Every Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday, air traffic controllers across the country play their part in the national commemoration by ensuring the two minutes of silence is as complete as possible.

NATS hobbyist drone user, Krishan Singhal, has completed our new online hobbyist drone course – we asked him to share his first impressions:

We’ve been working with European partners on several solutions to increase airspace capacity and cost efficiency; improve safety and predictability and provide greater fuel efficiency and environmental sustainability.  We are testing a new systemised airspace management tool (SYSMAN) and how it interacts with queue management systems especially Arrival Manager (AMAN), and Airport Demand Capacity Balancing (Airport-DCB).

From 28 March to the 31 August over 4,400 more flights were assigned their requested level when compared to 2018, meaning our trial performance is already indicating noteworthy fuel burn and environmental improvements.

We’ve come a long way since the days when our main association with wind farm developers was to object to their developments because of the impact they had on our radar navigation and communications infrastructure.

The summer of 2019 has been record breaking across the European aviation network with a record 37,228 flights handled on 28 June. And the European ATM community has been standing shoulder-to-shoulder to deliver efficient and effective air travel during the region’s busiest period.

Since becoming a Public Private Partnership in 2001, all of us at NATS have worked hard to deliver a service that is as safe and efficient as it can be, while reducing costs and offering greater value to our airline customers.

As the demand for air travel continues to rise, those in the aviation industry must work together and develop new technology in order to improve European airspace; meeting people’s desire to fly and at the same time, reducing the impact on our environment.

Yesterday I gave evidence to the Science & Technology Select Committee in Parliament as part of its inquiry into commercial and recreational drone use. Some of my words were inappropriate.  I got it wrong.  I would like to apologise to any drone pilots, the vast majority of whom are extremely responsible, who have been offended by my remarks. 

It’s now been over two months since we introduced the Aireon service over the North Atlantic and we’re getting a clear picture of what all that means in terms of early benefits to our customers.