UK air traffic partners expand relationship

NATS, the UK-based air traffic control company, and Lockheed Martin, the leading airport and air traffic management (ATM) technology provider, have entered a strategic partnership that strengthens the existing supplier relationship and underlines their commitment to further enable improved efficiency, safety and passenger experience across airports and air traffic systems worldwide.

This partnership comes after the two organisations already announced an extension of the ongoing support agreement for a number of NATS operational systems, as well as a new arrangement that has seen Lockheed Martin UK take on the support of NATS business IT systems.

The increased commitment will be a vital element in supporting NATS’ deployment of the next generation of air traffic control technologies over the coming five years in support of the Single European Sky initiative. The programme will see NATS move to a new technology platform that will improve operational resilience and offer greater service flexibility.

For Lockheed Martin, the collaboration is an additional capability that consolidates its suite of airport and air traffic technology solutions that are key in managing the passenger journey from kerb to cloud.

The partnership will also see NATS and Lockheed Martin combine their significant expertise to offer new and innovative solutions to the global aviation market.