NATS Belfast City
 

Just noticed in the NATS Customer update -

Customer report 2015 - NATS that NATS will be providing Tower services for Belfast City with transitioning during 2016.

Not seen anything else where online - anyone know any details?

"Elsewhere, the market to manage air traffic control at individual airports continues to become more competitive. We were delighted to renew our contracts for tower operations with Belfast International, Sumburgh Approach Services and East Shetland Basin ATC services. Most recently we successful won the competition to provide tower and approach services to Belfast City Airport, that we will transition during 2016."

:D:D:D:D:D:D Well done Michael and the team. That was a LONG time coming!

NATS Belfast City
 

Indeed Eastern


Been on and off the table since second half of 20th century!


Only "The Mousetrap" has had a longer run.

Yep, how many of us have been a part of that particular pantomime over the years? Lets hope jobs are not lost as a consequence.

Do aldergrove and City have their own Approach units?

If the answer is yes.... watch the combined Approach appear withing 12months and jobs tumble..... :-( :-( :-( :-(

Or even 'Remote Tower' operations.

Zooker...dream on...there isn't even an electronic strip display in either airport .

You said.......and you say that like streamlining the operation and reducing costs and CO2 emissions is a bad thing.

According to Harbour atis their radar is still unserviceable, it would seem Aldergrove are doing the radar function and placing inbounds on the approach albeit a little further out than normal. Sign of things to come?

I was on a visit some time ago at Harbour and remember the controllers saying that Aldergrove radar coverage was poor down the Ards Peninsula area up to quite high levels. I know from experience their radio coverage isn't too hot either the further south you go whereas I can always raise Harbour. Not sure how this would sit with Aldergrove doing radar for the entire Norn Iron area, I would have thought workload would be an issue as well. It would defeat the purpose if the radar function was centralised to save on staffing costs and then twice the amount of manpower was required at Aldergrove to cope with it!:confused:

From a business angle as well, who owns the radar at Aldergrove? Is it property of NATS or the airport? I somehow couldn't see Aldergrove management being happy that their equipment was being used to provide Harbour traffic with a service to save Harbour money! I would guess there would be a cash exchange somewhere, keep it low until Harbour has dismantled their infrastructure then charge whatever you like, captive market with no chance of competition.:eek:

I am imagining it, or was there not a proposal a few years ago for BFS and BHD to share radar feeds?

No idea about feeds, surely that would only really benefit Aldergrove? Harbour don't need to see out to the north west and from what I have seen have a perfectly decent coverage area for what they need. However if Aldergrove were looking to provide a service to both airports then they would need the picture that Harbour can see to do it right?:confused:

Which one?

eastern,
not sure how 'Remote Tower' operations reduce CO2? I can certainly see it putting ATCOs out of work though................Which is not nice
Surely the best thing to do now, going forward*, is to re-locate the approach functions from both units to Ayrshire........Bolt them on to the Antrim/Rathlin consoles, (sorry, desks). It makes sense. In fact, get a Scottish TC up and running, ASAP, before 'PD, 'PF, and EGPH, (especially the last one), decide to go it alone.

* Oops, sorry folks......'Management-speak'. :E

Not remote towers per se. The current pantomime of aircraft leveling off ...then being handed over to another unit inside the same TMA when it can be more expeditiously managed from the "parent" unit is what I was alluding to.

Your Scottish scenario would preserve jobs in which way?

ATCO 2 doing an ATCO 3 job less efficiently....you were a centre bod weren't you?

Good point........Preserving jobs, or preserving contracts? Possibly 2 different things?
I was an ADC/APC cadet, who ended up doing Area. From 1987 to 1996, (along with several others), I was valid on all three functions, (including EGGP Radar and Area CSC, OJTI/LCE and Examiner). All three were carried out at our unit, (that narrows it down a bit), and the job-satisfaction was astonishing, not to mention the flexibility the the watch-managers enjoyed when wrestling with CRATCOH.

Oh, and forget the CO2 thing.
We're living in the Holocene interglacial period. In the last 750,000 years, there have been at least 8 'glacial-cycles', probably as many as 20 during the Pleistocene, the last 2.5 million years. There are at least 5 such global 'glaciations' in The Earth's history.
It is, therefore, hardly surprising that climate is changing, driven by forces over which we have little control, if any. Reducing CO2 by 10% per-flight will matter not one Iota, especially when RLat and RLong initiatives are designed to accommodate at least 30% more a/c on the OTS.
During the 20 Pleistocene glacials, the thickness of ice on the U.K. landmass often extended above present 'transition-altitudes'.
You might as well try and stop the San Andreas Fault from moving.........And if you're still not convinced, go and have a look at the rocks that form The Giant's Causeway and The Antrim Plateau, adjacent to EGAA and EGAC. They're related to the 'opening' of The Atlantic Ocean, as was the aeronautical circus that took place in Europe, exactly 6 years ago.

"Good-night.....Don't have nightmares". :E

I'm hearing mutterings that the title of this thread may be inaccurate. Perhaps "Nats Solutions Belfast City" may be a more accurate description.

'Nats Solutions' came into being, (I believe), on 28/07/2014. Whatever it's called, great to see another airfield taken into the fold, especially after events at 'BB and 'KK.

Great, as long as it's a profit making contract.

Maybe not so great for the staff. Staff in "solutions" are not on NATS contracts and do not form part of the collective bargaining agreements NATS and the TUs have.

That could be interesting if there is consolidation of functions ahead...

I usually find myself in agreement with Zooker - or highly amused by his postings - but to say that
is perhaps short-sighted. It is our brothers and sisters who are mere pawns in this game of ANSPs and ATS contracts, and who are b*gg*red about, frequently with uncertainty for the future, for corporate profit.

2 s