NATS Aeromedical Centre opens for business

11 December 2012

NATS has been awarded Aeromedical Centre status, making it the UK’s only provider of initial commercial pilot and air traffic control medicals outside of the Civil Aviation Authority.

NATS’ Occupational Health team has years of experience in providing medicals for its own 2,000 air traffic controllers who have to meet strict health criteria.

As an Aeromedical Centre, NATS doctors can now perform initial medical examinations for controllers and initial commercial pilot (EASA Class 1) certification for anyone that wants to become a professional pilot.

NATS is offering these services to other aviation companies, including controllers at non-NATS airports, commercial airlines and to individual pilots.

All pilots and air traffic controllers have to comply with the medical criteria set down in UK and European law which ensures they can carry out their jobs safely. This requirement will be extended to cabin crew from April 2014

Medicals involve a number of health checks, including eye-sight, hearing, and screening for illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease and asthma. Pilots and controllers who fall ill are then monitored and helped back to work as soon as possible.

Despite only being open for business for a short time, NATS’ Aeromedical Centre has already performed initial class 1 medicals for trainee commercial pilots from as far afield as Libya and Mauritius.

Dr John Roberts

John Roberts, NATS Chief Medical Officer, said: “We have an excellent and experienced medical team and our well-equipped facility at Swanwick is approved for the initial medical examinations. We also perform renewal medicals at 15 of the UK’s main airports so we can provide continuity of care thereafter.

“We are now in a position to offer our services to third parties and hope they will benefit from our excellent service delivery.”

Dr Maged Girgis, NATS Senior Medical Officer, comments: “NATS Aeromedical centre is active in Aeromedical research and we have a presence on the EASA rule making panel. This combined with our experience of Aviation Medicine and our close links with hospital specialists means we’re now perfectly placed to provide medical services to the rest of the industry.”

For more information, contact 01489 612810 or email [email protected]

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