The next steps have been announced by London Luton Airport and NATS on the proposed Huntingdonshire holding stack.

A public consultation on proposed changes to arrival routes closed on February 5.

London Luton Airport and NATS received more than 2,400 responses and these are now being reviewed, analysed and categorised, to help inform the final proposal to be submitted to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The progress can be followed on the Civil Aviation Authority’s portal.

Neil Thompson, operations director at London Luton Airport, said: “It’s great to see that so many people have engaged with the virtual exhibition and responded to the consultation.

“We look forward to reviewing everyone’s comments and, along with NATS, finalising a design that prioritises safety as well as balancing the needs of the community and the environment now and into the future.”

Once all responses have been scrutinised, London Luton Airport and NATS will publish explanations of the analysis and the final proposal, before submitting a formal Airspace Change Proposal (ACP) to the CAA expected to be in June 2021.

This will be available on the CAA’s airspace change portal, with a detailed explanation of the review process. The portal will be kept up to date with all the latest information as the ACP progresses. Individuals can sign up to receive email updates.

Huntingdon MP Jonathan Djanogly and many local residents made it clear that they opposed the proposal.

Mr Djanogly sent a three page letter to NATS and London Luton Airport stating that he had not received one positive response to the plans.

He said: “There are a significant number of concerns about the proposals throughout my constituency and I can only reiterate that I did not receive a single positive response to the issue, where there seems to be only negative implications for my constituents’ environment and wellbeing.

“Given that this simply cannot have the priority that existed pre-Covid, I hope this whole issue can be scrapped or deferred for a five-year period.”

The CAA decides whether the proposed changes can be made; if approved, the new design would be implemented no earlier than February 2022.

If you want to follow the progress of the Airspace Change Proposal, check out the CAA portal.