The Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Leeming) Regulations 2026 prohibit aircraft from flying below 7,000 feet within a 5-nautical-mile radius of RAF Leeming during specific periods on 22 and 23 July 2026.
These restrictions apply to all aircraft except those granted specific permission by the Leeming Show Flying Display Director.
The Department for Transport issued these regulations to facilitate public flying displays and manage safety during high-energy aerial manoeuvres.
Arguments For
The Secretary of State asserts that the restrictions are necessary in the public interest due to the intended holding of flying displays.
The Explanatory Note states that the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport agree that restrictions are required for public safety because many aircraft will be involved in high energy manoeuvres.
The regulations provide a mechanism for authorized flight within the restricted zone via permission issued by the Leeming Show Flying Display Director.
Arguments Against
General aviation pilots or local airfield operators may argue that temporary airspace closures restrict commercial and recreational flight paths, requiring rerouting.
Critics of Statutory Instruments may note that such regulations are often made under delegated powers with limited parliamentary scrutiny.
Potential ambiguity may arise if the method of contact for the Flying Display Director, described as "as notified" in the Explanatory Note, is not updated in real-time for all airspace users.
Citation and commencement
- These Regulations may be cited as the Air Navigation (Restriction of Flying) (Leeming) Regulations 2026 and they come into force on 22nd July 2026.
This section establishes the official name of the regulations and sets the date they become legally active. The regulations take effect on 22 July 2026.
Interpretation
- In regulation 3(2) the times referred to are Co-ordinated Universal Time( b ).
This section defines the time standard used for the flying restrictions.
It specifies that all stated times use Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is one hour behind British Summer Time.
Restricted airspace
- -(1) Subject to paragraph (3), during the periods specified in paragraph (2) no aircraft is to fly below 7,000 feet above mean sea level within the area bounded by a circle having a radius of 5 nautical miles which is centred at 541733N 0013207W.
(2) The periods referred to in paragraph (1) begin with-
- (a) 0925 hours and end with 1000 hours, and begin with 1555 hours and end with 1630 hours on 22nd July 2026, and
- (b) 1100 hours and end with 1600 hours on 23rd July 2026.
(3) Paragraph (1) does not apply to any aircraft operating in accordance with a permission issued by the Leeming Show Flying Display Director.
This section prohibits aircraft from entering a specific circular zone around RAF Leeming at altitudes below 7,000 feet during designated windows on 22 and 23 July 2026.
It grants the Leeming Show Flying Display Director the authority to exempt specific aircraft from this prohibition.
The restriction applies to a 5-nautical-mile radius centered on the coordinates 541733N 0013207W.
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