The future tools are already under development. They are intuitive and will increase capacity by taking out conflicts not just at the next crossover but the one after that and the one after that. The machine will prompt when a decision needs to be taken and alternatives offered.
The skills of the individual ATCO will remain high. Because we are not creating and solving problem after problem with the same flight the number of decisions will decrease on any given flight so we will need less ATCOs overall in a 24 hour period 365 days.
That should get us nicely to the Spanish 3 days on 3 days off rostering.
If you look at the collaboration announcements by NATS over the last year you will see where our partnership developments lie.
The decision to equip the Manchester and Scottish combined centre with new technology is not just about replacing like for like. There is your testbed for the new technology which will be developed for the Swanwick replacement system.
What happens when all the computers fail ? Ask any Airbus driver what were their thoughts before they trained on the A320 and beyond.
Less of us with better conditions and early goes for those currently in their 40s
