Airways B
Unfortunately, as a visit to the CRCO web site will show you, the NATS charge rate is recalculated every month based on the Sterling/Euro rate at the start of that month. The effects of the fall in the value of the pound are therefore of marginal , if any, value to the company.
EUROCONTROL - Unit Rates & Tariffs
Keeping to the charge cap (RPI-x%) has been relatively easy when traffic growth has been so high, even with above RPI increases to the payroll. With the decline in the 2008 traffic figures, it now looks like it might be more difficult to make a profit within the cap for this year.
http://www.eurocontrol.int/crco/public/standard_page/su_forecast_main.html
The capital programme is actually quite significant (over £100 million per year) and a high proportion is spent in Norway and the Eurozone. Contracts already let will probably have some protection against a decline in Sterling but future projects might be more problematic. Can we keep NAS going for another decade until we can afford a replacement?
And finally, some good news: Fareham is in the top ten areas for life expectancy.
