We provide Air Traffic Control (ATC) services at 13 UK airports. At George Best
Belfast City Airport we provide tower, approach and engineering services.
Tower Services
This is an ATC service provided for the airport
and surrounding airspace. The controllers will
look out of the tower windows, as well as at the
ATC equipment, to give aircraft clearance to taxi,
take-off and land.
Approach
This is a radar-based control service located in
the lower part of the tower. Incoming aircraft are
managed from approximately 40 miles away
from the aerodrome, generally under 10,000ft.
Engineering
An engineering team, based at the airport, are
responsible for maintaining air traffic control
services, such as radar and the Instrument
Landing System (ILS).
The Operation: 2018
The current tower opened in 1994 and NATS has
been providing an ATC service since 2016.
Belfast City Airport was re-named ‘George Best
Belfast City Airport’ in 2006 to commemorative
the life of footballer, George Best who was born
and grew up close to the airport.