The summer holidays are slowly coming to an end, but the job of the air traffic controller continues…

What a spectacular summer it’s been here in the UK: The Royal Wedding, football so very nearly “coming home”, and of course, the long spell of hot weather that continued to stretch on in an untypically British fashion. 

But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

It’s with a heavy heart therefore that Britons will be waving goodbye to the summer this week, as millions return to work and school with a big dose of the post-holiday blues!

But before summer becomes just a distant memory, we wanted to celebrate this season of sun. Interestingly, it seems the heatwave may have changed some people’s holiday plans this year, with many Brits opting for a staycation. The World Travel and Tourism Council reported that domestic travel within the UK grew by 5.8% from 2017.

Of course, that didn’t stop those adventure seekers who took to our skies in search of foreign climes and new sights – we saw traffic records tumble.

And while being on holiday is easy, handling many thousands of flights across UK airspace throughout the summer season is not! And that’s the job of air traffic controllers at NATS, who’ve helped ensure this year’s holidaymakers have been able to soak up the sun on Turkey’s golden beaches, hike up mountains in France or simply to eat delicious food, relax and be happy.

So, to celebrate the Summer of 2018 and the role our air traffic controllers play in our day-to-day lives, we want you to get involved in this week’s Sky By Numbers competition.

For your chance to win £250, we’re asking you to guess the correct answer to the following airspace related question:

How many flights did NATS handle during the 2018 summer holidays? 

We’re counting the summer holidays as running from Monday 23^rd July to Monday 27^th August (the end of the Bank Holiday weekend)

You can answer on NATS’ Facebook, Twitter and Instagram account – and remember to come back on Monday 10th September when we’ll be announcing the winner. 

Don’t forget to include the hashtag #SkyByNumbers in your answer.