Collins Aerospace and NATS plan to enter into an agreement to develop next-generation Air Traffic Management solutions and services that improve the performance of the global air transportation system.  

Through the agreement, Collins Aerospace and UK-based NATS expect to explore how the use of traditional and non-traditional aviation data can drive airspace efficiencies and create a data-centric approach to air traffic management. By using predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, the companies aim to identify solutions that improve the management and flow of traffic, regardless of airspace constraints or events, and streamline the overall travel experience. 

"When we take the vast amount of aviation-related data within Collins’ safety-critical ARINC Global Network (AGN), bring in the power of our aircraft tracking network and predictive analytics capabilities through FlightAware, and combine that with NATS’ extensive experience in managing the flow of aviation traffic, we’ll be able to use aviation data like never before,” said Gene Hayman, director of government services group of Collins Aerospace.

Adam Wheeldon, chief technology officer at NATS, added, “NATS understands that data is critical to our existing and future operations. It will become even more important as we begin to provide our services to support all airspace users. Our industry needs to become better connected and we need to safely and securely share more data to enhance our services to our customers. This agreement with Collins Aerospace is expected to explore the ‘art of the possible’ in enhancing our services using datasets that alone we are unable to access. Getting the data part right is a key enabler to accessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning within the aviation sector.”