Eyeinthesky is quite right about the reduced sector flows at NERC. I don't think that NATS has been 100% honest with the airlines about the swingeing cuts that WILL be made in UK airspace capacity wef 27th Jan
for a considerable time
NERC will require a 30% reduction in ALL Target sector flows for the FIRST TEN DAYS (possibly reducing to 25%)
Then a 25% reduction for a FURTHER TEN DAYS (possibly 20%)
And then a 20% reduction for the NEXT TEN DAYS and so on.....
So, yes it could take up to SIXTY DAYS for the sectors available at NERC to get to full capacity again.
Further. Due to "Staffing issues" (there aren't enough controllers) it is not possible to open all the NERC sectors anyway. The current set up at LATCC West Drayton has a bigger capacity than Swanwick will have for a LONG TIME
These, folks, are the FACTS. I would suggest that NATS has known this for a long time and has yet to be completely truthful with it's airline customers.
Anybody in Airline ops want to call NATS and check if what I'm saying is true or not? Go ahead. You'll find NATS most evasive.
It gives me no great pleasure to flag this up here, but I would rather the truth be told so than the airlines can hopefully take it into account (they should have been given the info MONTHS AGO).
RGDS BEX