Airspace
Taking flight towards decarbonisation
28 July 2023NATS was recently named in the 2023 Financial Times-Statista Climate Leaders list, for the third consecutive year. The prestigious list names just 500 European companies that have achieved the greatest reduction in emissions intensity since 2016. So, what have we been up to, and what are our future commitments as we move towards a decarbonised aviation industry? Our newly published ‘Transition Plan’ compiles the journey so far and gives a preview of our ambitions for the next five years.
West Airspace Deployment: The “O” Date
16 March 2023With 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.
West Airspace Deployment: Getting ready for implementation
23 February 2023We’re now less than a month away from West Airspace Deployment (West) and we are busy finalising preparations for implementation.
West Airspace Deployment: 50 Days To Go
1 February 2023West 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.
Controlling Cosmic Girl – An Historic Mission
26 January 2023It 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.
Preparing for a UK space launch
11 January 2023As we’ve all been avidly following in the news, Virgin Orbit has just attempted the first orbital space launch from the UK, an important milestone for the country’s space industry, despite the anomaly that occurred after the rocket had left the Earth’s atmosphere. While public attention has largely been on the development of the rocket and its payload, we have been working hard in the background for over a year, along with partners across multiple countries, to ensure that the necessary airspace was clear for the launch.
Small changes that are almost perfectly formed
13 December 2022Over the past two years, our Operational Service Enhancement Programme (OSEP) has deployed six tranches of change to airspace across the country, enabling some 30,000 tonnes of CO2 savings annually throughout the European and UK network, equivalent to the emissions from the energy usage of over 8,000 homes.
We’re giving five people the chance to win a fabulous selection of NATS goodies.
Helping the nation remember
10 November 2022Working together with airports and airlines, we put in place some operating restrictions immediately before and during, the silences, both as a mark of our respect and to minimise the risk of noise disturbing the many commemorations being held up and down the country.
The NATS Analytics team – with backgrounds ranging from data science, mathematics and statistics to aeronautical engineering and air traffic control – was instrumental in producing the safety assessment that supported new oceanic global separation reductions and calculated the significant safety benefits due to the frequent and accurate positional updates.