The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Royal Air Force Coningsby) (No. 2) Regulations 2026

Published: Fri 18th Sept 26

Established a temporary no-fly zone below 8,500 feet around RAF Coningsby for a flying display on 26 September 2026.

These Regulations establish a temporary restricted airspace around Royal Air Force Coningsby to facilitate a flying display.

The order prohibits all aircraft from flying below 8,500 feet within a 6-nautical-mile radius of the station during a specified window on 26 September 2026.

These restrictions apply to all pilots and aircraft operators, except those granted specific permission by the Lincolnshire Terminal Air Traffic Control Centre or the Air Traffic Control units at RAF Coningsby or RAF Waddington.

Arguments For

The Secretary of State asserts that restrictions are necessary in the public interest due to a scheduled flying display.
The explanatory note states that the display involves high-energy manoeuvres, necessitating restrictions to ensure public safety.
The Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport agree that airspace management is required to mitigate risks during the event.

Arguments Against

General aviation pilots may argue that short-notice or temporary restricted areas complicate flight planning and navigation.
Local airfield operators or private pilots might express concern regarding the impact on scheduled civilian flights within the 6-nautical-mile radius.
Legal observers may note that the specific times are listed in Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC), which could lead to confusion for those using British Summer Time (BST) if not clearly communicated.

Citation and commencement

These Regulations may be cited as the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Royal Air Force Coningsby) (No. 2) Regulations 2026 and they come into force on 26th September 2026.

This section provides the official name of the regulations and sets the date they become legally active. The regulations take effect on 26 September 2026.

Interpretation

In regulation 3(1) the times referred to are Co-ordinated Universal Time( b ).

( b ) Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC) is one hour behind British Summer Time (BST).

This section defines the time standard used for the restrictions.

It specifies that all listed times are in Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC), noting that this is one hour behind the local British Summer Time (BST).

Restricted airspace

-(1) Subject to paragraph (2), during the period beginning with 1030 hours and ending with 1100 hours on 26th September 2026 no aircraft is to fly below 8,500 feet above mean sea level within the area bounded by a circle having a radius of 6 nautical miles which is centred at 530535N 0000959W.

(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply to any aircraft operating in accordance with a permission issued by-

(a) the Lincolnshire Terminal Air Traffic Control Centre (TATCC),
(b) the Air Traffic Control unit at Royal Air Force Coningsby, or
(c) the Air Traffic Control unit at Royal Air Force Waddington.

This section prohibits flight below 8,500 feet above mean sea level within a 6-nautical-mile radius of a specific coordinate at RAF Coningsby between 10:30 and 11:00 UTC. It provides exceptions for aircraft that have received explicit permission from one of the three specified military air traffic control units.

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