Thanks for the heads-up Gonzo – Obviously I hadn’t seen it before posting! However, I still stand by what I said. There is something smelly about this
Looking For a Job – Thanks, you too make your points eloquently – and I can see where you’re coming from but I have a slightly different take. Firstly, I am more than happy to accept if my conclusions are somehow incorrect – please let me know where you believe I may have erred. They were drawn from internet research and talking to contacts both within and outside the company (including a couple of contacts who have worked for DFS).
Also - this is not just "whinging" about losing a contract. This is being alarmed about the way this contract may have been handled. You rightly say that the UK market has been a competitive environment for a long time. However, we will have to agree to differ about whether NATS has received preferential treatment in the past. Personally, I don’t agree but I get where you’re coming from. Despite what many think, it has never been an easy task for NATS to acquire or protect an airport contract and we have lost as well as gained over the years (Birmingham, for example). However, the "NATS bashing" (not from your good self, I hasten to add) I do find a little irksome. Complaints are rare that, say, Airservices have preferential treatment in Australia or, likewise, the FAA in the US - or even the DFS in Germany.
You state that we have a competitive market in Europe but that is just my point. This is not actually the case. Can you imagine the furore in France or Germany if NATS were to take the contracts for CDG or FRA? My background is also not restricted to NATS and the UK – and I can assure you that such a thing would be vehemently opposed in several quarters in those countries – especially if NATS were viewed as being allowed to operate in a way from which their national providers were prohibited. ATCOs in both of these countries are not so concerned about "keeping their powder dry".
As far as staff movement is concerned – fair enough, but we are not just talking about a couple of middle managers. We are talking about the former chief executive and a managing director – I’d just like to be assured that the "timings" add up.
I sense that we probably share similar concerns about the way aviation and in particular, air navigation service provision is heading – these are challenging times. I’m one of those "dinosaurs" that feels ATC is not a fit subject for privatisation but, "hey ho", we have what we have and, as you rightly say, the World is changing. However, the "business is business" angle I see differently. Fine, if we were in a truly open and competitive market where all providers were free to operate and compete everywhere. However we are not, we are in an incredibly one-sided market – and this is where it is not just business - there are politics involved. It is, after all, politicians who created this situation in the first place!
Finally, spare a thought for our colleagues who are worried about what will be happening to them in the future – and those of us who are worried about who is next and whether this could even mean the end of NATS as an airport ANSP! I think it’s about time I thought about collecting my pension (while I still have one)!