5 May 2011
The CAA has announced a change in airspace arrangements in the Cotswold region ahead of the discontinuation of daily flying operations from RAF Lyneham on 30 September 2011. The CAA said it had approved the Ministry of Defence’s request to remove the Lyneham Control Zone and Control Area from the 1 October 2011. In addition, the air traffic control unit will cease to operate and the Air Traffic Zone will be suspended, unless re-activated by NOTAM for occasional aircraft movements until the 31 December 2012, when RAF Lyneham formally ceases to be an RAF station.
The removal of the RAF Lyneham Control Zone and Area has been achieved in accordance with the CAA’s Release of Controlled and Segregated Airspace (RCSA) policy, which has been formulated for just such UK airspace changes. Importantly, it allows for environmental assessments and aviation operational impacts to be considered when airspace arrangements change and for unnecessary restrictions on other airspace users to be addressed.
Stuart Lindsey, Head of Controlled Airspace at the CAA, said: “This is the first occasion the new Release of Controlled and Segregated Airspace policy (RCSA) has been utilised and its value has been proven. Applying the RCSA principles and procedures to this airspace change has ensured environmental and aviation issues have been identified and mitigated; and it is this work which will underpin a smooth transition to the new airspace arrangements in the Cotswold region.”
The changes will be reflected in new charts when they are published in 1:250,000 Sheet 7 ‘West & South Wales’ which will be amended at Edition 9, due to be published 20 October 2011, whilst Sheet 8 will reflect the changes through Edition 16, due for publication 5 April 2012. The 1:500 000 Aeronautical Chart ‘Southern England’ will be updated on 8 March 2012.
The CAA’s official decision letter covering the change will shortly be available at www.caa.co.uk/airspaceregulatorydecisions
(photos by Ad Meskens)
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