‘Testament to hard work’ says NATS as Fareham firm is chosen to monitor Birmingham’s air traffic

Hampshire’s own NATS has been chosen to take over air traffic and associated engineering services at Birmingham Airport.

Having been run in-house for the past decade, the airport’s controllers, assistants and air traffic engineers will now undergo a 12-month transition to NATS.

The choice follows a competitive tender process as Birmingham Airport looks to invest £300 million over the next 10 years to meet its projected passenger demand of 18 million by 2033.

“Our industry is evolving at an unprecedented pace, driven by rising traffic, advancing digitisation and a heightened focus on sustainability,” said Andrew Holl, airfield operations director at Birmingham.

“In this dynamic landscape, our partnership with NATS marks a key step forward for Birmingham Airport, opening up opportunities for modernising our services and accelerating our commitment to enhanced connectivity, innovation and a greener future.

“We’re very excited to shape the future of aviation at Birmingham together with NATS.”

Part of NATS’ remit will be to work with the airport to develop a technology and innovation roadmap, ensuring it can boost capacity both safely and efficiently.

Guy Adams, managing director of NATS Services, added: “We’re thrilled that Birmingham has chosen NATS.

“It’s testament to the hard work by teams right across the business to understand what the airport needs and to demonstrate the value NATS can add.

“Our next priority is to ensure a smooth transition, to welcome the Birmingham air traffic team into NATS and to work together to support the airport’s ambitions.

“We cannot wait to get started.”

• nats.aero