Behind the scenes with NATS in new ITV documentary

NATS air traffic controllers and engineers are to feature in an upcoming fly on the wall documentary, called ‘The Airport’, which follows the day-to-day operation at Cardiff Airport.

The production company has been filming over the past year to capture the Airport’s refurbishment and development as well as follow the preparations for its pivotal role in the NATO summit, for which it was the main receiving Airport for world leaders and dignitaries.

NATS features in three of the six episodes, with the themes being the management of a general aviation air rally (episode 1), the Queen’s baton relay for the Commonwealth Games (episode 4) engineering maintenance of the ILS (episode 5 or 6) and NATO (episode 6).

The first episode goes out at 10.40pm on 1 October, with the following five episodes being broadcast every Wednesday thereafter at the same time. The show is being broadcast on ITV Cymru Wales, and will also be available online on ITV Player.

Blog posts explaining the work being shown on the small screen will offer additional insight into the workings of the NATS air traffic controllers and engineers and be available on www.nats.aero to coincide with the relevant episodes.

Roger Marsh, NATS General Manager, Cardiff Airport, said: “It’s been a busy year at the Airport, with a lot of change, so it was a good time for Barn Media, the production company, to film behind the scenes.

“The NATS team here does a fantastic job every day and this was a great opportunity to showcase their efforts, not only day-to-day, but also for one-off events like the NATO Summit, which require months of preparation and organisation. I hope people enjoy the show as much as we enjoyed being part of the filming!”

Debra Barber, Managing Director at Cardiff Airport, said: “It was great to have NATS involved in the documentary, as the team plays such an integral role at Cardiff Airport. The production team really wanted to give a flavour of all the different elements that go into the running of the Airport, which we hope we’ve done by including storylines on everything from air traffic control, to runway repairs, customer service, airfield maintenance and handling agents. We’re all very excited about watching it on air!”