281 February 2018 - Gryffe Advertizer

6
the advertizer
Glasgow Airport Launches Public
Consultation on Proposals to
Modernise Airspace
On Monday 15th January Glasgow Airport launched a
13-week public consultation for feedback on proposals
to modernise the airspace currently being used by
aircraft fl ying to and from the airport.
The airspace change proposals are part of the UK Future
Airspace Strategy (FAS), an industry-wide initiative driven
by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
A key part of the FAS involves the removal of groundbased
navigation aids across the UK and using stateof-the-art
satellite navigation systems in their place.
The ground-based navigation aid which are currently in
use at Glasgow Airport (and has been in use since the
1980s) to guide air traffi c is set to be decommissioned
by our air traffi c control provider, NATS, in 2019.
The move to satellite-based navigational systems will
help reduce the amount of time planes queue, both in the air and on the ground, and will reduce the
overall CO2 and fuel emissions currently being produced by 21%.
Mark Johnston, operations director at Glasgow Airport, said: “The fl ight paths used at Glasgow Airport
have not changed in over 50 years and, as is the case with the wider UK airspace infrastructure, they
are simply no longer fi t for purpose. We now need to ensure the way we manage our airspace matches
the advancements that have been made in aircraft technology.
“Modern aircraft are now equipped to use satellite navigation meaning they can fl y more effi cient,
reliable and direct routes. In moving to this new system, not only will we be able to improve the
punctuality of fl ights, we will be able to reduce the amount of fuel burn from aircraft at Glasgow by over
4,000 tonnes. To put this in perspective, this is the equivalent amount of fuel an A320-200 aircraft
would require to operate 1,370 fl ights between Glasgow and Frankfurt. This in turn will allow us to
reduce CO2 emissions by 21% (12,910 tonnes).
“It is important to stress we will only make changes to the arrival or departure fl ight paths once we
have considered the views of all those who respond to the airspace change consultation. We will host a
number of drop-in sessions over the course of the coming months and all views will then be presented
to our regulator, the CAA, before the necessary approval can be granted.”
Mark Johnston added: “We are fully committed to growing the airport responsibly and modernising
our airspace will help us achieve that. It is important that our communities and stakeholders are fully
involved in this modernisation process and we would encourage people to participate.”
Further information on the airspace consultation, including how to respond, can be found at www.
glasgowairport.com/airspace
The airport is required to publish an updated noise action plan every fi ve years and will be undertaking
a parallel 13-week consultation process on a draft plan to gather feedback. The noise action plan sets
out proposed measures to manage and mitigate the impact of aviation-related noise.
Following the completion of the public consultation, Glasgow Airport will produce a fi nal version of the
Noise Action Plan document which will incorporate a record of responses and how they have been
taken into account.
The deadline for submissions is 13th April 2018.
Information on the Noise Action Plan can be found at www.glasgowairport.com/community/noise
deadline date for our march issue - Friday 16th February
- You don’t want to miss it!!
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