Any changes to the airspace surrounding London Biggin Hill Airport must be made in accordance with the guidance provided in Civil Air Publication (CAP) 1616 – Airspace Design: Guidance on the regulatory process for changing airspace design including community engagement. Depending on the complexity of the airspace change intended by the change sponsor (usually an airport or a provider of air navigation services – including air traffic control), the CAA will determine the Level of Airspace Change Process (ACP) required. This determines which stages of the ACP will need to be completed. Full details of the CAP 1616 Airspace Change Process can be found here.
Any future ACPs that are launched or linked to London Biggin Hill Airport will be found on this page.
London Biggin Hill Airport has a number of Airspace Change Proposals in place which are:
Runway 21 RNAV Approach (ACP-2019-86)
The public consultation stage for this airspace change proposal has now closed. We have received your feedback and will now compile a response document for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
This document will set out the responses received and information on how the responses will be acted upon. The formal document will be submitted to the CAA by 26th January 2024. From this date, a copy of the formal document will be available on the CAA Airspace Portal.
The decision gateway, by which time the CAA will submit its decision regarding approval of this ACP, along with any recommendations, is 24th May 2024.
Future Airspace Strategy Implementation – South (FASI-South) (ACP-2019-96)
In a letter to London Biggin Hill Airport, dated 23rd June 2018, Baroness Sugg set out the need for an Airspace Modernisation Programme to facilitate the future needs of UK airspace users and asks for our ‘commitment to the development and delivery of the Airspace Modernisation programme in the South East of the UK’.
In accordance with this request from DfT, we state our need to design and introduce new and/or revised departure and arrival routes that will fully and properly integrate with the new London Terminal Area architecture which will result from the Airspace Modernisation program to which Baroness Sugg refers. This work will require us to follow the Airspace Change Process guidance pursuant to CAP1616.
By working collaboratively with the other airports in the South East of England (FASI-S), London Biggin Hill Airport is able to ensure that we maintain safe and efficient access to the UK Airways which are currently undergoing a massive review and restructure.
Further details regarding the CAA Airspace Modernisation Programme can be found here.
To assist in coordination the UK’s airspace change programme, the CAA and the DfT created the Airspace Change Organisation Group (ACOG). Further details of ACOG and the FASI-South airspace change can be found on the One Sky, One Plan website here.
London Biggin Hill Airport has been following the CAP1616 process, passing through the Stage 1 Define Gateway in August 2019, and the Stage 2 Develop and Assess Gateway in March 2023. Full details of the FASI-South ACP for London Biggin Hill Airport can be found on the CAA Airspace Portal.
Removal of NAVAID Dependency (ACP-2022-077)
London Biggin Hill Airport requires an amendment to the UK AIP to remove existing dependencies on the BIG DVOR and the DET DVOR. This change represents an administrative change to the Aeronautical Information Publication and flight planning. There have been no changes made to ATC Procedures, they will remain the same as they are today. A dependency will remain on the BIG DVOR until the conventional Instrument Approaches to Runway 21 have been replaced by RNAV Approaches, which have been submitted through ACP-2019-86. The ILS/DME/VOR RWY 21, LOC/DME/VOR RWY 21 & VOR/DME RWY 21 will be removed following Approval of 21 RNAV ACP.
This ACP is currently awaiting a date for the Assessment meeting with the CAA to determine the level of ACP required.
Up to date details regarding this ACP are available through the CAA Airspace Portal.