The government said plans to renovate the UK flight roads could result in shorter journeys, fewer delays and more flights for passengers.

The Ministry of Transport said the UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS) would redesign the routes that aircraft must take over British airspace - many of which were decided 70 years ago.

The initial restructuring will focus on complex airspace in and around London, although it is not expected to take effect in several years.

But friends from environmental groups say the redesigned flight path will “expose more communities to noise and air pollution.”

Ministers said these plans could allow the aircraft to climb faster and descend more smoothly during takeoff.

Helping reduce the impact of climate change in aviation and pave the way for new technologies such as flying taxis, is another goal of planned changes.

“Modernizing our airspace is also one of the easiest ways to help reduce flight pollution and will lay the weight for a long-term, sustainable future,” said Aviation Secretary Mike Kane.

These changes will be the largest space in British airspace since their first design in the 1950s, with only about 200,000 flights a year by then. Last year, British airspace had about 2.7 million flights.

Tim Keevil, of Basingstoke, travels abroad 10 to 12 times a year, said Heathrow Airport should be expanded 30 years ago.

He told the BBC airport that it was "short, understaffed" and "national embarrassment".

But Dr. Alan Lafferty lived in his Chiswick home for 43 years and said the plane landing at Heathrow Airport was noisy enough. He fears the new flight path will make the situation worse for him and his wife.

He told the BBC: "The planes landed at Heathrow have flew close enough to hear them flooding everything. Any close distance will be a nightmare."

The government said UKAD will be fully operational by the end of this year.

Changes in London airspace were not expected until the 2030s and were delivered in stages given the size and complexity.

Some changes in routes outside London can be seen before 2030.

Tim Alderslade, head of the British trading agency Airline, said changes in British airspace were "overdue".

He added: “We look forward to working with the Minister and all regions of British Airways to complete the Generation Infrastructure Program as soon as possible and ideally as possible.”

JET2 CEO Steve Heapy called the announcement “good news” and called for “Swift Action.”

“For years, we have been calling for modernization of the airspace because it has proven to be a key driver for achieving CO2 reduction,” he said.

But, Kent, Surrey and Sussex's aviation and environmental group Cagne warned that the plans could mean new flight paths for homes that are currently unaffected.

"What is needed is fewer flights, not more - and expansion is planned at Heathrow and Gatwick, which the government says "cautious approval" will result in hundreds of flights a day.

“The redesigned flight paths could put more communities in danger of noise and air pollution.”