Birmingham drops Nats
 

Does anyone have any rumors about what is happening with Birmingham after they decided to not renew with Nats? Are the ATCO staying, or leaving with Nats?

This is extremely old news... :\

er what year is this Matron?
 

What NATS leaving Birmingham ?
Next thing you know SERCO will be out of Coventry:uhoh:

As most on here appreciate, you can't train controllers over night so whatever happens one assumes ATC will remain the same...?

Well, NATS in its joint venture as FERRONATS in Spain, has trained all of the controllers in 10 towers "overnight". So expect the worse.

Not the same Sonnendec, Birmingham has its own radar approach control not just tower.

Next !!
 

NATS are about to lose Gatwick.


To DFS !!!

Where next
 

NATS are about to lose Gatwick to ...................DFS


I've already sold my shares

That's all we know sofa...

Well they sure won't train Gatwick ATCOs overnight and it's Tower only there.

All this is very sad to hear, EGBB with it's history as an RTU and 'KK with it's accolade as the 'busiest single-runway airport'. :uhoh:

EGKK rumours
 

Can anyone tell any more about the EGKK rumours dropping NATS?

This is first I've heard about it and I'm very curious :)

Because of course they can just train Birmingham ATCOs "overnight" ???

An entirely rational decision. After all, it's well known in NATS that profits are almost completely driven by the airports side of the business.... Isn't it?

LTP

Looking for a reason
 

Pensions, pensions, pensions.

Most airport operators are only interested in the bottom line. That is why using airports is almost always a painful experience.

In terms of ATC, aren't we right to believe that all ATC personnel CAA licensed whether NATS or otherwise are all of the same or at least comparable ability and competence.

So really whoever the ATC provider is at BHX and LGW their level of service is the same, but the price they offer their services at is different.

To say otherwise is to open a can of worms is it not?

LTP

"After all, it's well known in NATS that profits are almost completely driven by the airports side of the business.... Isn't it?" - unless anything has radically changed over the past two year the answer is "NO".

NATS is divided into two companies NATS Services (NSL) and NATS En-route (NERL). The real money spinner for NATS is NERL.

Since the last recession most (if not all) airport operators have been screwing NSL into the ground over costs, demanding more for less. Rumour has it in NATS that the last Manchester Airport renewal was taken on at a loss.

With Brum going (next year?), Gatwick possibly going, one could speculate (as is widely done among NSL staff) that NATS would love to sell off NSL. In the world that we live in today their overheads (go visit CTC at Whiteley) are pricing them out of an ever shrinking UK market. Whether their Iberian enterprise will save the day remains to be seen. There may be a future for NSL, but I sincerely doubt that it is the UK airports market.

It is true the controllers the ATC operators employ will all have the same appropriate licences but that doesn't mean the service the operators deliver is the same.

If all you are interested in is the bottom line you will invariably get a second or even third rate service.

A controller who might be a whizz-kid at one unit may not make it at another so all ATCOs are not alike. A controller who fails to make the grade at a busy unit may be perfect at somewhere quieter. I'm not saying that this has anything to do with Birmingham or Gatwick I am merely stating a fact for T250.