Some readers of the general media coverage of this year’s Dubai Airshow will have come to the conclusion that the astonishing regional growth in aviation is slowing, if not yet coming to a hard stop.

Aviation produces greenhouse gases, that’s a fact we can’t ignore and yet at the same time the world has become addicted to flying. Later today I will be speaking at the UN Climate Change Summit in Paris to demonstrate some of what we’re doing to deliver CO2 emission reductions.

I am pleased to announce that my colleague Philip Binks and I will be presenting and hosting a stand at the UK Drone Show, using this opportunity to improve awareness about the safe use of drones in our airspace.

On 24 December, UK airspace hosts the most important flight of the year; someone to whom the normal rules of the air do not apply. The person is, of course, Santa Claus.

Air Traffic Controllers are only one aspect of the air traffic services provided to commercial and general aviation by NATS. Another aspect is the basic service FISOs (Flight Information Service Officers) give to aircraft operating outside of controlled airspace.

Unlike most of our physical transport infrastructure – our roads, our railways, or our runways – the airspace infrastructure is invisible but it is most certainly there, underpinning the UK’s aviation industry and the UK economy.

How much do you know about NATS? NATS is an exciting place to work and showing people the opportunities we offer and profiling the expertise and dedication of our people makes our annual Careers Open Day an important date in the diaries of my team. This year the date is Wednesday 9th December 2015, from 18:00 to 21:00.

Last week was the 60th annual conference & exposition of the Air Traffic Control Association of the USA (ATCA), in Washington DC. It’s always an interesting event, bringing together ATM professionals, suppliers and commentators from all over the world to discuss the key issues of the day.

Those among you who are already thinking of the perfect Christmas gift for the aviation geek in your life could do no better than Art of the Airport Tower.

If you’re a member of the General Aviation community, you can’t help but have noticed that over the summer NATS announced some important changes to the AFPEx service.