NATS

The number of flights controlled by NATS this year passed two million on October 17, ten days earlier than last year.

Traffic for the month was up 3.9 per cent on October 2006.  Growth for the year to date is 3.7 per cent.

All NATS centres recorded growth in the volume of aircraft handled in October, with Oceanic Area Control and Manchester showing the biggest rises with 7.4 per cent and 6.1 per cent respectively.

All markets posted increased traffic figures with transatlantic arrivals and departures and overflights up by 4.7 per cent and 5.8 per cent. Other overflights, arrivals and departures also rose by 12.3 per cent and 4.1 per cent respectively.

Airports where NATS provides a service showed slight growth – up 1.9 per cent in total. Farnborough (26 per cent) and London City (15.3 per cent) continued to record increased traffic.

Flights to Poland (28.4 per cent), Switzerland (15.8 per cent) and Portugal (12.3 per cent) accounted for highest growth in international arrivals and departures.

Summer schedules ended this month as airlines switched to their winter flight programmes on October 28^th.

Notes to Editors:

·         Quoted airport traffic figures are based on flights handled through NATS Area Control Centres, not on actual airport movements which are not available until later in the month.

·         NATS handled 2.4 million flights in 2006.

·         NATS provides ‘en route’ air traffic control and management from the London Area Control Centre at Swanwick, Hampshire, London Terminal Control Centre at West Drayton, Middlesex, Scottish and Oceanic Area Control Centre at Prestwick, Ayrshire and the Manchester Area Control Centre located at Manchester Airport.  

·         NATS also provides air traffic control services at 15 of the nation's major airports including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow, together with air traffic services at Gibraltar Airport.