Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effects of the new airspace arrangements around Brize Norton and London Oxford airports on general air traffic activity and safety.

The RAF takes its responsibility seriously to design RAF Brize Norton airspace in a manner to benefit the safety of all airspace users. The proposed changes are designed to improve safety for those users by reducing the chances of them coming into conflict with heavy transport aircraft in uncontrolled airspace. In developing the new procedures for use, and the subsequent consultation, the need to minimise additional controlled airspace in this area was a key consideration to try to minimise disruption to airspace users.

Since 2012 the Ministry of Defence has removed large areas of adjacent controlled airspace around the RAF Lyneham site and a parachute dropping danger area at Hullavington Aerodrome. RAF Brize Norton remains fully committed to providing services to all aircraft that wish to cross its airspace. We encourage pilots who wish to transit the Brize Norton Controlled Airspace to first consult with Brize Norton Air Traffic Control.