With just two weeks to go until the close of our OpenAir consultation, here we answer a few of your most frequently asked questions about the proposals we believe could pave the way to an integrated UK airspace of the future.

With the accelerating growth of the uncrewed and advanced air mobility sectors, the global aviation landscape is poised for significant change. More and more new and diverse airspace users are lining up for access to our skies, supported by a multitude of air traffic service providers.

Development of NATS OpenAir, our proposal for a future integrated airspace management system, continues apace.

Our focus is on ensuring the UK’s already busy skies are safe and accessible for everyone, with new airspace users one day safely and seamlessly operating alongside conventional crewed aircraft.

Annual investments in the drone industry reached a record high in 2020, over 90% of which were in the manufacture of electric flying taxis. Within the next five years, passenger-carrying piloted flying taxis are expected to start low-density operations across cities in the UK, at a rate that’s projected to exceed existing helicopter traffic.