Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Civil Aviation Authority’s CAP1616 airspace change process in relation to Gatwick Airport.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the United Kingdom’s independent aviation and aerospace regulator. CAP1616 is the CAA’s process for all airspace changes in the UK, including potential airspace changes at Gatwick Airport. The CAA has recently consulted on potential changes to CAP1616 to ensure that it fair, transparent, consistent, and proportionate.

The Department for Transport consulted on potential changes to the statutory guidance (The Air Navigation Guidance) it provides to the CAA and interested parties for creating, changing or assessing flightpaths. This guidance is used by the CAA to inform its airspace change process. The consultation closed on 26 January 2026 and responses are now being reviewed.