New Southern Sky

The New Zealand National Airspace and Air Navigation Plan

New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has released the New Zealand National Airspace and Air Navigation Plan. The plan, termed New Southern Sky, is designed to provide a pathway for the transition to new technologies and manage the changes to airspace that are needed with increased traffic and technological advances.

The starting point for the plan has been the publication of a National Airspace Policy. It is a ministerial statement that describes the overarching principles and desired attributes in the development and modernisation of the airspace and air navigation system. The policy details four principles for the administration of New Zealand’s airspace by the CAA. These principles comprise: safety being the principle objective; compatibility with international standards and best practices;protection of the national interest in determining access to airspace; and accessibility to categories of airspace that the aircraft and crew are able to operate safely within.