NATS, the air traffic control service for flights in the UK and Shanwick Oceanic Control area, continues the strong return to post-pandemic aviation, with the UK’s one millionth flight in 2024 six days ahead of the pre-pandemic year.
The milestone was reached on June 8, according to figures from NATS, the UK’s leading air transport service provider. The earliest date to reach this milestone was the last day of May 2019.
As a result, in the first half of the year, NATS managed 1,176,622 flights, an increase of 5.1% compared to the same period last year. In June, it handled a total of 231,519 flights, which is 3.5% higher compared to June 2023.
The biggest year-over-year growth was in non-Atlantic arrivals and departures, up 4%. The busiest routes are those between the UK and Spain, France and Italy as the peak of summer approaches. UK domestic routes showed the least growth.
According to Eurocontrol data, NATS handled 24% of European traffic in June, with only 1.4% of total European delays attributed to NATS. The average delay for a late flight is 9.7 minutes.
Kathryn Leahy, Director of Operations at NATS, said:
“We had our busiest day on June 14, when we managed more than 8,300 flights, which was busier than any day last year, so as we approach the peak of summer, we already know how much traffic is increasing.
In July we have the Farnborough Airshow, the Royal International Air Tattoo and the school holidays which are already going well for some. It all adds up to a very busy month, and now that England are in the Euro finals, I think we’ll see a very busy road to Berlin this weekend!
NATS information
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