With airports around the UK anticipating their busiest-ever summer this year, we have just completed the roll-out of the latest development in air traffic management technology – a first in the UK.

We recently saw Farnborough Airshow take place; a biannual event at which NATS manages the air traffic. We were heavily involved in all stages of the airshow, from the pre-planning in the months leading up to the event to the authorisation of the flying displays.

Air show season is an eagerly anticipated time of year and always presents the military air traffic controllers at RAF(U) Swanwick with a challenging yet extremely exciting variety of aircraft to deal with.

There are a lot of resources out there to help drone pilots to stay safe and on the right side of the law, but with the huge growth in drone flying it’s still a concern that the number of incident is on the rise.

As the British summer warms up just in time for the nation’s school holidays, more and more drone enthusiasts are taking to the skies and exploring countryside and coast from above.

While everyone in the aviation or business community was disappointed by yesterday’s announcement that the Government will not make a decision on an additional runway until “at least” October, no one was surprised.

The concept of satellite communication has been widely used over remote areas of airspace such as the North Atlantic, but we haven’t yet fully exploited its use over land until now.

Last week saw the first ever non-stop flight by a solar powered aircraft across the Atlantic, with a number of air traffic control providers – including NATS – involved in the very detailed planning process.

With a month to go until Farnborough International Airshow, we want to remind airspace users of the temporary airspace restrictions that will be in place during the event.

As thousands are set to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th birthday this weekend, we’ve been busy behind the scenes preparing for a very special part of the celebrations – the flypast.