Project AMEC has directly helped inform the development of our Concepts of Operation (CONOPs), enabling us to understand how we would integrate a large number of eVTOLs – and other new airspace users – into UK airspace.

This month on Altitude, we stood at the crossroads of the old and the new, guided by three people who are shaping aviation’s digital journey: Marco Rueckert, CTO of Searidge Technologies; Michelle Ho, former Manager of Airfield Digital Transformation at Hong Kong International Airport; and Andy Taylor, Chief Solutions Officer at NATS. Together with our host, Russell Porter, they laid out a compelling vision of what happens when we rewire the airport for the 21st century. 

Now the results are in from the recent consultation on NATS OpenAir, we are moving into the next phase of our project aimed at designing a digital data backbone to pave the way to an integrated UK airspace of the future.

Last month I attended my first SESAR Annual Conference on behalf of NATS. It was a fantastic event, with world-leading innovation and cross-industry collaboration on full display. 

For the current Caelus flights, we are trialling a different use of airspace to ensure it is robust enough to withstand the traffic of today as well as that of the future. This time around, we are incorporating a Temporary Segregated Area (TSA), which means Aberdeen airport can use the airspace safely and flexibly while minimising possible disruption to traditional traffic.  

Last week, Hong Kong International Airport’s operation successfully became a Three-Runway System (3RS) for the first time. A significant milestone for the Airport City and a sign – if any were needed – that aviation in Asia Pacific is set to grow at pace.

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.

Next week we’re attending the International Airport Summit in Amsterdam. It looks set to be an exciting event and for me that’s especially so given we’ll be talking about something new, something we’re calling Clarity.

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.