In aviation, where precision, safety and efficiency are paramount, data can have an ever-increasing positive impact as we address the many challenges facing our rapidly evolving industry. That was the focus of ‘Analytics in Aviation 2025’, an internal conference that brought together more than 100 people from across NATS to hear customers, colleagues and partner organisations discuss how data, AI and advanced analytics are shaping the future of aviation.

For the past seven years Aberdeen has been at the forefront of our work to enable safe beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations in segregated airspace. What has happened so far – and what are the future plans?

Pairwise is the latest example of how Intelligent Approach is helping airports to make the absolute most out of their available runways, but we’re also working on some other developments on the longer-term horizon. The one I’m most excited about is called Curved Approach.

With global air traffic now matching or exceeding pre-pandemic levels, airports face growing pressure to optimise existing resources. Ahead of the International Airport Summit (IAS) in Berlin this November, International Airport Review (IAR) editor Holly Miles spoke with Chris Miles (Calgary Airport Authority) and Marco Rueckert (Searidge Technologies) about why this challenge is so urgent, the possible solutions, and what’s on the horizon.

To keep up with growing demand for air travel, a major programme is in progress to upgrade the UK’s airspace infrastructure. Airspace modernisation aims to reduce emissions, improve efficiency and capacity and harness the latest technologies – both on the ground and in the air.

I recently had the privilege of attending a panel at the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Sustainability Conference where, amongst other things such as airspace modernisation, new technologies, and ATM optimisation, I touched on the work NATS has been doing to develop an improved environmental metric for the aviation industry.

Ensuring the safety and efficiency of air traffic control isn’t just about cutting-edge technology — it’s also about understanding the people behind it.

Kris Kolandjian is a recent graduate from our 12 month Level 5 Trainee Air Traffic Control Apprenticeship and has shared his experiences transitioning from the training college into becoming a Student Air Traffic Controller.

As part of our contribution towards the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) programme, we have been working on the next phase of the Increased Flexibility in Air Traffic Controller (ATCO) Validations (IFAV) project.

Our Research and Development (R&D) department has just hosted a fantastic showcase event bringing together curious minds from across the business to showcase, explore and collaborate on the current R&D projects our teams are undertaking.