NATS handles millionth flight of the year in June

• NATS handles millionth flight on 26 June
• Record number of flights handled at Prestwick
• All time low for NATS-attributable delays

The latest traffic figures from the UK’s leading provider of air traffic services, NATS, show that it handled the millionth flight on 26 June this year.

Overall UK flights increased by 1.8% in June 2013 compared to the same time last year.

Air Traffic Controllers handling flights through Shanwick Oceanic airspace at the Prestwick Centre in Scotland handled a record number of flights in a day, managing 1,484 flights on 12 June as a result of re-routed traffic. This additional traffic was avoiding French airspace during the time of the French air traffic controllers strike.

Air traffic movements at the 15 UK airports where NATS provides a service, showed growth of 2.1%, with London City growing by 11.8% and Bristol 10.9%, recording the highest increases this month.

NATS-attributable delays in June recorded the lowest figure since records of delays began in the mid-1990s and was 43% down on June 2012. The percentage of flights not delayed by NATS during the month totalled an impressive 99.6%.

NATS Managing Director Operations Martin Rolfe said: “It’s great to see NATS-attributable delay figures reach record lows, continuing a trend that has seen minimal delays to customers – airlines and airports – over the past 12 months.

“This is particularly impressive when taking into account the transition to Manchester Airport’s new control tower on 27 June, and just demonstrates the success of the venture and the professionalism of the team there.

“It is also great to see the millionth flight handled this month and we look forward to handling an increasing number of flights for the second half of the year.”