UK airspace is getting too crowded say air traffic controllers with record number of flights

Airspace will ‘soon reach the limit of what can be managed’ according to experts

UK airspace is struggling to accommodate increasing numbers of flights (Getty)

On what is expected to be the busiest day of the year for UK airspace, air traffic controllers are warning that skies are being stretched to the limit by increasing numbers of flights.

An estimated record-breaking 8,800 flights will be flying in and out of UK airspace today, and air traffic controllers are likely to manage around 770,000 flights over the summer, 40,000 more than last year.

"In the last few weeks we have already safely managed record-breaking daily traffic levels, but the ageing design of UK airspace means we will soon reach the limits of what can be managed without delays rising significantly," National Air Traffic Control Service (Nats) director Jamie Hutchison told the BBC.

There will be some 3,100 days' worth of flight delays by 2030 – 50 times more than in 2015 – if airspace management remains the same, according to The Department for Transport. It also predicts 8,000 flights will be cancelled a year.

This comes amid huge expansion plans for several UK airports – Heathrow's third runway seems to be full steam ahead and a £1bn project to double the size of Manchester airport's Terminal 2 kicks off today.

In response to the numerous challenges ahead, the government has launched a new initiative soliciting the public’s ideas for how to improve the UK’s aviation industry. It will look at customer service, safety and security, global connectivity, competitive markets, supporting growth while tackling environmental impacts, and innovation, technology and skills.

Martin Rolfe, chief executive of Nats, told the BBC's Today programme: “Local communities are very obviously concerned about what more traffic might look like, but actually modernising [airspace] means we can keep aircraft higher for longer.

"We can have them descend more steeply than they currently do because modern aircraft are more capable than the types of aircraft that were in service when this airspace was originally designed."

Air traffic controllers are warning that UK airspace is getting crowded (AFP/Getty)

Nats is already looking to improve by implementing a £600m computer system that it hopes will result in more flights and fewer delays.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "Our new aviation strategy will look beyond the new runway at Heathrow and sets out a comprehensive long-term plan for UK aviation. It will support jobs and economic growth across the whole of the UK.

"Our vision puts the passenger at the heart of what we do, but also recognises the need to address the impacts of aviation on communities and the environment."