Davey - couldn't possible mean that.
I guess we will have to wait for zones to reply next week. I forgot the press office closed early on a Friday.
Anyway lets look at regulation.
All this great talk about separating the regulator for the service provider. With 1900 ATCOs at about 85 sites providing ATC services our new super regulator will be bearing down on NATS plc with all its might. Only problem is how many inspectors does SRG have. Probably 10 for the UK. Is that going to change ? Will we see lots more recruited ? Won't happen. NATS will continue to self regulate and SRG will continue to audit. Like any other system of auditing the provider will only let SRG see what they want to be seen.
Pressure on LCEs to sign off the doubtful ATCOs ? You try standing up to some hard nosed commercial manager. Give up your LCE ? You might just as well sign your resignation at the same time.
Have a look at the CHIRP reports and see what commercial pressure really means. Those of us who have friends throughout the aviation industry know the cowboy companies and the corners they cut. Even some very big cowboys. What to SRG do ? ..... Not a lot.
What did they do when NATS decided that Pennine radar would downgrade their services from RAS to RIS ? Wasn't that a case of providing a lesser service to aircraft ? SRG did nothing. Having set the precedent they could not do anything when NATS plc decides to further downgrade to FIS. We have all these well trained FISOs at LATCC and they cost less than your average ATCO. Try explaining that complicated story to the press. They wont understand and when two aircraft hit in the FIR it will be the pilots fault for not flying in the airways.
In 5 years time what will our SRG inspectors know about modern ATC ? There will be no cross flow of ATCOs to keep up their experience levels. At least the Flight Inspectors get to fly for real some times. In 10 years most of our inspectors will only vaguely remember what a radar sector was like to work on. How will they then seriously challenge NATS plc and make them change anything.