The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Ragley Hall, Alcester) Regulations 2026
The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Ragley Hall, Alcester) Regulations 2026 impose temporary restrictions on aircraft flying below Flight Level 65 within a specified three-nautical-mile radius centered at Ragley Hall, Alcester, between May 29th and May 31st, 2026, inclusive, to ensure public safety during the scheduled Midlands Air Festival, which involves high-energy aircraft maneuvers; these restrictions are lifted for authorized display personnel, emergency services, and police air support units.
Arguments For
Ensures public safety during the Midlands Air Festival by restricting unauthorized aircraft from flying below Flight Level 65 in the defined operational area.
Provides a necessary legal framework to manage airspace around complex aerial displays involving high-energy maneuvers, as agreed upon by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport.
Establishes clear exceptions for essential personnel, including display directors, emergency services, and police units, ensuring necessary operational continuity.
Arguments Against
Imposes temporary restrictions on general aviation and potentially commercial overflights within the specified radius, which could impact routine flight paths or local air operations.
Restricts flying activity even when displays are not actively occurring during the specified operational windows, potentially causing wider inconvenience than strictly necessary.
Relies on specific personnel (Display Directors) having the authority to grant permissions, which centralizes control over the restricted zone.
2026 No. 451
CIVIL AVIATION
The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Ragley Hall, Alcester) Regulations 2026
| Made - - - | 23rd April 2026 | |---------------------|-------------------| | Coming into force - | 29th May 2026 |
This document is identified as Statutory Instrument 2026 No. 451 concerning Civil Aviation.
It establishes The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Ragley Hall, Alcester) Regulations 2026, which were officially made on April 23rd, 2026, and come into effect on May 29th, 2026.
The Secretary of State has decided that it is necessary in the public interest to restrict flying in the area specified in regulation 3(1) by reason of the intended holding of flying displays that are scheduled to take place there.
The Secretary of State makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by article 239 of the Air Navigation Order 2016( a ).
The Secretary of State deemed it necessary, in the public interest, to restrict flying over a specific area because flying displays are planned there.
The authority for making these Regulations comes from Article 239 of the Air Navigation Order 2016.
Citation and commencement
- These Regulations may be cited as the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Ragley Hall, Alcester) Regulations 2026 and they come into force on 29th May 2026.
The first substantive regulation names the instrument: The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Ragley Hall, Alcester) Regulations 2026.
It confirms the commencement date is May 29th, 2026.
Interpretation
- In regulation 3(2) the times referred to are Co-ordinated Universal Time( b ).
This section defines terms used later in the rules.
Specifically, it clarifies that all times mentioned in regulation 3(2) must be understood as Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Restricted airspace
- -(1) Subject to paragraph (3), during the periods specified in paragraph (2) no aircraft is to fly below Flight Level 65( c ) within the area bounded by a circle having a radius of 3 nautical miles which is centred at 521140N 0015423W.
(2) The periods referred to in paragraph (1) begin with-
- (a) 0900 hours and end with 2050 hours on 29th May 2026,
- (b) 0900 hours and end with 1830 hours on 30th May 2026,
- (c) 0900 hours and end with 1830 hours on 31st May 2026.
(3) Paragraph (1) does not apply to any aircraft-
(a) flying with the permission of the Midlands Air Festival-
- (i) Flying Display Director,
- (ii) Deputy Flying Display Director, or
- (iii) Director of Aviation, or
- (b) operated by or on behalf of-
- (i) a Police Air Support Unit, or
- (ii) an Emergency Medical Service.
This core section establishes the no-fly zone and operational times, subject to specific exemptions.
No aircraft may fly below Flight Level 65 within a 3-nautical-mile radius circle centered at the geographic coordinates 521140N 0015423W during the specified event hours.
The periods are 09:00 to 20:50 on May 29th, and 09:00 to 18:30 on May 30th and 31st.
Exemptions apply to aircraft flying with permission from the festival's designated directors or to aircraft operated by Police Air Support Units or Emergency Medical Services.
(a) S.I. 2016/765, amended by S.I. 2024/990; there are other amending instruments but none is relevant.
(b) Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) is one hour behind British Summer Time (BST).
(c) The term 'Flight Level' is defined in Schedule 1 to the Air Navigation Order 2016.
These are footnotes providing context for the references made earlier in the text.
They cite the primary legislation (Air Navigation Order 2016, as amended) and clarify that UTC is one hour behind BST, while 'Flight Level' has a technical definition within the 2016 Order.
Signed by authority of the Secretary of State for Transport
23rd April 2026
This indicates the document was officially signed on April 23rd, 2026, under the authority of the Secretary of State for Transport.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations impose restrictions on flying in the vicinity of Ragley Hall, Alcester during the Midlands Air Festival that is scheduled to take place there on 29th to 31st May 2026, inclusive.
A large number of aircraft will be involved in high energy manoeuvres and therefore the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport agree that flying should be restricted in the vicinity of the event for reasons of public safety.
The times mentioned in regulation 3(2) are Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) which is one hour behind British Summer Time (BST).
In relation to the permissions mentioned in regulation 3(3)(a), the relevant persons may be contacted as notified.
Full details of this Statutory Instrument will be promulgated by Aeronautical Information Circular (AIC) and Notice to Aviation (NOTAM).
The point of contact in the Civil Aviation Authority is Mr Thomas Shainberg, Airspace Regulator, Safety and Airspace Regulation Group, on telephone number 0330 1382515.
Karen L Michaels Grade 7 Department for Transport
The Explanatory Note confirms the purpose: restricting flying near Ragley Hall, Alcester, for the Midlands Air Festival from May 29th to 31st, 2026, due to public safety risks associated with high-energy maneuvers.
It reiterates that all times are UTC and provides contact information for the Civil Aviation Authority for the relevant personnel mentioned in the permission clauses.
It also states that detailed operational information will be published via AIC and NOTAM.
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