ATC Services Ltd. DONCASTER PIR Robin Hood and Doncaster Sheffield Feasibility and Options Report All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Liverpool John Lennon Airport. © 2015 Liverpool John Lennon Airport Doncaster PIR Page 1 of 46 Owner: TSM 3rd February 2015 ATC Services Ltd. DONCASTER PIR Executive Summary Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield (RHADS) is a regional airport that developed from a former Royal Air Force (RAF) base known as RAF Finningley. The first commercial flight at the Airport was in 2005. In 2006, RHADS submitted an application for controlled airspace (CAS) in order to provide protection to the commercial air transport (CAT) flights operating in and out of the airport, and to connect the airport to the adjacent airways structure. The Airport lies in a unique position virtually surrounded on all four sides by small Light and General Aviation (LA and GA) airfields. This made routing CAT under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), nominally under a Deconfliction Service (DS), extremely challenging. In 2008, the CAA approved Class D CAS for RHADS, which provided a Control Zone (CTR) and associated Terminal Control Areas (CTAs). The Airspace Change Proposal attracted objections from a variety of stakeholders, each staking a legitimate claim to continue to operate without the restrictions and control measures that CAS brings. The majority of those who objected removed their objection following further consultation with RHADS and the development of formal agreements. Requested CTAs to the east of the Airport were not part of the approval, as the CAA felt that CAS in this area did not benefit the majority of the aviation stakeholders that regularly use this airspace. A Post Implementation Review (PIR) follows any airspace change in the UK. This usually takes place at least 12 months after the implementation date and is designed to assess the efficacy of the airspace change. Although the RHADS CAS was activated in August 2008, there has never been a formal PIR. A PIR has now commenced, following a period of six years operation of the CAS, to fully assess the efficacy of the CAS and the associated working relationships between the relevant aviation stakeholders. In the intervening years, due to the global recession and general economic downturn, together with high oil prices and the increases in Air Passenger Duty rates, passenger numbers at RHADS have not increased as predicted in the original airspace change submission. This has attracted criticism from some aviation stakeholders who consider that forecasted passenger numbers carried considerable weight in the decision to implement CAS at RHADS. Since 2008, the options for airspace within the UK has changed. It is possible to apply similar protection to IFR aircraft as Class D, without all of its associated restrictions for aircraft operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). Air Traffic Services Ltd (ATSL) at Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) contracted Osprey Consulting Services Limited (Osprey) to conduct a Feasibility and Options Study to independently examine the current CAS at RHADS and provide alternative options for RHADS and the CAA to consider during the PIR. Doncaster PIR Page 2 of 46 Owner: TSM 3rd February 2015 ATC Services Ltd. DONCASTER PIR This report examines the current requirements of RHADS against an updated prediction for growth, which falls broadly within the Department for Transport UK Aviation Forecast published in January 2013. In addition, it examines the current protection provided by the existing airspace together with the local arrangements for access that have been established for other aviation stakeholders. The relationships with two adjacent airports, Leeds Bradford International Airport (LBIA) and Humberside Airport (HA) are also relevant since aircraft from these airports utilise sections of the RHADS CAS to access the UK Airways Structure. The addition of CAS has facilitated more predictable routing for aircraft, and enable Continuous Descent Approaches (CDAs) which has meant that noise sensitive areas can be more easily avoided and more fuel-efficient approaches results in a reduction in carbon emissions. These benefits were articulated in the original airspace change proposal. This report examines the alternative to Class D CAS. In particular, Class E CAS, with the addition of an associate Radio Mandatory Zone (RMZ) ensures that the Air Traffic Controllers have the situational awareness to ensure IFR aircraft are separated from other IFR aircraft. The RMZ ensures that the intentions of VFR aircraft are passed as Traffic Information (TI) without the requirement for VFR aircraft to obtain an ATC Clearance to enter the airspace. However, it is the responsibility of the VFR traffic to ensure separation from IFR traffic. Having discussed the application of Class E CAS with SARG, this is seen as a reduction in flight safety. The addition of a Transponder Mandatory Zone (TMZ) within Class E CAS also allows full utilisation by CAT of Airborne Collision Avoidance Systems (ACAS). Current CAA policy is that CTRs must be Class A or Class D airspace; Class E is not to be used for CTRs. For this reason the CTR should remain as Class D airspace, although the vertical extent of the CTR has been reviewed. Doncaster PIR Page 3 of 46 Owner: TSM 3rd February 2015 ATC Services Ltd. DONCASTER PIR 1 Introduction This section describes the context for the Feasibility and Options Report and sets out the methodology of the analysis. 1.1 Background The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) granted approval for Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield (RHADS) Class D Controlled Airspace (CAS) in July 2008 following their submission under CAP 725 Airspace Change Process Guidance Document [Reference 1]. In approving the airspace change proposal, the CAA discharged their principle statutory duty of ensuring safety by affording protection to public transport flights. In addition, in considering the wider use of the airspace by others, the CAA denied the request for CAS to the east, as it felt that additional CAS to the east would not be beneficial to all airspace users. All changes to airspace are subject to a Post Implementation Review (PIR), normally conducted 12 months after the activation of an airspace change. This is to ensure that the efficacy of the airspace is as predicted in the initial proposal. The CAA did not initiate this review procedure until November 2013, some five years after the implementation of the RHADS CAS. The delay is likely to be because of the economic downturn; growth at the airport did not continue as predicted. 1.2 Scope of this Report This report will examine the RHADS CAS to determine whether it is being utilised as expected when first implemented. It will also examine whether alternative airspace structure would better cater for all elements of the aviation community, and in doing so, will describe the potential consequences of the change in terms of safety, environment and economic effect. In addition, it will independently examine conditions placed upon RHADS at the time of the airspace activation, and whether the airspace has adversely affected other aviation stakeholders by any unintended consequences. The overall aim of the report is to provide options for consideration by RHADS and the CAA during the formal process of the PIR. Doncaster PIR Page 4 of 46 Owner: TSM 3rd February 2015 ATC Services Ltd. DONCASTER PIR 1.3 Document Structure This report will contain the following sections: Section 1, this section, contains the introduction and the background to the report; Section 2 presents RHADS and the 2008 Civil Aviation Publication (CAP) 725 Airspace Change Process (ACP) submission; Section 3 examines any conditions placed upon RHADS following the CAS implementation; Section 4 identifies the options available to the CAA following the PIR, together with the potential consequences of any change; Section 5 develops the argument for the justification of retaining CAS; Section 6 summarises the conclusions of the reports and makes recommendations to the CAA. Annexes 1 and 2 give details of the Letters of Agreement (LoAs) that exist with the local aviation community. This is summarised in a Table at Annex 1 and as a map at Annex 2. Annex 3 contains details provided by the RHADS Noise Monitoring and Environmental Sub Committee. Annex 4 has the RHADS Control Zone and Control Area Chart as published in the UK AIP. It may be useful reference when analysing the CTAs in Section4. Doncaster PIR Page 5 of 46 Owner: TSM 3rd February 2015 ATC Services Ltd. DONCASTER PIR 2 RHADS and the 2008 ACP Submission This section includes background information around the original request for CAS and the context for the requirement. 2.1 Original Submission The Peel Group developed the former military aerodrome at Finningley, south Yorkshire into the RHADS international airport in 2005. Geographically, it is close to two other airports, Leeds Bradford International Airport (LBIA) and Humberside Airport (HA). In addition, the area is very popular with General Aviation (GA) with busy airfields surrounding RHADS and their aircraft operating very close to the Airport. The area is popular with gliders, particularly for cross-country transits; prior to the implementation of CAS, routeing via RHADS avoided the restricted airspace EGD 313 (Scampton) and the CAS at LBIA. Despite a drawdown of the UK military bases, RHADS remains in an area used frequently by UK military aircraft operating from Cranwell, Waddington and Coningsby, and is situated close to a busy low-level route utilised by military fast jets. It is possible for all of these activities to operate concurrently, but in the interests of protecting the fare-paying passenger, and enhancing safety, a degree of control or coordination is required.