NATS proposal monetises airspace
Integration of drones into all airspace is an element of the CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy.
National Air Traffic Services (NATS), the UK’s leading provider of air traffic control commercial services, is consulting on its vision of supporting integrated airspace. According to NATS, ‘OpenAir’ aims to provide a universal data sharing and network management function to the growing number of air navigation service providers to enable integration – those service providers would bear the cost of the NATS OpenAir service, the regulatory framework for which would need to be determined by the CAA.
How those costs will be passed onto future integrated airspace users by the commercial air navigation service providers will be of significant concern to the non-drone users of shared airspace.
The BGA will be responding to the consultation.
You can read more about the NATS OpenAir consultation here.