UK Flights Air Traffic Control Is The Backbone Of UK Aviation

What is UK’s air traffic control system? This is the place that guides all the planes that fly in and out of the country. The air traffic controllers inside it do a tremendous job take off and land planes safely. Actually, they are the real reason why there are no casualties in the flights and on time flight landings. In this article, let’s explore the complex world of UK flights air traffic control, the challenges they face, and more.

How does UK flights air traffic control work to keep the skies safe?

Every year millions of people fly around the UK in planes. Who do you think that keeps all those planes safe and on time? That is the job of the air traffic control (ATC). UK has its own way of managing airspace. The civil aviation authority (CAA) oversees the entire ATC system. Then individual airports manage their own local airspace and hire air traffic control companies to ensure planes land and take off safely.

Once planes are en route and outside of terminal airspace, National Air Traffic Services (NATS) is there to look after them. They are the UK’s air traffic control services provider. They handle millions of flights and passengers traveling over the UK and across the North Atlantic each year.

UK national air traffic controllers association

There is also the Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers (GATCO). It is a member association of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations. GATCO represents air traffic controllers in the UK. So, while NATS provides the services, GATCO represents the people who deliver those services.

How does air traffic control work behind the scenes of flights?

Imagine a flight from Airport A to Airport B. Behind the scenes, a team of UK air traffic controllers (ATCs) works together to ensure plane passengers’ smooth and safe trip. Here is what happens.

Getting cleared for takeoff

The pilot first tells the delivery controller at Airport A that they are ready to fly. The controller can see a map of the airport and all the planes on a screen. So, the controller knows all the important details about each flight: the flight number, what kind of plane it is, where it’s parked, which runway it’s using, and where it’s going.

The plane then follows a set path, called a Standard Instrument Departure (SID), into the sky. This path also includes a Noise Preferential Route (NPR) up to a certain height. But before all this, the pilot needs the OK from the delivery controller to start moving, from the ground controller to get to the runway, and from the air controller to lift off.

Up in the air

Once the plane reaches the top of the SID, it is passed on to the terminal control of the city it is leaving. This control guides the plane further and higher before passing it on to the sector control of the same city. As the plane enters the airspace of another country, it is passed on to that country’s Air Traffic Control (ATC). Then, it is passed on to the ATC of the city it is landing in.

Handoff to landing

The approach control prepares the plane for landing, and the arrivals control watches over the final descent and landing. Finally, ground control guides the flight to the terminal. These controllers give the pilot the direction, height, radio frequencies for the next control sector, weather, wind direction, and runway choice if there is a choice.

What challenges do UK air traffic controller face?

Even though air traffic controllers in the UK work incredibly hard, they face challenges from time to time. Let’s look at some of the air traffic control problems today UK.

• High traffic volume – Since the UK is a major air travel hub hundreds of planes take off and land every day here. So, in ATC words the UK ATC has so much traffic to manage.
• Unpredictable weather – Sometimes bad weather, like storms or fog, can slow down UK air traffic control procedures.
• Technical glitches – UK ATC faces technical issues just like any other job that relies on technology. Computer issues? Radar troubles? Anything is possible.
• Staff shortages – If there are not enough controllers working sometimes, it is harder to manage all the air traffic safely.
• UK air traffic control strike – Sometimes air traffic controllers go on a strike when they are unhappy with their working conditions or pay. The best example for this is the recent strikes at Heathrow Airport. Many travelers faced travel issues due to this strike action by over eight hundred Unite staff members. What was the reason behind the strike? The staff were unhappy about cuts to their benefits, like lower pensions and sickness benefits.

UK air traffic control delays

Aside from the above, dealing with delays is the hardest challenge UK air traffic control faces. These delays can happen because of any above reasons. And once delays happen, they start a domino effect. For example, if one flight is delayed because of bad weather, it can throw off the schedules of other flights coming in and out of the UK. So, the air traffic controllers have to work hard to manage these delays as best they can. Sometimes they even reroute flights or adjust schedules to minimize disruption.

Air traffic control failures

We can’t forget about air traffic control failures when talking about air traffic control problems today UK. Thankfully, these failures are rare, but when they do happen, it can be very serious. Why? They are not affecting one part; they affect the safety multiple flights. In these situations, UK air traffic controllers have to put their training and all the backup systems to the test to make sure all the planes land safely. Let’s look at some unforgettable UK air traffic failures happened in recent years. 

UK control center computer failure in 2014

Remember how a technical problem at the UK’s main air traffic control center in Swanwick caused delays and disruptions for travelers in December 2014? What caused UK air traffic control failure? The technical fault occurred in the flight data system. Because of this, all flights taking off from airports in London and other European airports that were going to fly through UK airspace had to be stopped. Luckily, the problem was fixed that same day. But it took a while to get everything back to normal because so many flights had been delayed.

2023 UK air traffic control failure 

Again, UK ATC faced an air traffic control failure in 2023. When did air traffic control go down in the UK? The UK ATC failure occurred and started to be addressed on Monday, August 28, 2023. What caused UK air traffic control failure? A technical issue occurred in the Flight Plan Reception Suite Automated – Replacement system (FPRSA-R) this time. NATS said a flight plan had two waypoints with the same name but in different places outside UK airspace. This caused a serious problem in their systems. The systems could not approve or reject the flight plan to control air traffic. This failure led to a big domino effect:

• More than 2,000 flights had to be cancelled.
• Thousands of passengers were delayed or stuck at airports.
• Some planes in the air even had to turn around and land elsewhere.

This mess lasted for a few days, caused many headaches for travelers, and cost airlines a lot of money.

The good news is that, just like last time, the NATS found and fixed the problem the same day. But even though the glitch itself was fixed quickly; it took a while to get everything back to normal. This is because so many flights had been delayed or canceled, and clearing the backlog took a few days. So, even though the technical problem itself was solved quickly, it took several days to get everything back on track.

The people behind the screens

New advanced technologies bring so much value to the air traffic control, but those machines cannot work without UK air traffic controllers. They are the ones who truly make the system work. They use their skills and experience and work tirelessly to keep our skies safe every day. Their role is complex and demanding. They have to always know what happens in the airspace, have to make quick decisions under pressure, and while doing all that they even have to communicate clear information with pilots.

So, how much do they earn?

Since UK air traffic controllers do a critical job on their hot seats, many people wonder how much do air traffic controllers get paid in the UK? Well, it depends on their experience and where they work,

• Starting out – New controllers make around £20,000 a year. And trainee air operations control officers in the Royal Air Force make £31,300.
• Getting experience – As you gain experience, your salary goes up. Experienced controllers can make around £48,000 a year, and those in the Royal Navy can reach £38,500 after two years.
• The top earners – The most senior controllers make over £100,000 a year with their years of experience.

Free flights? Not quite…

One question I often get asked is, do air traffic controllers fly free UK? They do not get them exactly for free like flight attendants. However, they get offered benefits like permanent discounts to buy tickets and other products that the airport or a specific airline carries from their employer, the airport, or specific airlines. On top of that, they also get regular annual leave and health insurance.

Conclusion

The UK flights air traffic control system is one of the most important units in the country. As we discussed in this article, UK air traffic controllers work behind the scenes to keep pilots, passengers, and airplane crew safe day in and day out. They deal with tough situations like delays and technical problems from time to time, but those challenges don’t shake their mind even a little.