With the operational “O” date for West Airspace Deployment (West) only one week away (the day the airspace changes go live), you might be wondering what actually happens on the day.

Earlier this year, we were fortunate enough to host the South East regional final of the 2023 CyberFirst Girls Competition. This was our third time, and it was as inspiring as the first.

I’m sure by the time you are reading this article you will be fully aware that today is International Women’s Day. Marked every year on 8 March, it aims to celebrate women’s achievements and increase visibility, while calling out inequality. This year, International Women’s Day also happens to also coincide with Women of Aviation Week, which aims to address the gender imbalance across our industry.

We’re now less than a month away from West Airspace Deployment (West) and we are busy finalising preparations for implementation.

Back in 2021, NATS began its partnership with Fantasy Wings to reach and attract a more diverse pool of talent. We recently hosted a dedicated day at our Swanwick centre, offering up to 20 young people from the programme the opportunity to learn more about NATS and the wonderful world of aviation.

West will transform the way UK airspace is structured above 7,000ft over southwest England and Wales, helping us towards the industry’s 2050 net zero target and modernising the route network to enable a simpler and safer future for air travel.

This week we said a bittersweet adios to FerroNATS, the pioneering Spanish joint venture we originally set up with Ferrovial Servicios – now Serveo – over a decade ago in 2011.

NATS Analyst, Stiliyan Gadzhe, talks about his journey into NATS and why he would recommend a career in analytics.

It might not have been a successful mission for Virgin Orbit earlier this month, but it was a privilege to be involved in the UK’s first rocket launch, a major operation and a landmark moment for the country’s defence space strategy.

NATS is developing new concepts to improve ATM performance and environmental benefits. Sarah Dow, Advanced Tools & Concepts Lead, tells us more.