
UK-based air traffic management company NATS has received a contract from Norwegian air navigation services provider, Avinor, to train the country’s future air traffic controllers.
Under the multi-year contract, 28 students will receive a nine-month initial training at NATS’ specialist college in Hampshire in the UK from September.
The students will be trained in aspects of air traffic management such as aerodrome, approach and area control training, with the help of NATS’ state-of-the-art simulators.
Avinor Air Navigation Services managing director Anders Kirsebom said:"Our future air traffic controllers will get the best possible starting point of their career, and the agreement with NATS provides Avinor with the efficiency and flexibility needed to maintain our position as one of Europe’s most efficient air navigation service providers."
NATS Training head Clare MacDonald said: "In order to win this we demonstrated that we provide good value, high quality training with excellent validation rates, and that we are flexible in our approach."
Upon completion of the initial training, students will return to Norway to complete their in-country training and final validations.

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By GlobalDataNATS, which provides air traffic control services at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, handled 2.3 million flights in 2014-15.
Image: 28 future air traffic controllers from Norway will be trained under the contract. Photo: courtesy of NATS.