On 24 June 1948, ground access to the French, British and American zones of Berlin was cut off by the Soviet forces in East Germany. On 26 June, the first airlift flights departed for West Berlin. Over the following fourteen months over two million people were supplied with food, medicine, clothing, fuel, water and any other necessities by air.

Operation Overlord, arguably remains one of the most complex tasks ever devised: 160,000 troops (of which 24,000 landed by glider or parachute), 5,000 vessels and 11,000 individual aircraft took part. While obviously bearing no relation to each other, today’s air traffic operation can trace some roots back to that day and to similar operations in preceding years.

I was in Brussels last month for Eurocontrol’s Artificial Intelligence in Aviation event for a chance to cut through the hype and look at real, practical ways in which this disruptive technology can help transform how the aviation industry works, and the challenges that exist in getting there.  

Today is my first anniversary as a Business Management Support Coordinator Apprentice at NATS. I have developed an incredible amount over the last 12 months and feel really proud to be a part of the company.

At the end of March, a revolution will begin in the skies over the North Atlantic, as for the first time in the history of air travel, earth orbiting satellites will be used to monitor and manage flights in near real-time.

I’m an Air Traffic Controller and have been working at NATS for 25 years. Currently I split my time between the Operations Room, where I control aircraft, and the Development Department where I work on projects delivering new En-Route systems.

I kind of fell into the job and in fact before applying to NATS, I had no aviation background at all. I’d heard that NATS was a good Company to work for, so I looked into the opportunities there. I applied to train as an Air Traffic Controller and quickly caught the aviation bug!

Since 1980, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has celebrated World Tourism Day on 27th September – helping to raise awareness of the important role tourism plays in making the world a better place. 

Now in its 16th year, The London Design Festival is a truly international affair. A creative celebration that brings together designers, architects and exhibitors from across the globe to showcase their latest designs, it is world-renown and the highlight of the year for many in the industry

An extra day off work, a few more hours in bed, and you still get paid! What’s not to love about the bank holiday?

What’s more, with 27th August marking the last Bank Holiday until Christmas, it really is a day to savour. Many of us will be using the extra day off to its full potential – exploring new or familiar destinations, both overseas and at home.

Running since 1972, World Environment Day on 5 June is the United Nations’ flagship day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the environment. This year’s theme is ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’ which asks us all reduce our dependence on single use plastic that ends up in our oceans and food chain.