Airspace & Safety Initiative

Record Decline in Airspace Infringements for 2010

 

Notes to Editors

  • An airspace infringement (also referred to as 'unauthorised penetration of airspace') is generally defined as a flight into notified airspace without previously requesting and obtaining approval from the controlling authority of that airspace. They represent one of the largest threats to airspace safety.
  • 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.
  • Radar evidence suggests no significant change in the amount of GA flight between 2009 and 2010
  • Multi-Radar Tracking (MRT) was introduced into NATS Swanwick in Spring 2010 to enhance radar coverage and to enable additional infringement warning functions. MRT uses data from multiple radar sources to confirm and refine the position of an aircraft, giving a more complete picture of transponding and non-transponding aircraft. The functionality also enables the accurate counting of GA activity in a volume of airspace.

22 March 2011

Airspace infringements in the UK decreased by 18 per cent in 2010, according to figures released by the Airspace and Safety Initiative (ASI) today. This is the largest decline in infringements since current reporting standards were introduced in 2005.

And the proportion of aircraft infringing airspace controlled by NATS in the London Terminal Manoeuvring Area has gone down by an impressive 34 per cent.

Reductions occurred in all classifications of airspace except Class G where infringements of ATZs and Danger Areas continue to be a problem. The congested CTRs, CTAs and TMAs showed the most improvement. The busy and complex controlled airspace of the South East of England – historically the most infringed airspace in the UK – showed clear progress, moving from 50 per cent of all reported infringements to 35 per cent.

The statistics indicate that the Stansted Transponder Mandatory Zones have significantly reduced the risk to Stansted arrivals and departures in what has consistently been the most infringed CTR/CTA, while simple and straightforward access to non-Mode C equipped GA aircraft has been maintained.

Commenting on the news, Phil Roberts, CAA Assistant Director of Airspace Policy, said: “This is a great joint achievement by all those involved, especially the GA community, but it's important that collectively we don’t ease up on our efforts as airspace infringements are still one of the top safety risks in the UK.”

This reversal in trend is the result of increased collaboration between GA organizations, NATS, CAA and MoD, listening-out squawks, new tools and better equipage and, primarily, the hard work and diligence of GA pilots.

“This reduction is a very encouraging sign that our joined-up efforts to work with pilots and provide good resourcesto avoid infringements is paying off” said Jonathan Smith, NATS Infringements Lead.

“Our close working relationship, through the ASI, with GA pilots and their representative organisations is making the airspace we all share significantly safer. We are committed to continuing and expanding these relationships for the enhanced understanding by GA pilots and controllers of each others' operation.”

2010 has also marked a step change in the understanding of why infringements occur so pilots, instructors and controllers can take effective action to prevent them. The routine deployment of questionnaires to infringing pilots, a general survey of GA and NATS' Multi-Radar Tracking have all helped to build a comprehensive picture of how airspace is used and what causes infringements.

Information gathered from infringing pilots indicates that most infringements are due to pilots' loss of situational awareness. This led directlyto NATS' development of the Aware GPS. Lack of effective pre-flight planning is another significant factor and NATS is working with industry to specify a simple and effective graphical, pre-flight planning package for the next flying season.

Last year's decline in infringements reflects a shared commitment to enhancing airspace safety; further reductions in 2011 will require sustained effort and continued cooperation.