Responsible Business Report 2023

Harnessing the power of our employees is every bit as important as embracing new technologies if we are to realise the aviation industry’s net zero 2050 target. It is also vital to our own targets to be one of the UK’s Top 25 employers and to achieve a carbon negative estate by 2040. Our strategy connects our business needs to the things we care about - a safe service, an inclusive and diverse culture where employees thrive, a carbon-negative future and a sustainable and profitable business.

Sustainability and responsibility require a collective effort and the commitment and involvement of everyone in the company, whether it's delivering safe and efficient air traffic management services that minimise aircraft emissions, or reducing emissions related to offices, commuting or business travel. Everyone can make a daily difference, and even small changes multiplied across the organisation add up to big benefits.

Over the past year we have continued to deliver on the airspace modernisation programme that is our biggest contribution to reducing the carbon footprint of flying; and continued our deployment of new energy-saving technologies. We have an ambitious target to reduce carbon emissions from flights under our control by 4.7% by 2050, in line with independent assessments of the contribution air traffic control can make to overall aviation emissions reduction.

We have set a target of a 50:50 gender balance for all external recruitment and already increased diversity in our Early Careers intake. NATS is an inclusive company and we’re proud of what we have already achieved to provide a working environment in which our employees feel safe and supported, and which is attractive to the people we want to recruit for the future.

Our people have told us through our employee survey how important they believe it is for us to “give something back” and in the past year, as well as expanding our support programme with our existing charity partners, we also celebrated our first international charitable partnership, in India.

Over the next five years, the period of our next regulatory framework, we will be developing our strategy so that sustainability and responsibility become as ingrained in our culture as safety is already. We are proud to hold the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) ‘Business Ambition’ status and to have been recognised for the third year running as a European Climate Leader by the Financial Times. The targets we have set ourselves across the range of our responsible business activities will ensure that we continue to maintain our focus on the improvements that will make a difference to our employees and to our business.