On Thursday 19 March, the Industry and Parliament Trust were delighted to take Ruth Cadbury MP and Lord de Clifford to NATS Swanwick Centre. Swanwick Centre handles some of the busiest and most complex airspace in Europe. Opening in 2002, it is home to the London Terminal Control Centre, London Area Control Centre, and Military ATC. The visit began with an overview of the Swanwick site delivered by Alex Fuller, Corporate and External Affairs Manager, and Callum Attew, Parliamentary Communications Manager. They outlined the centre’s core operations, the flight paths it oversees, and how NATS manages UK airspace across its two control centres at Swanwick and Prestwick.

We then toured the facilities, led by Andy Sheppard, Head of Centres Delivery at Swanwick. The tour began in the operations room, where we were given a behind-the-scenes insight into how air traffic controllers manage and coordinate the UK’s airspace. We then visited the London City Digital Tower, the first major international airport in the world to be fully operated from a remote digital air traffic control tower. Following extensive testing and live trials during lockdown, the system now provides controllers with an ‘enhanced reality’ view of the airfield, delivered through a state-of-the-art digital tower.

The visit concluded with a stop at the Part Task Trainer (PTT) simulators, where trainee air traffic controllers undertake their Level 5 Apprenticeship training. Course leads talked us through the skills and competencies required to become an effective controller, as well as the challenges and rewards of the training process. Ruth and Lord de Clifford then had the opportunity to try the simulators for themselves.

We would like to thank NATS for hosting an excellent visit, as well as Ruth Cadbury MP and Lord de Clifford for attending. We look forward to welcoming parliamentarians to future IPT visits, furthering their understanding of industry.