In view of the volume of correspondence I have received from concerned constituents about proposed changes to Gatwick take-off Route 4, my office recently met with Andy Sinclair, Head of Airspace Strategy at Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL), for an update. The situation is somewhat complex, so please forgive the jargon and historic references in the following explanation.
Current Situation – CAA Post Implementation Review and Temporary Reversion of Route 4
Following the recently published Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Draft Post Implementation Review on Route 4, which deemed the change that introduced the current routing in May 2016 to be unsound and requires a reversion of the route to the pre-2013 (more northerly) track, the public was invited to respond to the CAA with comments. This process was not categorised as a ‘full consultation’ but the CAA is duty-bound to review the 550 odd responses that have been received. Constituents living on the northern edge of the Noise Preferential Route (NPR) swathe, particularly on the south side of Reigate and Redhill, are concerned that the CAA decision will mean that aircraft departing on Route 4 will soon be overflying them. Many also believe that such a change should not be allowed without a full Airspace Change Process (ACP) and more rigorous public consultation. There may be a legal challenge to the process for this reason.
The activity that the CAA is currently undertaking is driven by the airspace change process and the legal framework surrounding airspace changes, especially in the light of a Judicial Review of the PIR in the first place. Whilst it may seem sensible to leave the route where it currently is until the Airspace Change Process (ACP) initiated in 2018, through which GAL is designing a new and permanent Route 4 for approval by the CAA, the legal situation with the 2012 ACP makes this pretty well impossible. It is therefore likely that a temporary reversion to a more northerly routing will take place at some point before the new permanent Route 4 ACP is implemented (probably in early 2022).
It is not clear when exactly the CAA will complete its review of the comments and finalise its current draft position, but it is hoped to be sometime in March.
GAL will not start to implement any changes to Route 4 until after this final announcement from the CAA but is currently conducting pre-change reviews of safety and new route designation with airlines and NATS (air traffic control). GAL expects to execute any change to Route 4, following the formalisation of the CAA’s decision, through the standard system for sharing changes to aeronautical information (the AIRAC system), which ensures that changes are implemented safely and efficiently. Using the AIRAC system, with an implementation lead time of 3 months, changes to aeronautical information may be introduced on a roughly monthly basis. However, an additional factor that GAL will need to take into account is that these new routes can only be implemented at the same time as NATS make air traffic ‘system-updates’. In the timeframe which is likely to appropriate to introduce this change NATS system-updates are scheduled for 10th September and 3rd December 2020. It is therefore likely that any reversion to the legacy Route 4 will, therefore, take place either on 10th September or 3rd December.
Although the tracks of the current satellite-based departure route (to be withdrawn) and the previous conventional route (approximately 900m further north along its easterly track) are different, because of the way different airlines will code the track into their aircraft navigation systems it is not possible to predict the exact variation in aircraft tracks. There is expected to be a reduction in the numbers of aircraft flying within the Noise Preferential Route 3km conformance monitoring swathe. This means that aircraft using the routing are more likely to disperse over a wider area after take-off, especially on the right turn immediately after take-off. Paradoxically, this could create a fairer routing for all overflown communities, with limited concentration over of any single community.
Permanent Route 4 ACP
Whilst all the above is taking place, GAL is working steadily through the ACP it began in 2018 to create a new and permanent Route 4 that is acceptable to the CAA. Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the ACP process are pretty well completed. GAL now expects to recommend 1 preferred and 2 other options for the permanent Route 4 for public consultation later this year. It is expected that the consultation package will be sent to the CAA in July, for in-principle approval. Following this approval, the options will be put out for full public consultation, probably in September 2020.
After this consultation, GAL will analyse the feedback and come up with a final ACP proposal for submission to the CAA. Depending on the permanent route finally approved by CAA, it is expected that it will be implemented by, or possibly before, early 2022.
Please be assured that I will be supporting a permanent solution to Route 4 that involves the least concentration and most dispersion for overflown communities across the constituency, as well as pressing for improvements in ceiling-altitudes (enabling continuous climb and descent) and use of dispersion technology in the run-up to the FASI South review of all our airspace which is expected to be implemented by 2024/25.