Airlines will be able to choose their own direct routes through parts of Scottish airspace, due to a project led by air traffic controllers at NATS Prestwick Centre.

The new technique aims to cut flying times and save fuel, allowing airlines to plan more efficient direct routes, rather than being limited to the traditional ‘motorways in the sky’.

The first flight through the new Direct Route Airspace was United Airlines UAL989 at 03:51 yesterday (05MAR15) on its way to Frankfurt.

The airspace change which has initially been implemented in two areas of upper airspace above 25,500ft to the west of Scotland will save over 3,000 tonnes of fuel per year. Over 400,000 aircraft will use the new direct routes every year, including flights across the Atlantic, to the Canary Islands, and the southern Mediterranean.

Alastair Muir, NATS Operations Director at Prestwick Centre, said: “The introduction of Direct Route Airspace is all about giving our airline customers the best available routes and allowing them to save fuel and emissions. It will also help improve the predictability of arrivals and departures at airports, which is good news for passengers.”

The change will be beneficial to both airlines and passengers, as it will help to cut journey times, and reduce fuel burn. Up to 300 direct routes will now be available, giving flight planners much greater choice on their specific flight path should there be bad weather, or to be able to take advantage of favourable winds.

This is the first phase of introducing an entirely free route airspace over Scotland, and eventually the Borealis Alliance of air navigation service providers hope to introduce the concept across the whole of Northern Europe.

Airlines and business aviation operators will be able to plan and take the most cost effective, fuel efficient and timely routes a across from Iceland to the Russian border by 2020, rather than following pre-defined routes within each country’s airspace.