The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced last week it has decided to grant, under an airspace change proposal, TAG Farnborough Airport’s request for Class D (controlled) airspace designation in its surrounding area, subject to concessions to the general aviation (GA) community. This decision was made in the interests of safety due to increased traffic at the airport, according to the CAA.
“This has been a long and complicated application and we respect the concerns of some sections of the GA community who have opposed it,” said Jon Round, head of airspace at the CAA. “However, we believe there is a very real safety case for creating a known traffic environment in the vicinity of Farnborough Airport to protect all airspace users.”
To accommodate GA access, two airspace blocks to the southwest and south of the airport will be classified as Class E and identified as Transponder Mandatory Zones (TMZ), allowing access for transponder-equipped aircraft without the need for air traffic control clearance. Radio-equipped aircraft that lack a serviceable transponder might still be able to access these blocks through local arrangement with Farnborough air traffic control. ADS-B devices will be accepted in place of transponders once considered fully interoperable with ground-based safety systems.
The new airspace is slated to become operational in 2019, which the CAA said is “the minimum necessary to contain the international requirements for new performance-based navigation flight procedures” being introduced at Farnborough Airport.
Farnborough will also be required to collaborate on reasonable access arrangements for gliders in three further Class D airspace blocks in the vicinity of RAF Odiham and Lasham Airfield. Officials at Farnborough said they welcome the decision and will “carefully study the CAA’s decision and recommendations as we plan for the future.”