The Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG) was formed in 2019 under the direction of the UK Government Department for Transport (DfT) and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), who co-sponsor and regulate airspace modernisation.
In December 2018, airspace modernisation became government policy. The Government, recognising the constraints of current airspace, published the Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS) which set out a shared objective between CAA and the Government for modernising airspace, with the objective to deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner flights.
The AMS requires the main airports to redesign their airspace (below 7000ft) and for NATS, the UK’s main navigation service provider, to modernise the network that sits above, known as en-route airspace. As part of the AMS, it identified the need to redesign flight paths across the UK to make the most of the capabilities of modern aircraft and navigational technologies that have been developed in recent years.
ACOG’s role is to coordinate this national programme and create a strategic coordinated Airspace Change Masterplan for UK airspace to deliver key aspects of the Government’s AMS.
ACOG works as a separate and independent team with oversight from an impartial Steering Committee of senior representatives drawn from across the aviation sector.
