Scottish Airspace Modernisation is led by:
About Scottish Airspace Modernisation
Scottish Airspace Modernisation is part of a nationwide upgrade to UK airspace, driven by the UK Government Airspace Modernisation Strategy. Across the country, eighteen airports are developing Airspace Change Proposals to meet the objectives outlined by the Strategy.
In Scotland, airspace modernisation is being led by Edinburgh Airport, Glasgow Airport and NATS – the UK’s main provider of air traffic services. Together, they are referred to as ‘sponsors’ for Scottish Airspace Modernisation.
Edinburgh Airport and Glasgow Airport are responsible for redesigning the airspace up to 7,000ft, including the modernisation of their departure and arrival routes. NATS is responsible for connecting these routes into the wider UK airspace network above 7,000ft.
Help us to modernise Scotland’s airspace
From Monday 20 October 2025 to Sunday 25 January 2026, we are consulting on these proposed changes. We are asking communities, airspace users and other key stakeholders to share their feedback and help shape the airspace design.
Use the links below to find out more about each of the proposals and share your views with us.
How is Scottish airspace changing?
Use the arrows below to learn more about the proposed changes to flight paths around Edinburgh and Glasgow, and to the routes used by aircraft flying above 7,000 feet.
The need for airspace modernisation
The UK airspace network is one of the busiest and most complex in Europe, handling around a quarter of the continent’s air traffic despite having only 11% of its airspace. Today, more than 2.4million aircraft fly through UK skies every year, carrying over 300 million passengers.
But the current system is outdated. Just like our roads and railway networks, airspace requires critical updates to keep people moving efficiently. Through modern technology and aircraft, and creating a more efficient airspace design, we can help reduce delays, improve safety and deliver quicker, quieter and environmentally cleaner flights.
To redesign the entire UK airspace network is especially complex as many airports share their airspace with neighbouring airports. A proposed change at one airport might have an impact on another nearby, and these effects need to be assessed and balanced.
To coordinate this, the Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG) has developed a Masterplan, which is a coordinated implementation plan for airspace changes across the UK. The Masterplan divides the programme into four clusters based on location: Scotland, Manchester & northern England, southwest England and southeast England.
The Masterplan is organised into clusters so that the simpler changes can be deployed sooner, releasing benefits earlier. The timelines for making airspace changes are generally shorter for the simpler clusters, like this one in Scotland, where there are fewer large airports and less complex interdependencies.
Working together, Edinburgh Airport and Glasgow Airport are proposing changes to their airspace design below 7,000ft alongside NATS, which is aiming to modernise the network that sits above, known as en-route airspace.
Find out which proposal is relevant for you
The map below shows the areas covered by the proposals from Edinburgh Airport, Glasgow Airport and NATS.
Click on your area in the map, or enter your postcode, to see which proposals might be most relevant for you.
Key
NATS’ airspace
Glasgow Airport’s airspace
Edinburgh Airport’s airspace
Glasgow Airport
You might be interested in Glasgow Airport’s proposals to make changes to the arrival and departure routes to introduce modern Performance Based Navigation (PBN) technology. This could provide an overall reduction in the total adverse effects on health and quality of life from noise whilst also minimising delays and producing carbon savings. We are also proposing to make changes to the Controlled Airspace (CAS) within the vicinity of Glasgow Airport.Edinburgh Airport
You might be interested in Edinburgh Airport’s proposals to make changes to the arrival and departure routes to introduce Performance Based Navigation Technology (PBN) and to change the Controlled Airspace for Edinburgh Airport to allow use of the Forth, avoiding flying over communities.
NATS
You might be interested in NATS’ proposals to systemise high level Scottish Airspace (above 7000ft), which means creating a structured route network where aircraft follow defined routes between their departing airport and a point of exit from UK airspace, or from the point of entry into UK airspace to their arrival airport.
The postcode you have inputted is outside these three Airspace Change Proposals areas, so the plans may not impact you. You are still welcome to review any of the three proposals using the buttons above and share your feedback.
Benefits and impacts of Scottish Airspace Modernisation
The proposed changes will enable:
18,000 tonnes
of CO2e saved every year
equivalent to the emissions from the power used by over 5,000 UK homes1
More direct routes save 30 minutes of flying time per day – equivalent to flying around the world
3.5 times
each year2
6%
fewer aircraft need to hold at Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports – over 7,00 0 flights a year. Optimised arrival routes reduce average holding time3 by more than
Smarter airspace design reduces workload for pilots and controllers, supporting safe, efficient operations
Over
600NM3
of controlled airspace below 7,000ft released – improving access for recreational flying
Changes to where aircraft fly and potential improvements to climb and descent profiles help reduce the overall noise impact on surrounding communities
- Figures based on detailed modelling to assess the potential enabled impacts of the proposed cluster-wide design. ↩︎
- www.theccc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ESC-Living-Carbon-Free-CCC.pdf ↩︎
- Based on an enabled reduction of 79,000 nm per year III Baseline design average holding time per flight in hold 227s. New design average holding time per flight in hold 212s. ↩︎
The airspace change process and consultation timescales
Consultation from Monday 20 October 2025 to Sunday 25 January 2026 (23:59hrs).
During this 14-week period, you will have opportunities to engage both online and in person with all three of the sponsors’ proposals, if you would like to.
Details about consultation events are available here, and on the consultation websites for Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports’, which can be accessed using the links at the bottom of this page.
Please ensure your feedback is submitted by 23:59 on Sunday 25 January 2026, using the sponsors’ individual consultation websites.
This public consultation forms part of ‘Stage 3: Consult/Engage’, as set out in the Civil Aviation Authority’s 7-stage airspace change process.
The 7-stage airspace change process
- Stage 1 – Define
- The sponsor produces a Statement of Need and meets with the Civil Aviation Authority to assess the Airspace Change Proposal. Stakeholder engagement begins.
- Stage 2 – Develop and assess
- The sponsor begins to develop design option(s) and assess impacts, working with key stakeholders to develop the option(s).
- Stage 3 – Consult/Engage
- Engagement or consultation with all stakeholders begins, with feedback gathered and reviewed to determine what affects the option(s).
- Stage 4 – Update and submit
- The design is updated based on how feedback from Stage 3 has been used and any other additional information, and the Airspace Change Proposal is submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority.
- Stage 5 – Decide
- The Civil Aviation Authority assess the Airspace Change Proposal in its entirety and make a decision on whether it should proceed.
- Stage 6 – Implement
- The Airspace Change Proposal is implemented.
- Stage 7 – Post Implementation Review
- After the Proposal has been operational for a year, a Post Implementation Review is undertaken to ensure it is meeting the objectives of the Airspace Change Proposal.
Use the buttons below to find out more about each proposal:
