NATS (EN ROUTE) PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

Their core work

NATS is the UK's primary air navigation service provider, responsible for managing air traffic across UK airspace and the eastern North Atlantic. Within H2020, they contribute deep operational expertise in air traffic management (ATM) systems — from controller tools and separation management to runway throughput optimization and trajectory-based operations. They are a core participant in the SESAR programme, Europe's flagship initiative to modernize airspace management, bringing real-world operational knowledge that grounds research in practical deployment realities.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 participation (2016–2018), NATS focused on foundational ATM modernization: demand-capacity balancing, network operations planning, master plan roadmapping, and SESAR deployment strategies. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward next-generation challenges — unmanned aircraft integration (RPAS, drones, U-space), urban air mobility (eVTOL, UAM), and AI/machine learning applications for air traffic control. This evolution mirrors the broader aviation sector's pivot from optimizing existing systems to preparing for fundamentally new airspace users.

NATS is positioning itself at the intersection of traditional air traffic control and emerging autonomous aviation — expect growing work on U-space services, urban air mobility operations, and AI-augmented controller decision support.

How they like to work

NATS operates overwhelmingly as a participant (32 of 34 projects), joining large SESAR consortia rather than leading them — reflecting their role as an operational end-user whose value lies in real-world validation rather than research initiation. They coordinated only the PJ01 EAD project (enhanced arrivals and departures) across both SESAR waves, suggesting this is their flagship area of leadership. With 160 unique partners across 29 countries, they are a highly connected hub in the European ATM research network, making them an accessible and experienced consortium partner.

NATS has collaborated with 160 unique partners across 29 countries, making them one of the most broadly connected organizations in European ATM research. Their network spans virtually all EU/EEA aviation authorities, ANSPs, and aerospace manufacturers through the SESAR programme.

What sets them apart

NATS brings something most research organizations cannot: live operational authority over one of Europe's busiest and most complex airspaces. They don't just model ATM concepts — they can validate and deploy them in real traffic conditions. For any consortium needing credible operational validation of ATM innovations, NATS is among a very small group of ANSPs with the scale, technical depth, and SESAR track record to deliver it.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PJ01 EAD
  NATS's only coordinator role across both SESAR waves, with combined funding over EUR 3.2M — clearly their flagship domain in enhanced arrival and departure procedures.
• CORUS-XUAM
  Marks NATS's strategic entry into urban air mobility and U-space, developing the concept of operations for integrating drones and eVTOL aircraft into European airspace.
• HAAWAII
  Represents NATS's push into AI/ML for air traffic control, exploring automatic speech recognition and readback error detection in controller workstations.