NATS signs strategic partnership with Bristol Airport

Above: Chris Wild – Bristol Airport Head of Airfield Operations, Graeme Gamble – Bristol Airport Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Griffiths – Bristol Airport Chief Financial Officer, Dave Lees – Bristol Airport Chief Executive Officer with Martin Rolfe – NATS Chief Executive, Queenie Que – NATS Services Head of Legal, Gary Franklin – NATS Services Managing Director, Iain McDermott-Paine – NATS Services UK Director, Paul Jones – NATS Services Head of Business Development.
Courtesy NATS

NATS, which has managed air traffic control at Bristol Airport for 20 years, will continue providing air traffic and associated engineering services, with the new contract coming into effect in January 2026.

Bristol Airport saw its busiest ever summer in 2024 with 10.6 million passengers and last year began major works as part of a £400m investment over five years that will enable 12 million passengers a year to use the Airport. Projects have included a refurbishment of the Air Traffic Control Tower, ongoing terminal improvements and a new Public Transport Interchange, which is due to open this summer.

As a strategic partner, NATS’ role will be to work with the Airport to ensure it can deliver the increase in capacity safely and efficiently and support the Airport’s wider development. Part of this work will include exploring how the Airport could benefit from the latest digital air traffic management technologies to measure, track and enhance airfield performance.   

Graeme Gamble, Chief Operating Officer, Bristol Airport said: “We’re really pleased to continue working with our long-standing partner, NATS. With such a strong relationship already in place they are the perfect partner to help us with our future ambitions while always prioritising safety. As the Airport continues to meet demands of our customers with links to over 117 destinations, across 34 countries, it’s imperative to work with a partner who has a deep understanding of Bristol Airport.’”

Gary Franklin, NATS Services Managing Director, said: “NATS has a long history of working with Bristol Airport and I’m absolutely delighted that will continue. Entering into a strategic partnership means strengthening our relationship even further, working together to deliver on the Airport’s ambition, and I’m very proud they see NATS as the right partner to support them over the next 10 years.”

The Bristol service will be provided by NATS Services Ltd.