Showing posts with label NATS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NATS. Show all posts

08 February, 2024

NAV CANADA and Indra to deploy leading air traffic management platforms

NAV CANADA and Indra have reached a milestone agreement that will contribute to the evolution of Canada's air traffic management systems the firms announced this week. 

The first phase of the agreement will support the deployment of a state-of-the-art flight data processing system (FDPS) and an air traffic flow management system (iACM) for complex airspaces within NAV CANADA's network centre.


In line with NAV CANADA's strategic direction, this partnership represents a tangible step towards Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO) in Canada, shifting air traffic management towards a strategic approach that takes a more comprehensive picture of a flight from take-off to landing. This new technology can calculate routes with great accuracy and predict the evolution of air traffic over an extended horizon, supporting greater planning and coordination.

These systems will integrate information processing from Canada's area control centres, automatically notifying the system of any changes in flight plans between each of their respective airspace. This will enable better flexibility resulting in the improvement of traffic flow within Canadian airspace and across the rest of the network. The result will be more efficient  routings for aircraft operators, reduced fuel consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions while providing greater operational resiliency to disruptions and meeting the capacity requirements of a growing sector.



These advancements, which continue to keep safety at the forefront, reflect the vision for the future of air traffic management defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)'s Aviation System Block Upgrades (ASBU), which promote technologies that enable greater collaboration and operational predictability in global aviation.

This agreement also reinforces the collaboration between NAV CANADA, UK's NATS and Norway's Avinor, which also have Indra as a strategic technology partner. Both companies welcomed this important agreement.

The technology will be deployed over a ten-year horizon across NAV CANADA's facilities.

19 December, 2023

Pioneering air traffic control simulations pave the way for eVTOL operations


A new generation of greener aviation has taken a leap forward following the UK’s first major air traffic control simulations for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), demonstrating how eVTOL – electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft or ‘flying taxis’ – could one day be safely integrated with conventional air traffic.

The simulations were the latest milestone for the Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium, a group of leading aviation, technology and transport organisations demonstrating the commercial and operational viability of AAM. The consortium is a Future Flight Challenge programme jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation and includes Vertical Aerospace, Virgin Atlantic, AtkinsRéalis, Skyports, NATS, Heathrow, Bristol and London City airports, Connected Places Catapult, Cranfield University and WMG – University of Warwick.

The tests are a pivotal step ahead of the consortium’s planned real-world demonstration flight in late 2024 and lay the groundwork for a new generation of electric aircraft becoming commonplace in our skies.

The air traffic control service, NATS successfully simulated eVTOL flights from Bristol Airport through the airspace around Farnborough Airport, and then onto London City Airport. The flights operated alongside traditional air traffic and in controlled airspace without any impact on conventional operations.

12 October, 2023

Farnborough Airport goes digital with NATS and Searidge Technologies.....hybrid tower on the way.


Farnborough Airport is to be the first UK airport to adopt a next-generation ‘hybrid’ digital control tower working position, as part of a new project with air traffic service provider, NATS and the leading digital tower platform supplier, Searidge Technologies.

The new digital working capability will provide the airport’s controllers with enhancements to manage aircraft both by direct visual reference from the control tower window as they do today, and via fully interactive panoramic video presentation on screens displaying key parts of the airfield.

Strategically placed ultra-high-definition cameras will provide the controllers with customisable views of the airfield, including around the airport’s new, state-of-the-art hangar development, Domus III, due to open next year.

Not only will the cameras be able to provide views that could otherwise be distant or obscured from the tower, but Searidge’s technology platform will give the controllers access to tools which provide improved tracking of the whole airport surface via integration of new ADS-B surveillance and ‘head-up’ labelling of the panoramic video. This new technology will allow the controllers to monitor individual aircraft and airport vehicles more effectively, boosting safety and efficiency, especially during low visibility scenarios such as fog.

The deployment is the first of its kind in the UK and represents the next evolution in airport air traffic management, delivering the technology enhancements of a digital solution, but within an airport’s existing control tower.

09 October, 2023

The real art of blue sky thinking...... air traffic control


Picture the worst possible day on the biggest and busiest road and then imagine that chaos transferred to the clouds worldwide. Artemis Aerospace looks at the crucial work of air traffic controllers and how they keep aircraft moving and skies safe.

If you’ve downloaded a flight radar app, you may have been astonished at the sheer number of aircraft criss-crossing the country. Zooming in to Heathrow or JFK, all you can see is a vast pile of teeny planes all seemingly jostling to get on or off the runway. It appears to be completely chaotic, but every single aircraft is on a precisely dictated flight path, and it’s the work of air traffic controllers which will result in an untroubled journey and a safe landing.

The aim of air traffic control is to move aircraft safely and efficiently through the airspace system, to maintain communication with the pilot and ensure compliance with aviation protocol. In the UK, 7,000 aircraft traverse the skies every day, and air traffic control services handle 2.5 million flights and 250 million passengers per year on commercial, leisure, cargo and military flights.

It's arguably one of the most responsible jobs anyone can undertake, with passenger safety depending on each decision. To become an air traffic controller (ATCo) you need to have good concentration, excellent verbal communication, problem-solving and decision-making skills and the ability to pay attention to detail and work well under pressure.

The route to becoming an ATCo involves rigorous study; to begin with, trainees spend a year at a specialist college learning about the theories and practicalities of the job. Modules include air navigation law, air safety management and weather studies as well as the complex rules and regulations of air traffic control. Having completed this, trainees can then specialise as one of three types of ATCo:

Area controllers are based at a regional control centre and track and guide aircraft flying at high altitudes through their specific area.

Approach controllers give instructions to aircraft which have just taken off and manage them on their approach to an airport.

Aerodrome controllers work from an airport control tower, guiding pilots to their allocated stand and runway and giving take-off and landing clearance.


There are two types of airspace, controlled and uncontrolled. Surprisingly, the majority is uncontrolled and is used by recreational pilots and also some military flights; it’s up to the pilots to avoid collisions. Air traffic control services are provided in controlled airspace using radar and other surveillance systems to minimise delays and keep aircraft at a safe distance from each other.

08 September, 2023

NATS publishes its Major Incident Preliminary Report on the events of 28 August.

NATS (En Route) Plc's preliminary investigation has confirmed the root cause that led to last Monday’s air traffic control incident, and the company has reiterated its apology for the associated disruption to passengers, airlines and airports.

The report confirms that safety was maintained throughout the incident and that a solution has been implemented to avoid any possible recurrence.

The report, submitted earlier this week to the Civil Aviation Authority, identified an issue with a flight plan processing sub-system called Flight Plan Reception Suite Automated – Replacement (FPRSA-R).

A small but important part of NATS’ overall air traffic control technical infrastructure, it was found to have encountered an extremely rare set of circumstances presented by a flight plan that included two identically named, but separate waypoint markers outside of UK airspace.

This led to a ‘critical exception’ whereby both the primary system and its backup entered a fail-safe mode. The report details how, in these circumstances, the system could not reject the flight plan without a clear understanding of what possible impact it may have had. Nor could it be allowed through and risk presenting air traffic controllers with incorrect safety critical information. On the day, the time taken to recover was driven by the need to identify the problem and the specific data, isolate and remove it in a controlled way, and then test it to ensure it could be returned safely into operation.

30 August, 2023

A single flight plan caused the Nats air traffic disruption?

According to National Air Traffic Services chief executive Martin Rolfe, the mass disruption to the UK's air traffic control over the bank holiday weekend was caused by a single piece of incoming flight data, namely a flight plan that halted the system.

Nats indicate that the flight planning system and its backup system are designed to effectively turn off when it doesn't recognise the data on an electronically filed flight plan. Supposedly, this is so air traffic controllers don't get erroneous information. This then meant that flight plans had to be processed manually which cannot be done at the same volume, therefore Nats had to introduce traffic flow restrictions.  

Nats says "Our priority is always to ensure that every flight in the UK remains safe and we are sincerely sorry for the disruption."

Thousands and thousands of passengers both in the UK and overseas had flights delayed or cancelled, disrupting travel arrangements on one of the busiest days of the year. The air traffic delays caused knock-on effects for many airlines, where aircraft and crews were in the wrong place and at the wrong time. 

“NATS exists to allow everyone flying in UK airspace to do so safely. Our systems enable our air traffic controllers to deliver this service all year round. These have several levels of backup and allow us to manage around 2 million flights per year in some of the busiest and most complex airspace in the world safely and efficiently." said Rolfe. 

21 July, 2023

NATS to deploy new back-up control tower at Heathrow

Plans for a brand-new contingency control tower at Heathrow have been agreed, with NATS contracted to deliver the installation and transition of the new operations room.



Work on the new Virtual Contingency Facility (VCF), which is due to be operational in 2025, has already commenced. It replaces the existing back up ‘tower’ and represents a major investment by Heathrow, providing added resilience to the airport operation and protection to the nation’s aviation infrastructure.

The original VCF – based in an undisclosed location off the airport – was a world first in 2009. A windowless recreation of the main control tower, it has meant the airport could operate at around 70% of full capacity should it ever be required.

The new state-of-the-art facility will be based at the airport and will initially match its predecessor’s operational capacity, however, NATS and Heathrow are working together to seek to increase the capability of the VCF to enable it to operate at 100% during a second phase of the project. Live images from ultra-high-definition cameras would provide controllers with views allowing them to work as normal and keeping the airport fully operational.


Kelly Stone, Head of Airport Operations, Heathrow said: “Ensuring Heathrow’s operations are resilient when responding to disruption is a priority for the business and sits at the heart of Heathrow’s vision, aspiring to deliver the very best airport service in the world. Investing in a state-of-the-art Virtual Contingency Facility with NATS provides us with confidence that passenger journeys will still go ahead even if our business-as-usual operating plans are disrupted.”

While the original VCF has never been used in the event of an incident, the NATS control tower team does have regular exercises designed to simulate closing down the operation in the main tower and transferring to the contingency facility, with the aim being able to do so within a few hours of it being required.

Pete Glass, NATS General Manager for Air Traffic Services at Heathrow, added: “The air traffic control operation is vital to the safe and efficient running of the airport and given how important Heathrow is, not just to the UK but to global aviation, it’s right that it has an industry-leading level of operational resilience. In the anticipated second phase we have a chance to deploy some of the latest technologies to ensure that remains the case, just as we did with the original Virtual Contingency Facility 14 years ago.”





07 July, 2023

Large swathes of air space over London to close during U.S. President Biden's visit.

 




The UK's Civil Aviation Authority is issuing notices to pilots warning them not to fly under 3,500 feet over large swathes of the skies over London during a state visit by the U.S. President.

As part of an overarching security operation, the Secretary of State for Transport has ordered the change in flying regulations to keep the skies safe and free of traffic at lower altitudes.  

The majority of restrictions apply to the air space over London Stansted, central London and a corridor between London and Windsor. 

Between 1900 and 2300 on 09 July and 1200 and 1600 on 10 July no aircraft is to fly under 3,500 feet in a wide area over Stansted (area A on the map).

During the same time, an air corridor between Stansted and Central London will be restricted air space under 2,500 feet. (area B on the map) 

A wider area of sky over Central London will be restricted under 2,500 feet between 1900 on 9 July and 1600 July. (area C on the map)

A corridor between London and Windsor between 0900 and 1600 on 10 July will also be out of bounds to all aircraft under 2,500 feet. (area D on the map)

These restrictions do not apply to certain official aircraft, including police, coastguard, air ambulance and The Kings flight helicopters.  There are also exceptions for planes that are approaching or taking off from the key London airports, as long as they are being controlled by air traffic controllers or the RAF. 

However,  the restrictions do apply to all other types of aircraft, including unmanned aircraft (drones) balloons, kites, parachutes or parascending parachutes or paramotors. 

The full briefing sheets have been issued in the normal way by the CAA and NATS and is available on their website




 

19 April, 2023

How to become an air traffic controller.....

24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year, the special Air Traffic Controllers at NATS keep around 2.5 million flights and 250 million people flying above our heads in the UK safe. 

The UK, like many countries, has ‘controlled’ and ‘uncontrolled’ airspace. In controlled airspace, pilots take instructions from Air Traffic Controllers on where, when and how to position their aircraft. Most commercial aircraft operate in controlled airspace.

For the first time since before the pandemic, people can apply to join NATS’ student controller scheme, with basic training based at one of their two training facilities in Hampshire and Gloucester. Once passing an online assessment, successful candidates go through around nine months of vigorous initial training, before being posted to an airport tower or control centre to complete their learning and assessments.

Successful controllers come from all walks of life, but NATS is seeking to redress the gender imbalance that exists across the aviation industry, with the ambition that half of its new intake to be made up of women.

Do you want to learn more first-hand what it is like to be an Air traffic Controller?  NATS is having a special event tomorrow at 14:00.    For more details please visit this site. 

For more information and to apply,   visit NATS recruitment site. 

For travel insurance....

15 April, 2023

Air Traffic Controllers at NATS keep around 2.5 million flights and 250 million people flying above our heads in the UK safe. and now YOU can be one of them......



24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year, the special Air Traffic Controllers at NATS keep around 2.5 million flights and 250 million people flying above our heads in the UK safe. 

The UK, like many countries, has ‘controlled’ and ‘uncontrolled’ airspace. In controlled airspace, pilots take instructions from Air Traffic Controllers on where, when and how to position their aircraft. Most commercial aircraft operate in controlled airspace.

For the first time since before the pandemic, people can apply to join NATS’ student controller scheme, with basic training based at one of their two training facilities in Hampshire and Gloucester. Once passing an online assessment, successful candidates go through around nine months of vigorous initial training, before being posted to an airport tower or control centre to complete their learning and assessments.

12 April, 2023

Air Traffic Controllers at NATS keep around 2.5 million flights and 250 million people flying above our heads in the UK safe...... and now you could be one of them.......



24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year, the special Air Traffic Controllers at NATS keep around 2.5 million flights and 250 million people flying above our heads in the UK safe. 

The UK, like many countries, has ‘controlled’ and ‘uncontrolled’ airspace. In controlled airspace, pilots take instructions from Air Traffic Controllers on where, when and how to position their aircraft. Most commercial aircraft operate in controlled airspace.

For the first time since before the pandemic, people can apply to join NATS’ student controller scheme, with basic training based at one of their two training facilities in Hampshire and Gloucester. Once passing an online assessment, successful candidates go through around nine months of vigorous initial training, before being posted to an airport tower or control centre to complete their learning and assessments.

Successful controllers come from all walks of life, but NATS is seeking to redress the gender imbalance that exists across the aviation industry, with the ambition that half of its new intake to be made up of women.

Helen Fuge, Head of Talent and HR Services at NATS, said: “Air traffic control should be a career anyone can aspire to, but along with the wider aviation industry, it has long been heavily male-dominated. We have many wonderful women controllers, but they make up only around only 30% of the total and we want to change that.

“We know businesses that are inclusive and diverse are more successful, they make better decisions and are more effective, but fundamentally we believe improving diversity across our organisation to better reflect the world around us is simply the right thing to do.”

NATS currently has around 1,600 controllers whose job is to safely manage the flow of aircraft through the UK’s busy and complex airspace, as well as at 15 of the country’s busiest airports - which include: Aberdeen, Belfast City, Belfast International, Bristol, Cardiff, Farnborough, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City (remotely via a Digital Tower arrangement), Luton, Manchester, Southampton, St Athan and Stansted.  NATS also look after Gibraltar International Airport. 

It's been around two years since London City Airport successfully transitioned to a digital tower and began controlling flights from a brand-new remote-control centre, based in Swanwick. You can read about the experience here






For more information and to apply,   visit NATS recruitment site. 

11 April, 2023

looking for a new challenge where the sky is the limit.........Air Traffic Controllers Needed



24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year, the special Air Traffic Controllers at NATS keep around 2.5 million flights and 250 million people flying above our heads in the UK safe. 

The UK, like many countries, has ‘controlled’ and ‘uncontrolled’ airspace. In controlled airspace, pilots take instructions from Air Traffic Controllers on where, when and how to position their aircraft. Most commercial aircraft operate in controlled airspace.

For the first time since before the pandemic, people can apply to join NATS’ student controller scheme, with basic training based at one of their two training facilities in Hampshire and Gloucester. Once passing an online assessment, successful candidates go through around nine months of vigorous initial training, before being posted to an airport tower or control centre to complete their learning and assessments.

Successful controllers come from all walks of life, but NATS is seeking to redress the gender imbalance that exists across the aviation industry, with the ambition that half of its new intake to be made up of women.

Helen Fuge, Head of Talent and HR Services at NATS, said: “Air traffic control should be a career anyone can aspire to, but along with the wider aviation industry, it has long been heavily male-dominated. We have many wonderful women controllers, but they make up only around only 30% of the total and we want to change that.

“We know businesses that are inclusive and diverse are more successful, they make better decisions and are more effective, but fundamentally we believe improving diversity across our organisation to better reflect the world around us is simply the right thing to do.”

NATS currently has around 1,600 controllers whose job is to safely manage the flow of aircraft through the UK’s busy and complex airspace, as well as at 15 of the country’s busiest airports - which include: Aberdeen, Belfast City, Belfast International, Bristol, Cardiff, Farnborough, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, London City (remotely via a Digital Tower arrangement), Luton, Manchester, Southampton, St Athan and Stansted.  NATS also look after Gibraltar International Airport. 

It's been around two years since London City Airport successfully transitioned to a digital tower and began controlling flights from a brand-new remote-control centre, based in Swanwick. You can read about the experience here






For more information and to apply,   visit NATS recruitment site. 

27 September, 2022

Life as Aircraft Control Position Operator.......

Photo NATS
Photo NATS
The UK's air traffic control operator NATS is looking for more staff to become Aircraft Control Position Operators.  In a normal year (pre-Covid) NATS staff handle 2.5 million flights and 250 million passengers travelling in UK airspace.

It is a demanding job, but rewarding, but what does it actually involve?

Lauren Dixon explains all about it and exactly why you should apply....


"Hi, I’m Lauren Dixon and I’m an Aircraft Control Position Operator (ACPO) at NATS.

Normally, when I tell people what my role is, they look at me and say ‘what?!’. In simple terms, the best way to describe what I do is that I am effectively a ‘pseudo pilot’. This means that I sit on a desk with an interactive touchscreen and a radar screen in front of me and act as if I were a pilot, in an aircraft, talking to a controller. This helps controllers to train for the airspace that they will eventually be responsible for."


Find out about careers at NATSs here

NATS have around 4,500 employees dedicated to advancing aviation and keeping the skies safe. That includes 1,700 Air Traffic Controllers, 650 Air Traffic Service Assistants, 1,000 engineers, and 1,000 other specialists.



30 April, 2022

London City Airport....adapting to the digital tower......

more on http://air101.co.uk
Photo NATS


It’s now more than a year since London City Airport successfully transitioned to a digital tower and began controlling flights from a brand-new remote-control centre, based in Swanwick.

Now, instead of sitting in a physical tower based at London City Airport, a dedicated team of controllers manage the runway through sixteen high-definition cameras and sensors mounted on a mast, capturing a 360-degree view of the City Airport airfield, writes Elise Smith, from NATS. 

More on air101.co.uk
Photo NATS
We recently spoke to Lawrie McCurrach, Watch Manager, London City Airport, about how he has found the past year in his new digital environment.

How has the last year in the digital tower been for you?

It’s been a busy year, but it’s been great bedding into the new location. Throughout the whole transition, Covid has been an ongoing thing, so it’s all been completely different to everything we initially planned and trained for. In the last two/or three weeks, things have started to go back to what you would perhaps describe as normal and that has been really nice.

We had our first visit from the airport customer recently as some employees from airside operations and the fire service came to have a look around. The tower is a fantastic piece of kit, so I am always thrilled when I get to show people around it for the first time.

How are you adapting to the rising traffic numbers?

It’s been a fairly gradual increase so we’ve been quite lucky in that respect as we’ve not had any big jumps in traffic which could have made things more challenging.

The interesting thing about moving to the digital tower when we did is that the airport now has its full-length taxiway so there is no more backtracking up the runway. There are also extra stands for the aircraft to park in, so we basically no longer control the same airport that we did before when we were based in the physical tower.

What has been easier than you expected in the Digital Tower?

In some ways, everything has been easier than we expected. Really simple stuff like eye fatigue from watching the screens was something that we and the NATS Human Performance team were concerned by as it can be a lot of time spent staring at fairly large screens, but it just isn’t a problem that’s developed, and we’ve had no issues there.

We were also wondering if having a 360-degree view compressed into 225 degrees would be difficult to adapt to, but it hasn’t been a problem and actually makes our lives a lot easier, making sure the whole airfield is always within our eyeline.

Have there been any funny moments or surprises that you didn’t expect to happen?

One of the things about leaving the physical London City tower is that we no longer have to deal with sticky rain as a result of the golden syrup factory next to the airport. When the factory was refining sugar, the steam coming out of the chimneys also has sugar in it, meaning when it rains it’s all sticky and the dust would stick to your car. I don’t miss that.

The other funny thing is that when it’s raining at London City, you get all wrapped up and get your jacket on because it’s so immersive and you actually feel cold! You forget you’re not at the airport and you’re in sunny Swanwick, so we’ve left the tower room sometimes and gotten some funny looks.



Adapting to the Digital Tower - NATS Blog




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27 February, 2021

No further action over NATS delays caused by shortage of staff at the start of the COVID pandemic


Earlier this week the UK's The UK Civil Aviation Authority released its decision in relation to an investigation (Project Palamon) under section 34 of the Transport Act 2000 (TA00). We have considered alleged contraventions by NATS (En-Route) Plc ("NERL") of certain statutory duties under the TA00 and certain conditions of its Air Traffic Services Licence. This investigation followed complaints by Ryanair and Stansted Airport about air traffic flow management delays experienced by airlines and passengers of Stansted and Luton airports.

This investigation also follows an earlier investigation conducted by the Civil Aviation Authority addressing similar complaints brought by Ryanair and Stansted Airport in 2016 in relation to NERL's performance (Project Oberon).

23 August, 2020

The greatest innovations in the history of Air Traffic Control: Digital Towers

By Andy Taylor,  NATS Chief Solutions Officer, Digital Towers
Photo NATS
Since the days of the first control tower 100 years ago –complete with its flags and lamps – airport air traffic control has followed one very simple principle – see aircraft, control aircraft.  

But as airports have grown in size over the century, it’s become more and more difficult to give the air traffic controllers the best possible view of the airfield. Towers have become taller and more elaborate, but when a taxiway or runway threshold can be several kilometres away from the towergetting a perfect view is genuinely difficult. In some cases, this has led to airports with multiple control towers, each housing separate functions.

17 April, 2020

NATS takes over air traffic control at St Athan Airport

Air traffic service provider, NATS has taken over tower operations at St Athan Airfield as of 1 April.

Photo NATS
Based in the Vale of Glamorgan near Cardiff, St Athan became a civilian aerodrome in 2019 after more than 80 years as an RAF base. It is now operated by Cardiff Airport and owned by the Welsh Government.

From 1 April both the tower and air traffic engineering teams will transfer from the previous provider to NATS, joining 13 other UK airports where it provides the air traffic service.

Ceri Mashlan, Director of Operations at Cardiff Airport, said: “Whilst these are difficult times, we are really pleased to welcome NATS to the St. Athan airfield as part of their 10-year contract with Cardiff Airport.

NATS eligible for funding of up to £92 million to maintain services

£1.1 billion support package for air navigation service providers across Europe affected by COVID-19 events.
  • air navigation service providers to receive a share of £1.1 billion support package to maintain critical services as income plummets due to coronavirus
  • the UK’s NATS would be eligible to receive up to £92 million in support
  • the government continues to work closely with the aviation sector to support organisations affected by coronavirus
Air navigation service providers across Europe will share a £1.1 billion support package to maintain services, as the fall in air traffic has led to a dramatic reduction in their income.
The UK, along with other European states, has supported the intergovernmental organisation, EUROCONTROL, which manages charging for air navigation services across Europe, in securing a loan of £1.1 billion to maintain critical air navigation services, which have been affected by the fall in air traffic from coronavirus.

27 November, 2019

UK Air traffic numbers fall in October

In October, NATS handled 228,355 flights in UK airspace, 0.5% less air traffic when compared to October 2018. However, traffic for the year has increased by 1.2% overall.

Both of NATS’ air traffic control (ATC) centres, Swanwick and Prestwick handled 0.5% less traffic than in October last year, although growth continued in some areas of the operation compared to the same month last year, for example, transatlantic overflights were up by 10%. There was also growth at 5 of the 14 airports where NATS provides the ATC service, including two of the ’big five’ London Airports – London City and Luton.

NATS handled almost 24% of all the traffic in Europe in October with 99.3% of the 228,355 flights experiencing no delay from NATS. Year to date, the average air traffic control delay per flight is 9.5 seconds.

26 November, 2018

NATS and McLaren Deloitte Announce New Collaboration

The relationship will bring F1 technology and data science into the aviation industry 

NATS, the UK air traffic service, and McLaren Deloitte have today announced a collaboration agreement aimed at transforming how operational decisions are made in the aviation industry.   The companies will work together on products that combine the relative expertise of leading organisations; bringing together state-of-the-art analytics and data science with the real-world experience of network and airport capacity management.

During every Formula 1 race, McLaren takes into account millions of possible scenarios to then model the outcome of a range of tactical decisions. Meanwhile, Deloitte is renowned for their experience in using data analytics to deliver large consulting projects globally. These capabilities, combined with NATS' expertise in managing congested and complex airspace and airports, are now being deployed to help the aviation industry understand and accurately predict the impact of decisions before they are even made.

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