NATS is the sole provider of “en route” services in the UK. It operates from two centres, at Swanwick in Hampshire and Prestwick in Ayrshire.
NATS Swanwick
NATS Swanwick entered operational service in January 2002, when it began handling aircraft flying over England and Wales. It combines the London Area Control Centre, the London Terminal Control Centre, and military operations:
- London Area Control Centre manages en route traffic in the London Flight Information Region, including en route airspace over England and Wales up to the Scottish border.
- London Terminal Control Centre handles traffic below 24,500 feet flying to or from London’s airports. This area, which is one of the busiest in Europe, extends south and east towards the coast, west towards Bristol and north to near Birmingham.
Controllers provide an approach service to aircraft inbound to Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted ensuring aircraft descend in a safe and orderly stream ready to land. At busy times, aircraft are directed to holding stacks. Here they descend, under the controller’s guidance, before being sequenced and released for their final approach. Aircraft flying from London’s airports are handed over to terminal control shortly after take-off.
Military Air Traffic Control
Military controllers provide services to civil and military aircraft operating outside controlled airspace. The military controllers work closely with civilian controllers to ensure safe co-ordination of traffic.
Military services include:
- aid to aircraft in distress
- radar control to aircraft flying in uncontrolled airspace above 24,500 feet
- radar control of aircraft crossing national airways
Engineering
To ensure the highest levels of safety, controllers need highly reliable equipment. LTCC engineers are responsible for maintaining integrated systems that support around 250 civilian and military ATC positions. Engineers operate comprehensive safety management procedures to safeguard these vital functions. System control ensures 24 hours a day, 365 days a year radar and radio coverage. NATS Swanwick engineers also run the National Airspace System – a computer system that holds a database of all scheduled flights and provides flight progress strips to the controllers.
NATS Swanwick receives radar information from 12 radar sites, as far apart as Heathrow airport to a site atop Great Dun Fell in the Pennines. Radar and radio information in continuously recorded for incident analysis. Engineers ensure 21 transmitter and receiver sites provide radio coverage via more than 140 channels.
NATS Prestwick
With the opening of the new Prestwick Centre, NATS completed its ten-year strategy to reduce the number of air traffic control centres from four to two. The benefits of consolidation include cost, security and improved operational efficiency.
The Operations room in NATS Prestwick combines:
- Manchester Area Control Centre (MACC), which controls aircraft over much of the north of England, the Midlands and north Wales from 2500 feet up to 28,500 feet.
- Scottish Area Control Centre (ScACC), which controls aircraft over Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England and over the North Sea from 2500 feet up to 66,000 feet.
- Oceanic Area Control Centre (OACC) controls the airspace over the eastern half of the North Atlantic from the Azores (45 degrees north) to a boundary with Iceland (61 degrees north).
- RAF Prestwick, which comprises Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre (Military), controlling military aircraft operating above Scotland and northern England, and the Distress & Diversion cell, which is responsible for all military and civilian aircraft experiencing an emergency.