ALTON MP Damian Hinds is calling for a new consultation on controversial airspace change proposals for Farnborough Airport.

Mr Hinds (pitured) is urging the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to require TAG Farnborough Airport Ltd to conduct a “new and more transparent consultation” to give people the opportunity to fully understand and make an informed response to the final proposals which are currently lodged with the CAA for consideration but which, due to commercial confidentiality, have not been made fully available to the public.

But, according to TAG Farnborough, the process has met a glitch. Last Friday, the CAA advised TAG of its intention to pause the process to review certain technical, implementation aspects and airspace-sharing arrangements.

A TAG spokesman said: “This is not unusual, particularly with such a complex application, and TAG Farnborough Airport will advise when the process is resumed.”

In making the application, TAG argues that the proposed airspace design would offer all airspace users predictability and consistency of operations, resulting in a safer and more controlled environment in which to operate, and leading to further reductions in noise and carbon dioxide emissions.

But critics fear that, if given the go ahead, the introduction of a new lower “controlled” airspace around the airport, and proposed changes to flightpaths in and out of Farnborough, could have a significant and, as yet, not clearly understood impact on local communities in terms of increased air traffic, noise and pollution. And on the viability and movement of smaller, general aviation operations, which will have their wings clipped significantly as the uncontrolled space in which they currently fly is reduced in size, leading to greater congestion and dangerous “pinch points”.

Having been granted permission in 2010 to increase its capacity from 28,000 to 50,000 movements, TAG Farnborough went to public consultation at the end of 2013 over an airspace change proposal which ended last May.

Following two-stage feedback, a revised proposal was submitted to the CAA for consideration on July 3 this year, and the decision was expected shortly.

For general aviation operations such as Lasham Gliding Society, this could threaten its very survival. Despite its reputation as “the biggest gliding association in the world”, if TAG’s proposals become reality the gliders would be forced to operate in too confined a space and would become unviable.

According to gliding society spokesman and commercial pilot Peter Reading, despite a Freedom of Information request to the CAA, asking for key information on the proposed changes, it has not been forthcoming.

Information following the second feedback report has, he says, been alarmingly sketchy and not consistent with the original proposal. There appears to have been a change of direction away from highly accurate routes, with routes moved, deleted or unpredictable, with changing traffic levels, and the fear that, if the airspace change proposal is approved, there will be no legal remedy to deal with change of routes, traffic density or type.

Lasham Gliding Society continues to claim that TAG Farnborough is applying for an “enormous volume” of controlled airspace for a relatively small number of movements and extremely low passenger volumes (200 times the volume of airspace per passenger compared to Gatwick, which in 2014 had 260,000 recorded movements). The gliding society feels the 50,000 movement capacity recently granted can’t be achieved by business jet traffic alone based on TAG’s own projections.

Lasham Gliding Society argues that the proposed reduction in uncontrolled airspace would put other aviators at risk, with the creation of “choke points” and increased risk of collision, reducing participation in general aviation, particularly gliding.

According to Mr Reading, calculations show that the knock-on effect of increased risk would result in a gradual decrease in the number of pilots flying out of Lasham, creating a loss in revenue of around £173,000 per year which could ultimately lead to the sale of the airfield and the loss of around 300 jobs.

In urging the CAA to press for a further consultation into the proposals, Mr Hinds said: “I’m concerned that the revised airspace change proposal submitted to the CAA at the beginning of July has not been subject to the same level of scrutiny as the original, despite some major changes having been made to proposed arrival and departure flightpaths.

“These changes could have a significant impact on local communities and it is only right that people have the opportunity to fully understand the proposals through a new and open consultation.

“My submission to the CAA also reiterates my concern about the potential effect of the airspace change proposal on the operation of the Lasham Gliding Society as it’s likely that the economic viability of the club will be compromised, along with the capacity of the site to support jobs in the future.”

Mr Hinds added: “The community has already been hit hard by ATC Lasham going into administration and we must look to protect these important areas of employment.

“There can be no denying the strength and breadth of local opposition to this proposal. People deserve a proper, fair and transparent consultation and I believe there are enough concerns raised by the CAA’s own review criteria to justify it.”