NATS

NATS, the UK’s leading provider of air traffic services, handled 4.5 per cent more flights in February compared to the same month last year.

Part of this increase can be attributed to the leap year with an extra day this February.

En route air traffic services showed a rise in traffic with London Area Control and Terminal Control, based at the Swanwick Centre in Hampshire, posting growth of 4.4 and 3.4 per cent respectively.

Scottish Area Control at Prestwick handled 4.9 per cent more flights and Oceanic traffic increased by 8.1 per cent.

At airports where NATS offers a service, there was a 1.3 per cent increase in traffic, with the strongest growth at Luton and Belfast International with 8.9 and 7.4 per cent.

Flights to Poland (54.7 per cent), Switzerland (19.4 per cent) and Denmark (13.7 per cent) led the way for growth in international arrivals and departures.

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 provides ‘en route’ air traffic control and management from the London Area Control Centre at Swanwick, Hampshire, 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.