Drones are already being used by emergency services, delivery operators and infrastructure organisations, while work continues to make longer-range, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations more routine.

Systemisation will become a defining feature of how aircraft navigate the skies, bringing greater predictability, improved efficiency and better use of the UK’s busy airspace.

Holds are a standard procedure for managing traffic flow into an airport and maintaining safe separation between aircraft. These racetrack-shaped flight patterns allow aircraft to be held at different altitudes while the pilot awaits further instructions from air traffic control (ATC).

It’s estimated that at least half of aviation’s warming effect comes from non-CO₂ impacts, with contrails among the most significant contributors. What are the quick wins and what still needs to happen?

As aviation demands grow, parts of the UK’s airspace are operating beyond what they were designed to accommodate. With some airspace routes dating back to the 1950s, airspace modernisation is increasingly important. The UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS) has been established to help deliver that change.

According to our latest Aviation Index, the public want action, not compromise, when it comes to sustainable aviation.

It can take many years to get an airspace change to deployment, but what happens when that day finally arrives? You may think that implementing an airspace change would involve a major interruption to the operation. In reality, everything the team does in the run-up to deployment is to ensure the network can continue to function as normal when a change happens.

The launch of Sustainable Aviation’s 2026 Decarbonisation Road-map was an important reminder that aviation’s journey to net zero won’t be delivered by a single breakthrough – it will require many solutions working together.

The generosity of NATS colleagues continues to make a meaningful difference to communities across the UK, with more than £110,000 donated to charities and good causes during the first quarter of 2026…

Every Farnborough International Airshow offers a window into the future of aviation. This year, however, something felt different.