The focal point for Remembrance Sunday is the two minutes of silence at 11am and as such it’s hugely important that the time is kept as quiet as possible. Each year at NATS we play our part in making it so.

If you’re using fireworks, you need to consider the airspace you’re using in addition to making sure that the spectators are sufficiently protected from the explosives.

Earlier this week we opened our headquarters for the Middle East, with a permanent office in Dubai. To mark the occasion, a number of our senior executives met with Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, to discuss some of the most aviation opportunities and challenges facing the Gulf.

Each year the Association of European Airlines (AEA) brings together the leaders of its member airlines to discuss major issues facing the aviation industry. Last week, given NATS’ role as a strategic partner of AEA, Andy Shand, General Manager of Customer Affairs and I attended their 2014 Leadership Summit.

UK airports already excel at single runway operations – but is it possible to get even better? NATS, in conjunction with SESAR, has been running a simulation to find out whether linked planning tools can help.

One of the most important ways in which NATS seeks to help reduce the environmental impact of aviation is through the Single European Sky ATM Research programme (SESAR). SESAR brings together stakeholders from across the European aviation industry to help develop and deploy new technologies and procedures that can improve the performance of European air traffic management (ATM).

One of the SESAR projects we have led, called TOPFLIGHT, has now been long-listed for a World Responsible Tourism Award in the Best Aviation Programme for Carbon Reduction category.

The growth of wind energy in the UK has posed a challenge for the aviation industry, but excellent progress has been made over the past year in finding solutions for both the en-route and airport environments.

What is SPACE? Put simply, it’s our innovation capability, designed to solve the difficult problems of today and enable us to see further into the future, to drive the aviation industry forward and provide solutions for tomorrow’s needs.

A new Multilateration System has been transitioned into operational service at Heathrow Airport. To transition such a highly integrated system in a complex and busy airfield environment – and without any operational impact – was certainly a challenge.

The Asia Pacific region has the potential to lead the world in air traffic management as a centre of excellence. The region provides many opportunities, but the only way these can be realised is by collaboration – ATM providers, Airlines, Regulators and the different States themselves.