NATS (Hansard, 4 July 2002)

§ Chris Grayling
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what services NATS provides to aircraft outside controlled airspace. [65739]

§ Mr. Jamieson
Outside controlled airspace there is no requirement on NATS to provide a control service, but certain services may be available including:

1. Flight Information Services providing aeronautical information relevant to the safe conduct of the flight, including meteorological information and the status of navigation aids provided by NATS;

2. Radar Information Services providing pilots with information on the position of other aircraft;

3. Radar Advisory Services providing information on actions to avoid potential conflicts; and

4. NATS also supports emergency related services operated by the Ministry of Defence and participates in the Lower Airspace Radar Service (LARS).

§ Chris Grayling
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the right of NATS to refuse to provide IFR to an aircraft outside controlled airspace while charging for that service. [65740]

§ Mr. Jamieson
Under the terms of its licence from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), NATS is not required to provide the full range of air navigation services from all units, and issues such as capacity, radar performance and weather may influence the ability of controllers to provide a service.