Archive

2023

March

23
Inspiring future generations of controllers

2021

February

25
How we are rising to the Future Flight Challenge

2019

September

06
Air traffic controller training, operational resilience and airspace capacity
02
The influence of the Berlin Airlift on modern air traffic control 70 years on

August

30
THE BUSINESS OF PRIVATE JETS
09
How we prepared the Techno Zone at RIAT

July

23
Putting the airline customer at the heart of what we do
19
Signing the Women in Aviation Charter: A year on…
11
WORKING WITH SESAR ON CREATING OUR FUTURE SKIES

June

29
Thinking of our Veteran Community in the Build up to Armed Forces Day
27
An Apology to the Drone Community
21
Being a female engineer
14
Operational trial of Aireon service shows potential for big benefits
13
Commanding a new role
13
Four seasons in a day
04
How the amazing aviation innovations behind D-Day laid the foundations for modern air traffic control
03
Embracing Artificial Intelligence in aviation and air traffic management

May

30
Up to 800 extra flights expected for Champions League Final
23
Planning for a busy summer
22
How the Gatwick drone incident resulted in dozens of diversions
20
Airspace Infringement Series: A controller’s story…

April

12
Airspace Infringement Series: A controller’s story…
05
The recipe for good research

March

22
Airspace Infringement Series: A controller’s story...
20
My first year as a NATS apprentice
07
Getting ready for a space-based revolution
07
Giving fighter jets the space to fly

February

19
Challenging our digital tower assumptions

2018

December

21
Challenges of manning the skies in the Asia Pacific
10
Santa’s Test Flight: Christmas depends on you

November

27
Measuring the standard of safety in aviation
12
This year's AOA conference told us how people are key to meet aviation’s goals
09
The strands that connect us all: Marking Remembrance Day 2018

October

17
My story – Being an Air Traffic Controller #OurAmazingEveryday
15
NATS – how we got here
08
Touchdown in London for the NFL
01
Flying high with The X Factor

September

24
Satisfy your wanderlust in a sustainable way and celebrate World Tourism Day with NATS.
18
Designing the interface for the next generation of air traffic control tools
17
An International Affair – how NATS helps showcase global design
10
Beyond the catwalk – how NATS is connecting flights and fashion
04
Why Ryanair is wrong to accuse us of discrimination
04
Growth at Luton brings operational challenges and opportunities
03
The summer holidays are slowly coming to an end, but the job of the air traffic controller continues…

August

28
The Show Must Go On! Why the Edinburgh Fringe Festival relies on UK airways
20
Why the bank holiday doesn’t just mean an extra day off
17
Guest blog: Ever wondered how drones could resolve the UK's pothole problems?
17
Is a career in air traffic control on your radar?
13
Time for tea – and a chance to win £250!
06
Premier League Kick Off – Another chance to score £250! 

July

30
Test Match Special – Howzat for a Prize!
26
Do you know our #SkyByNumbers?
17
Farnborough ’18 tops off amazing month for avgeeks
09
Getting ready for RIAT
04
Planning for RAF100 – how do you get a 100 strong flypast in and out of London?

June

28
Celebrating 25 years of the Swanwick Nature Reserve
28
The final EXCDS transition
05
Reducing Plastic Pollution at NATS
01
Digital towers and securing a sustainable future for the Highlands and Islands

May

31
Working across borders and industries to safely advance the drone industry
30
My story - Being a Trainee Air Traffic Controller #OurAmazingEveryday
29
NATS and NAV CANADA share joint vision at IATA Ops Conference
25
Gearing up for our next transition: London Terminal Control East and Thames
10
A Decade of Acting Responsibly
04
Improving European connectivity through new communication tools
01
My story - Being an Air Traffic Controller #OurAmazingEveryday

April

11
Robird cleared for take-off
03
Preparing for a challenging transition

March

16
Hola Madrid! Showcasing the future of aviation at WAC 2018
09
Q&A with Andrew Hamilton – Drone unit manager for Devon & Cornwall Police
01
Digital towers - your questions answered

February

28
My story – Being an Air Traffic Controller #OurAmazingEveryday
27
Machine learning, Artificial Intelligence and air traffic management
26
Snow joke – why snow and ice creates such an operational challenge
16
Guest post: Pencils down, please! NAV CANADA helps bring electronic flight strips to NATS’ London Terminal Control
14
My story - Being an Air Traffic Controller #OurAmazingEveryday
09
How do we balance traffic demand with our airspace capacity?
08
Delivering SESAR to make the UK and Europe’s airspace more efficient

January

24
MAYDAY MAYDAY – The untold story of BA38 from the controller on duty
24
Managing the transition from paper to digital
18
How does strong wind affect Air Traffic Control?
04
Laying the foundations for the future of Air Traffic Management in the UK

2017

December

15
Help us, help you: NATS launches GA pre-notification tool

November

10
Marking Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day

October

03
How better data could help cut emissions and airline fuel bills

September

28
Replacing paper strips with digital: the human dimension
27
Andy Shand answers your questions about Intelligent Approach
14
Enhancing airport resilience and runway capacity – an Intelligent Approach

August

23
How safe are digital control towers?
23
Making paper strips digital
11
Technically speaking: A series of factual insights - Altimetry
10
First major update to Airspace Explorer out now
09
Will mandatory drone registration be enough to make our skies safer?
08
Nine percent is not enough

July

21
What is an airspace infringement and what impact can it have?
18
Does ATC liberalisation trump government owned ANSPs?
14
The Trouble with Pre-Flight Planning
08
Do drones challenge today's airspace assumptions?
07
Listening Squawk, Monitor Code or Frequency Monitor Code? Here’s the lowdown on how and when to use them…
07
After years of waiting, digital towers are about to touch-down
05
Drone disruption at Gatwick

June

30
New Eurocontrol DG faces stiff challenges
23
Phone a friend: NATS FISOs are on hand to help
23
Hacking the passenger experience
23
Inspiring the next generation of female engineers
16
What is a Lower Airspace Radar Service?
05
Referees of the sky: How NATS helped Wales welcome the world for football final

May

10
The hidden secrets of UK airspace: Airspace classifications

April

27
The hidden secrets of UK airspace: Two Centres for three FIRs
19
Airspace Explorer: The hidden secrets of UK airspace revealed
11
Five top tips for flying safely this summer
10
Six things you must try in NATS’ new flight tracking app

March

31
Helping Flybe to a flying start at Heathrow
30
Will a circular runway ever be cleared for take-off?
29
Measure, monitor, reduce: How can ANSPs help the environment?
28
What happens when a plane gets struck by lightning?

February

28
The six questions all air traffic control providers need to address this year
20
The High Seas: the next airspace frontier?
17
Performance through partnership - why collaboration matters
13
Serious Gamejam: Using VR to make an air traffic control game
08
How working with academia can help us tackle tomorrow’s ATM challenges

January

23
The perils of winter working
11
Advancing Air Traffic Management through SESAR
09
Our content highlights of 2016

2016

December

15
Your personalised Christmas Eve flight plan will reveal if you’re on Santa’s Nice List
12
Going with the flow…

November

29
Discover your future career in aviation
24
Making drone safety information accessible to all
15
Waiting for your career to takeoff? This is how to become an air traffic controller
11
NATS plays its part in the nation’s show of respect

October

28
Patch design competition winners announced
13
These stunning photos will make you look at Heathrow in a whole new way
07
Guest post: Drones - the view of a pilot
06
Guest post: The view from a drone operator
05
Guest post: Education is key to drone safety
04
Guest post: The Politics of RPAS: Regulation and Safety
03
Guest post: UK 'should be leading' on drone safety
03
A week of drones

September

26
Second time lucky for trainee air traffic controller
20
Still time to be a Heathrow controller for the day
19
Could a drone save your life one day?
16
Three ways to keep watching the skies above Britain
15
#dayinthelife - an insight into our trainee controllers
14
Five qualities every trainee air traffic controller needs
13
Becoming an air traffic controller: Hotel entertainer swaps pina coladas for binoculars
08
Skies Above Britain: engineering the skies
07
Visualising bad weather - how difficult is it to deal with?
01
Skies Above Britain – Bristol’s balloons and air traffic control

August

31
Skies Above Britain: Heathrow after dark
30
Showcasing science, maths, engineering and technology at the Scottish Airshow STEM event
30
You’ve seen it on TV, now experience it in virtual reality
24
Win the chance to be a Heathrow air traffic controller (almost)
23
Foggy Spells: What it means for air traffic controllers
23
How do controllers train for unusual situations?
22
Is air traffic control the most stressful job in the world?
19
Infringements: A Controller’s Perspective
17
Introducing Airspace+: catch-up TV for the skies
15
Going behind the scenes at one of the world’s busiest air traffic control centres
11
Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) for Teachers
10
It’s time to build tomorrow’s Skies Above Britain
09
Return of the Swanwick Gate Guardian
05
How NATS is taking a new approach to improving safety
03
Your Intelligent Approach webcast questions answered
01
When is a near miss not a near miss?

July

28
New iTEC control platform rolls out at Prestwick to handle the heat of summer
26
Managing air traffic at the Farnborough Airshow
21
Glasgow’s golden glow – we’re proud to be on board as the airport celebrates its first 50 years in business
20
RAF(U) Swanwick and the arrival of the F-35
18
Is this really the end of the airport controller?
14
How to solve the drone dilemma
08
It’s summertime, and the drone flyin’ is easy… Preparation and knowing the rules will help keep everyone safe
01
More need than ever to create an airspace policy for the future
01
So you want to be an air traffic controller?

June

30
How satellites can improve communication between controllers and pilots
29
Solar Impulse completes historic transatlantic flight
23
Planes, plans and predicting demand
15
Temporary airspace restrictions at the Farnborough Airshow
10
Preparing for the Queen’s 90th birthday flypast
08
Talking Heathrow, noise and airspace change

May

31
Happy birthday Heathrow
24
Four resources every drone pilot needs
20
Is this the end of stack holding?
16
Spacing on the Agenda at 27th NAMEUR
05
View from an IET Fellow

April

28
Why GA pilots should talk to ATC
28
Using data to create predictive safety models
25
Summer capacity crunch points to the need for airspace modernisation
20
Airline survey rates NATS performance in 2015
18
Top reasons STEM subjects are important in air traffic management

March

29
Gallery: 20 years of Stansted Tower
24
Aviation in the community
23
Innovation in our skies to make transatlantic flying safer, quicker and cleaner
21
How technology is transforming air traffic management
18
Working with Luton to prepare for the busiest year in UK skies
17
Understanding Great Circle routes
11
Helping general aviation to see and be seen in our busy airspace
09
Emerging challenges
01
Mind the gap – a year of TBS operations

February

26
Record demand will put pressure on airspace capacity
23
Anatomy of a flight strip – The Scottish FIR Perspective
05
Collaborating to grow UK Aviation Sustainably – A View from inside Sustainable Aviation

January

29
The arrival of the flight plan (FPL)
26
A Standard of Excellence for Human Performance
25
Change, challenges and building momentum in 2016
19
Working with ATCOs to safely handle emergencies – a pilot’s perspective
06
Exploring new technologies

2015

December

30
Did you get a drone for Christmas?
23
Top 5 blog post of 2015
21
Important message for UK airspace users
10
Building the world’s largest airport
08
Improve civil-military collaboration to avoid the Middle East airspace capacity crunch
07
Aviation and the fight against climate change
03
See you at The Drone Show
02
Behind the scenes flight planning with Santa

November

25
What is a FISO?
24
The sky has a limit
18
Careers Open Day - registration now open
12
ATCA: An American perspective on ATC
12
Art of the Airport Tower
05
The future for AFPEx
04
When the worst happens, training matters

October

21
Game of drones – what now for drone development in the UK?
20
SESAR: Pushing the boundaries of innovation
19
Researching and developing tomorrow’s ATM
16
Next steps following the 26th NAMEUR
14
The European aviation R&D community comes to London
09
Serving Sumburgh Airport and the Shetland Isles
06
#ATCME: Your questions answered
02
Human versus Machine - is there a winner?
01
Join NATS at ATC Global

September

25
A new regulatory approach for Drones?
23
Reducing our environmental impact and giving back to our community
22
NAMEUR comes to Dublin
18
Careers conundrum? Learning your options for placements, apprenticeships and graduate schemes
09
Scottish Airshow says goodbye to the Avro Vulcan
07
The Economic Benefits of improvements to Middle East Air Traffic Control

August

28
Energy savings stack up!
18
Cleaner, Quieter and Smarter! Continuous Descent campaign delivers tangible improvements
13
Women in engineering (Pt. 5)
10
What is it like to be a pseudo-pilot?
06
Up, up and away!
03
USA 24 – A data visualisation to share

July

28
Supporting a competitive EU aviation industry
27
A busy day: #FlyFriday
23
Air Traffic Control at the Royal International Air Tattoo
16
Integrating helicopters safely in London’s busiest airspace
10
Big Bang STEM Fair
09
Satellite navigation - the future for airport approaches
07
We can’t wait for another runway before acting on capacity
02
Using real-time data to improve air traffic management

June

29
Dispelling the ATC fears for nervous flyers
25
Driving efficiency through smarter working
23
Women in engineering (Pt. 4)
19
Getting ready for summer
17
How can TV signals be used as radar?
16
Working with the military
12
FerroNATS: A Spanish success story
09
Automation and ATC: a people-centric approach
08
Tower Tours: Aberdeen Airport, so much more than the world’s busiest heliport
03
Tax reductions are expected to drive demand

May

29
Has GPS killed off the VOR?
27
Meet the NATS pirate hunters
22
How we prepare for peaks in traffic demand
20
EGNOS: GPS for aviation
18
Pilots sit in the ATCO’s seat
15
The journey of computing in ATC
14
What's in a voice?
13
Red Arrows: Why we need restricted airspace…
08
History of ATC terminology
06
The anatomy of a flight strip
01
Human performance standard of excellence in air traffic management

April

30
The IATA Ops Conference: Collaborating to improve safety and efficiency
28
Hosting a major sporting event requires collaborative airspace preparation
27
Asia Pacific 24
22
Remotely controlled airliners are not the answer to the Germanwings tragedy
15
Five years on from the Ash Cloud Crisis, what's changed?
13
Tower Tours: The best view of Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport
10
Eight air traffic control myths busted
09
Airspace systemisation – innovation comes full circle
07
The importance of aeronautical messaging in aviation
02
New listening squawk for Glasgow

March

30
Area Control: Guiding you safely from A to B
27
Engineering the future
23
Remote controller training goes live at Bristol
20
Women in engineering (Pt. 3)
19
Preparing for the solar eclipse
18
Fostering a Just Culture
13
Lords urge civilian drones database
10
Your top five apprenticeship questions answered
10
Madrid’s IFEMA complex opens its doors to the global aviation industry
06
A sneak preview of our participation at the World ATM congress
05
ACM at World ATM Congress
05
The journey to Free Route Airspace
05
From code breaking to ATC training
03
How medicine is learning from aviation

February

25
FerroNATS: A new approach to ATC service provision
24
Prestwick 2025: the future of air traffic management
16
Prestwick celebrates five years of achievements and milestones

January

30
Step inside Heathrow tower with our interactive 360 panorama
28
Helping General Aviation stand out from the crowd
26
Big Data and managing airport capacity
23
‘Flights of the Future’
22
Not going to university?
20
Six steps to one million tonnes of CO2 savings
14
Space weather and air traffic control
06
Helping to reduce your carbon footprint

2014

December

30
Top 10 #NATS365 pictures
24
Working over the festive season
18
Aviation in the spotlight at top sports event
12
End of an era for iconic Heathrow landmark
11
Yuletide 24 - Santa's flight path
02
Aviation needs to start planning for climate change

November

19
Using data to identify environmental savings
17
Take a guided tour of UK skies
14
Guidance on the safe use of drones in UK airspace
13
A call to the European Commission and EU Member States
10
‘Just Culture’ the way for businesses to fly
07
Marking Remembrance Day
05
The results are in – blog survey results
03
Remember, remember, the 5th of November!

October

30
[Video] Challenges and opportunities for the Gulf
28
The X Factor: X Band radar and wind farm mitigation
27
We are all part of one industry
27
Training Oman’s young engineers
23
Improving Continuous Descent Operations at Bristol Airport
20
Building a shared picture for Tower and Approach
16
Reducing aviation’s environmental impact through research and innovation
13
FerroNATS: Managing summer extremes in Spain
10
Becoming a NATS IP
03
General Aviation at Cardiff Airport
01
Making progress in tackling the impact of wind turbines

September

30
A SPACE to innovate
26
New Multilateration System at Heathrow
24
A seamless ATM approach for Asia Pacific
18
Regeneration - Doctor Who, Salamanders and ATC
17
The future of aircraft surveillance and tracking
16
From NOTAM to ASHTAM and beyond
12
Building ‘castles in the sky’ and the development of radar
03
Building momentum in the Gulf
01
Introducing #NATS365

August

29
Improving conditional route (CDR) usage
28
Managing summer air traffic spikes
27
Our new process helps save time on tower replacement
22
A career change on the cards? MPs try their hand at air traffic control
19
What happens if Bardarbunga erupts?
19
Distress and Diversion
12
Is this the end for the air traffic control tower?
11
The development of the NATS Safety Strategy
08
A glimpse of the future
07
The role of space in air traffic management
04
NATS Graduates at the Royal International Air Tattoo

July

30
Aberporth: A very different kind of air traffic control
29
Make way for the flying doctors
25
What does an aeromedical centre do?
24
Five things you need to know about the London CTR reclassification
24
Only competition can deliver real change in Europe
23
Sports, athletes and .... air traffic control
21
Measuring and reducing aviation noise
16
A UK Spaceport? Dreams can become reality
15
Women in engineering (Pt.2)
09
Air traffic control at the Farnborough Airshow
07
Charting a route to safe skies
02
Managing the impact of disruption
01
Becoming an air traffic controller

June

26
North Atlantic Skies – The gateway to Europe
23
National Women in Engineering Day 2014
20
Consultation: departure routes at Stansted
18
Try our ATC games: Do you have the right stuff?
11
Breaking through the confidence barrier
09
Engineering: integrating technology, people and process
05
Space shuttle at Stansted
05
Time to deliver on our sustainability targets
02
ACI World Annual General Assembly, Seoul, 2014

May

30
Incentivising SESAR deployment
29
Managing capacity at Heathrow
28
Your opinion of our blog matters
23
Cutting edge technology produces precise airport modelling
22
Inside our mobile aerodrome simulator
20
After a century of commercial air travel, are we any nearer the perfect business model?
16
Enabling hands-on training for engineers
08
Life as an "Aviation Doctor"
07
The future of the UK’s airspace
06
Optimisation: Growing business, whilst improving levels of service – safely

April

25
Project managing across borders
23
To infinity and beyond
15
Innovation – the application of creativity
10
What to do if you infringe controlled airspace
09
The rules of radar
07
Time to secure the Gulf’s aviation future
04
Can you decipher these air traffic control phrases?
03
Precision navigation and tackling aircraft noise

March

31
Record aircraft orders will swell already busy skies
28
Hypersonic flight - to the edge of space
27
Tower Tours: Crossed runways sets Belfast International apart
25
Guardians of the sky
20
Asia Pacific put NATS consultancy under the spotlight
11
Europe 24 – an air traffic data visualisation
06
Will the airship rise again?
05
The risks and benefits of Liberalisation
05
Military and civil airspace - A collaborative solution
04
Unlocking capacity
04
Putting customers at the heart of what we do
03
World ATM Congress will reinforce the need for progress on SESAR

February

28
Guest post: Time Based Separation - A customer perspective
28
Explaining Time Based Separation at Heathrow
20
Last DC-10 in service bids a fond farewell from Birmingham Airport
17
Comparing challenges: the EU and ASEAN aviation environments
14
Tower Tours: Managing air traffic control at Gibraltar Airport
05
Ady Dolan, Heathrow Controller, interviewed on BBC Radio Newcastle

January

29
Tower Tours: Luton - The busiest business aviation airport in the country
23
Why airspace infringements are everyone's problem
17
Tower Tours: Edinburgh - An iconic tower with a view
15
Middle Eastern expansion and the future of the FAA
10
London Airspace Consultation - On your local radio station
02
Datalink – a long time coming

2013

December

30
Top 5 blog post of 2013
24
Route planning for Santa this Christmas Eve
23
Tower Tours: Glasgow Airport gearing up for the Commonwealth Games
20
Delivering a Pan-European Network Service to better connect the European ATM community
13
Guest Post: Delivering technologies in the Middle East
10
Amazon delivery drones – pie in the sky or a realistic future?
02
Missing Airport Live?

November

29
Tower Tours: Air traffic control at Cardiff Airport
27
What was it like controlling Concorde?
25
Five ways to improve airport capacity without extra runways
22
London Airspace Consultation – your questions answered
22
Guest post: Are you going to the Aviators Ball?
20
Small changes add up to big fuel savings
19
Airports beyond 2020 - future growth hinges on greater integration
15
Tower Tours: Running air traffic control at London Stansted Airport
08
Developing a global safety strategy to address future challenges
07
Safety Management and Automation in Air Traffic Control: the future
06
Single European Sky is "crucial" for all
06
The future of ATM safety measurement
05
What can be done to improve global ATM Safety?
04
In safe hands - Talking safety with CANSO's Director General
01
Talking safety

October

31
Building relationships with China
30
Can ATC really create more value at an airport?
28
Is air traffic control a soft target for hackers?
25
Public or private? The future of the FAA
24
Change is coming! The London Airspace Consultation
21
"Aviation is the lifeblood of our island-economy"
18
US Shutdown
17
When air traffic control goes to Hollywood
16
Better ways to share flight information in support of the Single European Sky
15
Challenging misconceptions about the Single European Sky
08
Get into gear for a career in engineering
03
Winds of change – aviation and wind energy
02
Human Factors on BBC Radio Solent

September

24
Why is my flight delayed in foggy weather?
23
BBC Sussex lands at Gatwick
20
Discussing the way forward for the Single European Sky
19
Is ATM lagging behind on environmental issues?
17
Airshow marks Manchester’s 75th
16
Winning spotter photos revealed
11
Memories of 9/11
10
The future of unmanned flight
09
Prestwick and its role in the future of the UK aerospace industry
06
Vote for your favourite plane spotter snap
05
A sneak peek inside Heathrow Terminal 2
04
Cutting aircraft taxi times by a minute at Heathrow could save airlines £30m
03
Are you alert at five in the morning?

August

28
Infographic: NATS around the world
27
Considering airport expansion in Indonesia
23
Airport capacity – more than just tarmac and terminals
19
The Middle East capacity challenge
14
Heathrow trial provided 100,000 with noise respite
08
Tower trivia - top airport facts
05
Infographic: The anatomy of a control tower
02
Looking forward to the Commonwealth Games and reflecting on the Olympics

July

30
Cardiff Airport welcomes first A380
26
How technology is transforming air traffic management
19
The air traffic control challenge at the Royal International Air Tattoo
16
“Airspace is our oxygen” – the view from the Middle East
11
How slowing down flights can make them more efficient
05
Celebrating ANSP independence
03
A great relay race in the skies
02
Working across boundaries to increase efficiency and reduce emissions

June

26
Live ops due to begin at Manchester’s new £20m tower
25
Celebrating 20 years of Swanwick Lakes Nature Reserve
25
The Human Touch
21
The future of the invisible infrastructure
21
Swanwick Centre discussed on BBC Radio Solent
20
Taking the RAF flight path to a NATS air traffic controller job
20
Ever wondered how to build an Air Traffic Control Tower?
20
Providing respite from noise
19
A chance visit led to a career in Air Traffic Control
19
Cutting Aviation Emissions
18
NATS air traffic controller Steph keeps her feet on the ground
18
Infographic: Why do aircraft hold at Heathrow Airport?
17
Historical Heathrow - some photos from our archives
17
The best office view in the UK to be on show on the BBC
12
Airport Live website and trailer now available
04
Improving safety around airports
04
New tool helps reduce airport emissions
04
A medal-winning performance
04
New environmental metric delivering real results
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