Established an emergency restricted flying zone below 5,000 feet around Falmouth, Cornwall.
These Regulations establish a temporary restricted airspace in the vicinity of Falmouth, Cornwall, in response to an ongoing emergency.
The order prohibits all aircraft from flying below 5,000 feet above mean sea level within a 1.5 nautical mile radius of a specified central coordinate, unless authorized by the police. These restrictions apply to all civilian and commercial pilots and take effect immediately upon the signing of the instrument.
Arguments For
The Secretary of State deems these restrictions necessary for reasons affecting the public interest.
The document states that an emergency has arisen in the specified area, requiring immediate flight restrictions.
The order provides an exemption for aircraft flying under the direction of Devon & Cornwall Police Airspace Bronze, ensuring emergency response coordination.
Arguments Against
The regulations do not specify the nature of the emergency, which may lead to uncertainty for local residents or pilots regarding the duration of the restriction.
Commercial or private pilots operating in the Cornwall region may face immediate disruption to planned flight paths without prior notice.
The legal effect depends on the ongoing status of an unspecified emergency, and the document does not provide a fixed expiry date, relying instead on future revocation.
Citation and commencement
- These Regulations may be cited as the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Falmouth, Cornwall) (Emergency) Regulations 2026 and come into force with immediate effect.
This section provides the official name of the regulations and mandates that the flight restrictions begin operating at the moment the document was signed.
The immediate commencement reflects the emergency nature of the situation in Falmouth.
Restricted airspace
- No aircraft is to fly below 5,000 feet above mean sea level over the area specified in Column 1 of the Schedule, being an area bounded by a circle of the radius specified in Column 2 and centred on the position specified in Column 3.
- These Regulations do not apply to any aircraft flying in accordance with directions given by Devon & Cornwall Police Airspace Bronze.
This section prohibits aircraft from entering a specific circular zone around Falmouth up to an altitude of 5,000 feet.
It creates a legal exception for aircraft operating under the instructions of the Devon & Cornwall Police unit designated as 'Airspace Bronze'.
Mean sea level is the standard altitude reference point used for these measurements.
SCHEDULE
Regulation 2
Table 1
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Specified area | Radius of circle | Position of centre of circle (latitude and longitude) | | Falmouth, Cornwall | 1.5 nautical miles | 500801N 0050249W |
The Schedule defines the exact geographic boundaries of the restricted airspace.
It specifies a circle with a radius of 1.5 nautical miles centered at the coordinates 50°08'01"N and 005°02'49"W in Falmouth.
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