Intelligent Approach Customer Summit showcases product updates and new features

This week saw our third annual Intelligent Approach Customer Summit, with representatives from NAV CANADA and LVNL – as well as from ANSPs in Europe and the Middle East – joining us in our UK head office.

I always look forward to these events as a chance to hear how our customers are getting on, the benefits Intelligent Approach is delivering for them and to pick up anything we could be working to improve.

For those that might not know, Intelligent Approach is an approach spacing tool NATS has developed with Leidos UK. It allows air traffic controllers to improve the consistency of spacing between arriving aircraft and thereby maximise runway capacity, reduce delays, and cut fuel burn and emissions. It is the only time-based separation tool available in the world today and can immediately help improve an airport’s runway throughput and deliver greater operational resilience.

Ben Sandford, Intelligent Approach Product Manager

Blake Cushnie from NAV CANADA referenced the environmental benefits of Intelligent Approach.

Getting to have a go!

A chance to see Pairwise separation in action in the sims.

Evening entertainment by the Solent

Guy Adams, NATS Services MD, and Roz Barrance, Leidos UK’s Business Development Director, welcome guests to NATS’ Head Office.

When Intelligent Approach went live for Amsterdam Schiphol arrivals in 2023, it increased capacity by 3-6 additional aircraft per hour, per runway, something LVNL CEO, Michiel van Dorst has said is the best thing they’ve done to enhance airline punctuality in recent years.

In particular, this Customer Summit was a chance to look at new product developments, with some much-requested features either coming soon or in the works.

November will see our first deployment of Pairwise separation – a more granular way of separating arriving pairs of aircraft, and one that we expect to immediately deliver additional movements per hour, greater tactical capacity and enhanced operational resilience. We let our guests loose in our simulators for a chance to get to grips with how their own operations might benefit.

LVNL CEO, Michiel van Dorst, talks about the benefits Intelligent Approach has delivered.

And coming next year – a world first deployment of Intelligent Approach at a single runway airport.

Making a time-based separation tool that works well for a mixed mode operation where departures leave between arriving aircraft has been a particular challenge, but one the development teams at NATS and Leidos have more than risen to. I’m very excited to see that go live next year and begin delivering benefits for that airport. More details on that in the coming months.

Our teams are also continuing to work on extending the distance at which the Intelligent Approach separation markers appear. This will allow controllers to begin optimising the arrival stream earlier, even allowing for curved approaches. This continues to be one of our most requested features, so I hope to have more news to share on this in 2025 as well.

It really was a valuable and enjoyable two days. I’m always thrilled to hear how we’re helping our customers achieve their objectives, but to have potential Intelligent Approach users also hear about the positive difference it is making really was very special.