CAA seek views on a decision-making process for PPR proposals
The UK Civil Aviation Authoritys (CAA) consultation on a decision-making process for PPR proposals will be closing on 7th July 2019.
Last October the Government gave the CAA, as airspace regulator, a decision-making role for a wholly new category of airspace change. This category is known as a planned and permanent redistribution of air traffic through changes in air traffic control operational procedure, or PPR for short. The Government had identified that while changes to airspace design are subject to the CAA’s airspace change process and need to be consulted on, air traffic control procedural changes can be implemented without consultation, even where the noise impacts from the resulting shift in the distribution of aircraft are similar.
As a result, the CAA must introduce a new process for making these decisions by 1st November 2019. The purpose of this consultation is to seek views on the CAA's proposals for this new process, which they have based on the existing CAP 1616 process used for proposed changes in airspace design.
Proposed PPR process
The CAA consultation document describes the different stages of the proposed PPR process and the activities involved. The process begins with the air navigation service provider identifying whether an operational procedure change might qualify as a PPR and explaining why it is needed. The air navigation service provider must then assess and compare the impacts of the options available to meet that need, consult those potentially affected about the option(s) chosen, and take feedback into account in any final proposal.
How to respond to this consultation
The CAA are asking for comments before 7th July 2019 and cannot commit to take into account comments received after this date.
Please note that the consultation is about the CAA's proposed decision-making process but not about the merits of the policy itself, which is a matter for the Government.
For more information please contact airspace.policy@caa.co.uk
Please visit the CAA's dedicated consultation website https://consultations.caa.co.uk
https://consultations.caa.co.uk/policy-development/ppr-decision-making-process