About the Airspace & Safety Initiative

The Airspace & Safety Initiative (ASI) is a joint CAA, NATS, AOA, GA and MoD effort to investigate and tackle the major safety risks in UK airspace.

It emerged from a top-level discussion between the CAA Chairman, NATS Chief Executive and MoD Assistant Chief of the Air Staff following a number of incidents where light aircraft infringed controlled airspace, or military and commercial flights lost separation outside controlled airspace.

The ASI is a major review covering a number of different areas, with the aims of:

• Enhancing safety outside controlled airspace
• Identifying the hazards associated with the use of UKairspace,
• Identifying theneeds of all airspace users,
• Prioritizing the hazards and
• Developing a strategy to mitigate those risks while meeting the needs of all airspace users.

There are Working Groups on Air Traffic Services Outside Controlled Airspace (ATSOCAS), infringements, airspace design and classification, equipment carriage, and off-route commercial operations.

The ASI will wrap up some work that is going on already - and will result in a wide-ranging communications campaign. Look out for the ASI logo.