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 first episode of ITV Cymru Wales broadcast of ‘The Airport’, the new fly on the wall documentary, which takes you behind the scenes at Cardiff Airport, included our team of controllers manning the control tower during a General Aviation (GA) Rally. Rallies are by no means rare, but do require lots of planning by the NATS’ team to accommodate extra traffic.

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.

Regeneration should not be a one off process, after all The Doctor has done it more than eleven times and Salamanders are capable of regenerating multiple limbs. We recognise this within NATS and our strategies look as far into the future as possible so that we implement a capability for this future today.

How does Southampton air traffic tower cope with traffic peaks when it seems like half of the UK wants to fly on the same weekend?

Satellite technology can help integrate Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) in much the same way as manned aircraft, both from a technical and an operational perspective.

During 2013 we enabled savings of 59,000 tonnes of fuel, thereby avoiding 190,000 tonnes of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere. It was our best ever year ever in terms of savings.

Mark Flanigan is general manager of Strategy & Solutions at NATS. In this video he explains how we encourage innovative thinking, and how we bring ideas to life by investing in our staff, technology and state-of-the-art facilities to support project teams with the tools and time to innovate.

China’s Qingdao Municipal Government sent Jia Wang, Vice-Director of the Qingdao European and African Office, to Hampshire and NATS Swanwick Control Centre was on her agenda.