The financial restructuring of NATS - necessitated by the downturn in business following the World Trade Center attacks in 2001 - was completed in March 2003 with additional equity investment of £65 million each from BAA plc and the Government.
The restructuring enabled NATS to begin its £1 billion investment programme, which will, over the next ten years,
- Renew and upgrade all radar facilities
- Rationalise control centres from four to two (at Swanwick and Prestwick)
- Renew the flight data processing system (in collaboration with European partners) and
- Create a data and communications ring between all NATS sites in the UK, which can be extended into Europe.
This investment in new technology will enable NATS to increase the number of flights it handles from two million to three million per year by 2012.
