Air traffic heats up as summer holidays take off
NATS, the UK’s leading provider of air traffic control services, is preparing for a busy summer as schools across the country break up and families head off on their holidays.
- Over 8,000 flights per day in UK skies during summer season
- Last Friday 17th the busiest day since record-breaking 2019
- Focus on peak time 0600-0800 for the first wave of flights
On an average day, controllers handle just over 7,000 flights a day in UK airspace, but this increases to well over 8,000 a day in the summer months as people jet off. NATS has already recorded the busiest day of the year so far with 8,538 flights last Friday, 17 July, also making it the busiest day since 2019, before the pandemic. The busiest weekend so far this year was 11-12 July, with 16,037 flights.
While some airports and sectors of airspace are now busier than the record-breaking year of 2019, overall flight numbers are not generally back to pre-pandemic figures, when peak summer days regularly saw over 8,800 flights.
Peak time of day, and the particular focus for controllers, is 0600-0800 with the all-important first wave of flights setting the pace for the day. While the airlines’ summer schedules began at the end of March, and there have been some very busy days since, air traffic controllers will be safely managing over 8,000 flights every day for the coming weeks.
NATS has spent many months planning for the busy summer season, coordinating and collaborating with UK airlines and airports; this also involves working across borders with neighbouring air navigation service providers and European agencies to prepare for possible delays caused by thunderstorms and other factors.
Steve Fox, NATS’ Director Operations Control, said:
“We have planned and prepared for this summer for months, and now our operations teams, right across the UK, are working even harder to ensure that we get everyone away on their holidays safely.
“Our focus is on getting the first wave of flights away on time every morning, so the rest of the day’s schedule can follow with minimal disruption. Our teams will continue to do everything we can behind the scenes so families can take off for their well-earned holidays.”
