The best office view in the UK to be on show on the BBC

Jon Proudlove reckons his “office” has the best view from its windows of anywhere in the UK – and it would be hard to disagree.

Manchester-born Jon is the General Manager of Air Traffic Control for NATS at Heathrow Airport.

The Visual Control Room of the air traffic control tower provides an amazing view from more than 80 metres above the tarmac of one of the world’s busiest airports – the highest tower in the UK.

And with nearly 1,400 flights being handled every day of the week there is always something new going on.

Jon and the Heathrow team that he manages are featuring on the BBC2 series Airport Live which is due to be broadcast at 8pm on four consecutive nights, starting tonight.

The programme will provide an insight into the workings of the airport with a particular focus on air traffic control, the complexity of providing a safe and efficient service at an airport operating at 98 per cent capacity and the challenges that presents.

Jon with NATS Heathrow team members Dave Marshall, Ady Dolan and Steph Kelly who also feature on Airport Live.

“Heathrow is such a fascinating place to work,” said Jon. “It is a critical part of the UK’s infrastructure and every day is a challenge.

“No-one else puts as many aircraft through two strips of concrete anywhere in the world as we do here. That’s what makes it a challenge.

“Keeping all those aircraft on schedule is a real challenge for the men and women that make up a fantastic team of people for NATS here.

“Every day brings a different story and a different issue that we need to deal with, and we do that while keeping the operation moving.”

We caught up with Jon for a brief chat last week and recorded it for you to hear for yourself what it’s like working at and managing air traffic control at London Heathrow:

You can find out more about the Airports Services NATS provides on our website here: http://www.nats.co.uk/services/airports/.

If you’re interested in working in Air Traffic Control, take a look at the careers section on our website here: http://www.nats.co.uk/careers.