NATS takes equity stake in Aireon to help accelerate technology revolution in global aviation surveillance

MCLEAN, Virginia, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The UK air traffic management service provider, NATS, has announced it has invested in Aireon, the company pioneering a space-based air traffic surveillance service set to revolutionise the aviation industry. 

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Through a network of 66 low earth orbiting Iridium^® NEXT satellites, Aireon^SM will monitor the location of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) equipped aircraft flying anywhere in the world, transforming the way air traffic control services are provided.  

The service will offer global air traffic surveillance of aircraft. This means that oceans and remote regions like the poles, deserts and mountainous areas will have real-time aircraft surveillance for the first time. 

The forecasted safety and airspace capacity benefits, together with the savings in fuel and carbon emissions, are being hailed as the greatest revolution in air traffic management since the introduction of radar 70 years ago. 

News of the $69 million USD investment, worth around 10% equity, was announced at a press conference in Washington DC, near Aireon's headquarters, at which NATS also confirmed it is currently consulting with its customers about introducing the satellite technology for use over the North Atlantic starting with operational trials from 2019 to deliver the capacity and safety benefits that the airspace requires to keep pace with demand.

Martin Rolfe, NATS Chief Executive Officer, said: "This is a transformational technology that will deliver the world's first truly global air traffic control infrastructure, making flying even safer and more efficient. 

"Investing in Aireon is the best way for us to shape the future of the service in a way that benefits our customers in the UK and elsewhere, and to demonstrate NATS' commitment to playing a leading role in the development of the next generation of global air traffic technology.

"We're currently consulting with our airline customers about how to best deploy this technology. The North Atlantic is the busiest area of oceanic airspace in the world and the gateway to Europe, but its routes have now reached their limit of capacity with existing technology, so we are delighted to now have a way to safely fulfil the ever growing demand from our customers. What is additionally exciting is that this same technology will also deliver fuel savings and CO₂ reductions that will directly benefit airlines and their customers."