Air Traffic Control services at Gatwick Airport are now being provided by a subsidiary company of a German air navigation service provider.
Air Navigation Solutions (ANS) replaced UK National Air Traffic Services – NATS – as tower services provider on March 1st.
ANS is responsible for air traffic and approach services below 4,000 feet around the airport. NATS continues to provide approach control guidance to Gatwick from its Swanwick control centre.
Gatwick’s management invited tenders for the tower and engineering services contract in late 2013 and announced the award in July 2014.
The plan was for ANS to begin providing services in October 2015, but following a court challenge by NATS, the contract award was suspended.
However, the parties later settled the dispute out of court, allowing ANS to take over from the start of the month.