In December 2021, we delivered the biggest airspace change we have ever done, introducing Free Route Airspace over Scotland, the North Sea, the North Atlantic, Northern Ireland and some of northern England. It has enabled a reduction of 12,000 tonnes of CO2 per year – equivalent to the carbon emissions of 3,500 family homes. Up to 2,000 flights using this airspace every day now fly the route they want between a defined entry and exit point, rather than having to fly along demarcated corridors between navigation beacons.
Over the past two years, our Operational Service Enhancement Programme (OSEP) has deployed six small tranches of change to airspace across the UK, delivering some big benefits. In all, they are saving some 30,000 tonnes of CO2 annually throughout the European and UK network, equivalent to the emissions from the energy usage of over 8,000 homes. OD6, the most recent in December 2022, was a change to Humber Sector, currently the second most regulated high-level sector at Prestwick. With a new flexible boundary allowing us to split the sector dynamically, we expect to reduce delay and emissions, and improve routings through both Scottish and London Upper Information Regions (UIR). The change adds extra route connections between Prestwick, Copenhagen, Maastricht and London Area Control and links Scottish and Maastricht FRA. There are new conflict areas, different traffic flows and new procedures with Copenhagen and Maastricht. OD6 alone is expected to deliver substantial fuel savings, enabling up to 18,000 tonnes of annual CO2 reduction throughout the European network.
And this month we will introduce our most complex modernisation project so far, including the second deployment of FRA in the high-level network (above 24,500ft) over the west of England and Wales, together with a systemised lower network (above 7,000ft). This project will introduce large-scale systemisation for the first time in UK airspace, with a more efficient and direct route structure in this busy section of UK airspace expected to enable savings of over 12,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
But airspace modernisation isn’t just about the structures. Hand in hand with new design concepts is technology transformation and tools and our 10-year, £ 1 billion technology roadmap which underpins our airspace modernisation programme.
The Deployment Point (DP) En Route and Voice programme is key to this transformation, consolidating multiple aging systems into a single platform for upper airspace. The new adaptable technology platform will enable the full benefits of redesigning airspace, such as cross-border Free Route Airspace, and support innovation into the future. Our Second Voice System (SVS), a backup communications system in the event of a main voice system failure, is set to be in full operation later this year and provides enhanced resilience and capability.
Other tools are already proving their value. One example is the Extended Arrival Management (XMAN) tool in operation at Heathrow and Gatwick. Working cross-border with neighbouring ANSPs, XMAN helps avoid conventional holding by slowing aircraft and absorbing any forecast delay into the more fuel-efficient cruise phase of flight. At Heathrow alone this saves around 8,000 tonnes of fuel each year.
Another is Intelligent Approach, an arrival spacing tool that means we can improve the consistency of spacing between aircraft based on their wake vortex, optimising runway efficiency and delivering better on-time performance. We developed this with Leidos and with airport customers, and first introduced the time-based separation module of the tool at Heathrow in 2015, which has reduced headwind delays by about 60%, making the operation more resilient.
So, the breakthroughs in technology are changing both the way we use the skies and the types of aircraft that take to them. Before 2030 we can expect the return of supersonic flight (only this time without the carbon cost), electric air taxis moving people between and within urban centres, and remotely piloted drones delivering goods, connecting communities, and performing complex tasks.
A greater level of digitalisation and automation of the services we provide today both inside and outside controlled airspace will be one of the fundamental building blocks required for this new way of managing airspace, as will the need for every aircraft to see and be seen by other airspace users using tools like electronic conspicuity and detect and avoid systems. Research is gathering pace into how data science and artificial intelligence can be used in air traffic management to support next-generation ATC systems and use automation to reduce controller workload.
As the aviation ecosystem evolves and expands, the role of an airspace manager will also remain critical in areas of busy airspace to ensure all aircraft are safely separated, and able to enjoy the benefits of an integrated and modernised airspace. As the UK's leading provider of air traffic control services, and with decades of experience in this industry, we are confident we can do that.
This is the beginning of a new era for aviation across the world, and certainly in the UK. Working with partners across government and industry, our airspace modernisation programme is driving forward new tools, technology and airspace design to deliver a sustainable and modern network; one that continues to make air travel in the UK as safe, quick and resilient as possible, and fit for whatever the future might bring.