Airport ATC Companies in the UK

[NavMonkey]

Hi all,

I'm trying to build a definitive list of Airport ATC Providers in the UK to get a better understanding of the competitive environment for some Uni research and was wondering if I could enlist the help of PPRUNERs to develop it?

I'd like to know for each airport listed below which company directly employs the ATC staff. I'm only interested in providers to civil airfields, not military and I'm familiar with the scope of NATS and HIAL airfields.

Jersey
Guernsey
Belfast City
Biggin Hill
Newcastle
Bristol International
Durham Tees Valley
Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield
Sheffield City
Blackpool
Liverpool John Lennon
Leeds/Bradford
Humberside
Bournemouth
Newquay
Exeter
Plymouth
Nottingham East Midlands
Derry
Shoreham
Isle of Man
Norwich
Prestwick

...and any others with ATC operated by private companies that I may have missed!

Having searched far and wide (including through PPRUNE) I haven't found an exhaustive list, hence my message. Hopefully this would produce a full list that other PPRUNERs could also refer to in the future.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Cheers

NavMonkey

[foghorn]

Sheffield City is now just an A/G radio.

[almost professional]

On most of that list the provider is the airport company itself-certainly NEMA and Bournemouth fall into that category

[055166k]

Register with www.ais.org.uk
You need UK AIP, select aerodromes; all the contact details are available, together with airport/aerodrome authority title etc.

[matspart3]

Add Gloucestershire Airport Ltd to your list, as well as Filton, Cranfield & Southend

[Standard Noise]

Bristol International - in house................at the minute.

[Fly Through]

Robin Hood & Liverpool - Peel Holdings (The airport owners)
Jersey - NATS
Have to agree most of the others are self operated. What ever happened to Serco operating civil airfields in the UK???

FT

[NavMonkey]

Thanks all, I'd figured that most of the airport ATC was in house but wanted to see in case the ATC had been subcontracted out.

Also, for the Peel operated airports is ATC coordinated in any way between the airports?

Following on from Fly Through's comments do SERCO operate ATC at any UK non-mil airfields and what about Safeskys? Their website talks about lots of airfield clients, but are they just for bird scaring services :confused:

Cheers, NM

[250 kts]

Don't think NATS have Jersey but if they do can i put in for a posting please.;) ;)

[Fly Through]

Things must have changed, NATS used to have Jersey.......if they don't, anyone got an address?

Serco operate Scatsta.......er...... think that's it for completely civil fields.

Peel operate the towers and provide radar for both from Liverpool.

Safeskys....hmmmm....no contracts as such I think but have be known to place people, I'm sure Gisajob will be along shortly to correct that.

FT

[Pierre Argh]

Newquay Cornwall Airport doesn't exist in its own right, it is based on RAF St Mawgan. The airport owners have a contract with the MOD and "share" the airport services with the RAF incliuding ATC, Fire, Bird Control. The future is uncertain, the MOD Contract expires Mar 2007 and the RAF have announced they intend to cease flying and place the airfield into "care & maintenance" by April 2007. There is a strong will to keep NCA running beyond that, (see various links under airports & routes) but there is stil a lot to be sorted out... not least persuading the RAF/MOD to renew the existing contract?

[Number 40]

Serco provide tower only at North Denes heliport ,Great Yarmouth

[Simtech]

Serco provide Approach and Tower at Cranfield/EGTC.

[peatair]

The "modern" NATS - nor any of its predecessors ever provided services in the Channel Islands.

The best place to research this topic would be on the ais website

www.ais.org.uk

[Red Dragon]

Serco also provide air traffic services ( tower and approach radar) at Hawarden/EGNR.

[Fly Through]

hate to contradict peatair but Jersey definitely used to be a NATS contract (according to my old instructor at CATC), dunno about its current status though.

[PPRuNe Radar]

It must of been pre late 1970's if it was. In which case, it would probably not have been called NATS back then.

[spekesoftly]

The "modern" NATS - nor any of its predecessors ever provided services in the Channel Islands.

I can recall a conversation with a long since retired ATCO, who said he had worked at Guernsey Airport, back in the days of 'The Ministry of Civil Aviation'. Perhaps he was on 'secondment', or did the MCA have the contract, way back then?

I was under the impression that for at least the past 30 odd years, the States of Jersey and Guernsey have directly employed their own ATCOs.

[Gisajob]

Thanks Fly Through,

Over the last 13 years, Safeskys has provided Air Traffic Control Services (Air Traffic Control Officers) to BAe Woodford, Benbecula, Carlisle Airport, Dundee, Sheffield City Airport and total Air Traffic Control Services to Swansea Airport. We have bid against NATS and Serco for the provision of total Air Traffic Control Services at Wattisham, Gloucester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Gibraltar Airport, Birmingham International Airport, North Denes, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Battersea, Liverpool and on every occasion we have been fully technically & commercially compliant against the bid requirement and on 80% of occasions we have offered the keenest price. We beat Serco and NATS at Gloucester but the Airport decided to keep Air Traffic Control Services in house. We beat Serco at Wattisham Station by over £1,000,000 but perversely the RAF ATC Branch advised the Army to award the contract to Serco. We offered Birmingham International Airport a better deal than NATS but they decided to stay with the big provider. Airports have sometimes been reluctant to award the contract to a small enterprise which is a pity as we can do the job just as well as the big boys (some, notably our staff, would say better !!).

So the answer to the enquiry is that there are three main providers of Air Traffic Control Services outside of airports.

We await the MoD decision this month on the provision of Air Traffic Control Services to Gibraltar Airport.


Gisajob

[PPRuNe Radar]

We offered Birmingham International Airport a better deal than NATS but they decided to stay with the big provider. Airports have sometimes been reluctant to award the contract to a small enterprise which is a pity as we can do the job just as well as the big boys (some, notably our staff, would say better !!).

Alas, without track record as big boys, staff opinion is just that - an opinion :ok:

[Gisajob]

Yes, it is a real problem trying to break into larger contracts.

Catch 22 is a very real issue. On numerous occasions over the last 10 years we have won ATC and ATC Engineering tenders with a fully technically and commercially compliant bid at the lowest price, only to be told that the customer perceived our size to pose a 'risk' or that we don't have enough experience in the specialised field (This poses the question 'Why did you ask us to bid ?).

We have won £multi-million contracts with some customers having never provided similar services before and gone on to receive plaudits for our service levels. In most cases ATC and ATC engineering contracts are TUPE contracts (Transfer of Undertaking {Protection of Employment}) thus we simply take over the existing staff so the issue of experience is a red herring.

The MoD are the worst offenders of Catch 22 as there is no common policy. Some Contracts Branches recognise innovative companies and some have their heads firmly in the sand.

We will keep on trying.

Gisajob

[Gonzo]

only to be told that the customer perceived our size to pose a 'risk' or that we don't have enough experience in the specialised field (This poses the question 'Why did you ask us to bid ?).

If you're seriously asking that question then I think you're slightly naive.

Also, why should the cheapest bidder always win?

In most cases ATC and ATC engineering contracts are TUPE contracts (Transfer of Undertaking {Protection of Employment}) thus we simply take over the existing staff so the issue of experience is a red herring.

Not really. If another agency took over the Heathrow contract, and even if T and Cs were to remain the same, I would seriously think about moving out. There are benefits gained by being employed by a large organisation.

[NavMonkey]

Gisajob, do Safeskys still have the contract for Swansea?

Thanks for all of the other info. Right now I'm looking to establish the full list of active ANS providers not those who have been bodyshopping, but it was interesting to see what you've been up to.

Cheers, NM

[Evil J]

Think Redhill has been missed out too- employed in house I believe

[Barnaby the Bear]

I beleive Swansea are just Air/Ground again. :}

[boynefly]

SafeSkys are very good pen providers!

[niknak]

I'm suprised Gisajob hasn't worked it out for himself!

13 + years and no permanant contracts to provide ATC, (aside from Swansea for a very short period of time), it speaks volumes of what people either think or know about you, whatever that may be.

Word within the industry is that Serco have almost got the Gib' renewal sewn up, even though NATS did put a bid in.

Stick to scaring birds, providing pens/coasters, and whatever else it is you do....:hmm: :*

[Gisajob]

Niknak,

I actually think that Safeskys has been very successful in its 13 + years and we have grown year on year. We have had many ATC contracts and we employ 44 airport staff (ATC Engineers, ATCOs and Bird Controllers). Perseverance will out and we await the award of our next ATC contract.

One point though, our bird control officers would not be impressed with your sneering comment about ‘scaring birds’ as it demonstrates your complete ignorance of the task. The bird controllers work closely with good ATCOs to protect aircrew. They ‘control’ the birds on airports using habitat management, removal of attractants, culling, risk assessments and counter measures, education to ignorant Niknaks, education to enlightened ATCOs and pilots and measures to disperse birds away from aircraft. Bird Controllers can also be very valuable as the first people to report FOD, security breaches, deers, rabbits and dogs on the airport. So a clever ATCO will use his bird controllers to make his airport safe. (Are you a clever ATCO Niknak ?)

Please send the pen back !!

Gisajob

[OA32]

Jersey ATC is done in-house under the States of Jersey, they also provide the channel island control zone service. Guernsey ATC is in house as well, they provide an approach service for themselves and Alderney mainly up to 2000' but up to 4000' 10nm diameter around Guernsey.