NATS Holdings
NATS (formerly "National Air Traffic Services Ltd.") is the United Kingdom's main air navigation service provider. It provides air traffic control to all en-route aircraft in UK airspace, and to aircraft at 15 UK airports.
The workforce of NATS is mainly made up of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs), Air Traffic Control Engineers (ATCEs) and Air Traffic Services Assistants (ATSAs). Administrative and Support staff make up the remainder of the 5,000 or so staff employed by NATS.
History
Originally setup as the National Air Traffic Control Services (NATCS) in 1962, bringing together responsibility for the UK's existing military and civil Air Traffic Control services, the organisation became National Air Traffic Services when responsibility for sponsoring the civil air traffic service component was transferred to the newly formed UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in 1972.
Leadership of NATS (the 'Controller') alternated between civil and military, the latter normally a serving Air Marshal. NATS staff were drawn from the CAA and the MOD.
The London Air Traffic Control Centre at RAF West Drayton opened in 1966. West Drayton continued to provide ATC services until it finally closed in 2007, with the move to Swanwick. Scottish air traffic control has been carried out from Atlantic House in Prestwick since 1978.
In 1992, NATS was reorganised as a subsidiary company of the CAA to separate its service provision and regulatory roles. The direct involvement of military officers in the management of NATS ended at this time.
Ownership structure and management
In 1998, a controversial public-private partnership was proposed. This was written into the Transport Act 2000 and in 2001 51% of NATS was transferred to the private sector. However due to the decline in air traffic following the September 11, 2001 attacks £130m of additional investment was required, £65m coming each from the UK government and BAA, who received 4% of the company in return. [1]
The current shareholders are: the UK government (49%); The Airline Group (42%) which is a consortium of British Airways, BMI, EasyJet, Monarch Airlines, Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomson Airways and Virgin Atlantic; BAA (4%); and NATS employees (5%).
Paul Barron has been CEO of NATS since 2004, but steps down in 2010 to be replaced by Richard Deakin.
NATS is split into two main service provision companies: NATS En-Route Ltd (NERL) and NATS Services Ltd (NSL). NERL holds the monopoly of civilian en-route air traffic control over the UK and is regulated by the CAA who, for example, determine the charges NERL can make. NERL is funded by charging airlines for the provision of air traffic services.
NSL competes for contracts in the free market to provide air traffic control at airports in the UK and overseas, as well as providing engineering, technical and education services in fields related to air traffic control.
Operations
En route
There are two control centres in the UK operated by NERL:
- London Area Control Centre and London Terminal Control Centre at Swanwick in Hampshire controls both upper level en-route traffic across England and Wales up to the Scottish border and low-level traffic around London and South East England, including aircraft making approaches to the main London airports.
- The Prestwick Centre, Ayrshire, is home to the Scottish Area Control Centre (including, since January 2010, the former Manchester Area Control Centre), which controls traffic over Scotland, Northern Ireland, and up to FL285 over the northern half of England, and the Prestwick Oceanic Area Control Centre which provides a procedural control service for traffic crossing the North Atlantic via the Shanwick Oceanic Control Area.
Various radar stations are operated around the UK including the famous installation on Great Dun Fell in Cumbria.
Airports
NSL provides air traffic services at all BAA Limited airports:
- London Heathrow Airport
- London Stansted Airport
- Southampton Airport
- Aberdeen Airport
- Edinburgh Airport
- Glasgow International Airport
From Aberdeen NSL provides air traffic services on behalf of NERL to offshore helicopters operating primarily from Aberdeen, Shetland (Sumburgh & Scatsta), Humberside, Norwich and North Denes.
It also has contracts with other non-BAA airports including:
- London Gatwick Airport - due to be sold by BAA to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) in December 2009
- London City Airport
- London Luton Airport
- Cardiff International Airport
- Birmingham International Airport
- Bristol International Airport
- Gibraltar Airport
- Farnborough Airfield
- Manchester Airport
- Belfast International Airport.
NSL has also has won contracts to provide a part of the air traffic control services at certain airports including:
Association with other organisations
NATS is a full member of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation. It is a shareholder in European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP), a company set up to operate the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS).
References
- ^ Our history, NATS.