Originally Posted by Hippy
No BDiONU, all airspace is military. By agreement we allow the civvies to use certain specified routes without the need for individual coordination. [Provided they maintain within 5NM of those routes and maintain FL450 or below, of course]
I'm not sure whether I'm being suckered in here but I'm a little doubtful about the basis for this statement. I have a feeling that the UK (and 180 or so other States) have signed up to the Chicago Convention. This appears to place a number of obligations on the State, just as military agreements will do. At national level it is necessary to carve up access to airspace and other arrangements that enable these obligations to be met. I have always understood that this is done by agreement between the relevant ministers but with the proviso that the Minister for Defence can play a trump card in times of war etc. But I'm not familiar with the concept that fundamentally it's either military or civil airspace.
But please put me right if you have a relevant reference.