National Air Traffic Services (Nats) has launched an
European IT system strategy to help it meet long-term air traffic
handling targets.
The UK's air traffic control provider is proposing to join a
three-nation alliance to develop a joint Flight Data Processing
(FDP) system with Germany and Spain. Officials said the system was
crucial to developing Nats' capability to handle three
million flights a year by the end of the decade.
Nats chief executive Richard Everitt said, "We are committed to
a common system for the UK but our vision is for Nats to be at the
heart of change in Europe - we believe that our participation in
this programme will ensure a truly European solution to future
system requirements."
The project is expected to contribute towards the Single
European Sky initiative, which aims to simplify Europe's existing
network of air traffic systems and improve safety and efficiency.
It also builds on Nats' recently announced financial
restructuring.
Last month Nats unveiled a £1bn, 10-year investment programme. A
key element of the deal is collaboration with European partners on
flight data processing.
Nats officials added that the funding would allow Nats to
improve its operating efficiency and reduce delays. The initiative
also included the creation of a data and communications ring
between all Nats sites in the UK, which can be extended into
Europe.
The recovery plan was put together following a sharp fall in
airline industry revenue following the 11 September terrorist
attacks in the US, and includes a major financial restructuring of
Nats and the injection of £130m of shareholder capital from the
government and the British Airports Authority.
Nats has been hit by a series of computer glitches since the
launch of the Swanwick air control centre last January.
Last year Computer Weekly revealed that controllers were having
difficulty reading computer screens at a £623m air traffic centre
have mistaken Glasgow for Cardiff, repeatedly misread the height of
aircraft by thousands of feet and sent a plane into the wrong
airspace.
The mistakes are detailed in confidential "safety observation
reports" filed since systems at the Swanwick centre became
operational in January.