residents currently overflown, and those not, are totally unaware of the motorways being designed above their homes that will purely benefit aviation as no compensation being offered with this process.'
'Residents must live in fear of what is being planned for above their heads and homes,' she added.
Paul Becker, Policy Director at Heathrow Noise Action Plan (HACAN) says: 'This announcement means even longer periods of uncertainty before overflown communities receive any clarity on what changes will take place to flight paths.
'The development of new flight paths will mean communities across London and the South East [will be] adversely impacted by aircraft noise for the first time. It is also possible that currently overflown communities experience an increase in the intensity of noise they endure as well as more frequent noise disturbances, particularly if expansion at Heathrow goes ahead.'
All airports taking part in the airspace change process are following a process which includes stakeholder input and public consultation, details of which are published on the Civil Aviation Authority's website.
When will the airspace redesign happen?
The latest announcement (made on June 2, 2025) confirms that the DfT will develop a UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS) alongside the CAA, to be managed by the UK's air traffic management service NATS. This is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.
It is understood that changes to London's airspace are unlikely to be complete until the 2030s, although new 'skyways' around airports outside of the capital could be in operation before the end of the decade.