Ranil Jayawardena visited the NATS Swanwick Centre which started operating in January 2002, when it began handling aircraft flying over England and Wales.
The centre was a fascinating place to visit, and he learnt a huge amount about the work that goes into ensuring our skies are kept safe. Ranil also discussed issues relevant to North East Hampshire, particularly the possibility of flight path changes at Heathrow Airport and Farnborough Airport. Ranil felt it was important to find out to what extent the air traffic over the constituency will change, if at all. He was reassured that the changes to flight plans will not have an adverse impact on North East Hampshire and is looking forward to meeting with officials from Heathrow and Farnborough to find out more.
It is also particularly important, in light of the fatal crash at Blackbushe Airport, that safety is front and centre of any changes to our airspace.