Changes to Benson & Odiham ATC Procedures

The radio procedures for aircraft operating VHF inbound to RAF Benson and RAF Odiham which comes into effect 17^th August 2026.

With the introduction of the Southern Military Allocator, VHF only aircraft inbound to either Benson or Odiham should make their initial call on the Initial Contact Frequency (ICF) Southern Military Allocator, 134.035 MHz.

For aircraft requesting transits or MATZ crossings associated with Benson or Odiham, the appropriate frequency will be Southern Military Radar, 120.905 MHz, as per current procedure, Note, this frequency is only monitored during the Benson operating flying hours. Aircraft wanting an Odiham MATZ crossing should contact Farnborough West on 125.250 MHz in the first instance.

It is important that pilots use this frequency, as the Benson and Odiham Approach frequencies will not be routinely monitored for initial inbound calls.

The Southern Military Allocator will either:

·       Provide the required service directly, or

• Transfer the aircraft to the relevant Benson or Odiham Approach frequency as required.

In practice, operators should notice very little change to existing procedures, with the primary differences being:

• The use of the Southern Military Allocator ICF (134.035 MHz) for all inbound initial contacts to Benson and Odiham.
• Minor changes to the voice callsigns used.

A short PowerPoint briefing is at the link below for visual reference. This change will also be promulgated by NOTAM and in the AIRAC updates in due course.