Fareham, United Kingdom – A new flight tracking app by UK air traffic control company, NATS promises users a new perspective on the skies above Britain, featuring real UK radar data and a unique three dimensional view. Most existing flight tracking apps use a crowd sourced version of a technology called ADS-B. While this is an excellent flight tracking technology, not all aircraft are equipped to support it, so coverage can be limited.

Airspace Explorer uses real radar data to track aircraft in the UK. That’s the same data that air traffic controllers use to safely guide the 6,500 aircraft that fly through the skies each day, so not only is it very accurate it also offers excellent coverage and refreshes at a fast rate. The free app also provides a 3D view that gives a true sense of the relative altitudes of aircraft and the shape and size of the areas of controlled airspace in the UK.

While still in beta, and actively undergoing continual development and improvement, users can pan, zoom and move around the airspace in 3D, learn more about how it’s structured and view flight paths in and out of airports to gain a sense of the approach and departure routes each aircraft flies.

“Airspace Explorer is based on an internal app we have at NATS, and while it’s similar to other flight tracking apps out there we’ve included some unique and exciting features that we hope will give users an insight into the airspace as we see it,” explained Matthew Mills, NATS Head of Digital. “Our airspace is really the invisible infrastructure that underpins civil aviation, but it’s complex and layered. To help see and understand these highways in the sky we’ve included a unique 3D mode that shows flight paths and airspace structures. The addition of radar data for the UK also means users can get a very accurate picture of aircraft arrival and departures routes.”

Apart from radar data in the UK, Airspace Explorer uses ADS-B data from Flight Aware, the global flight data provider.

Device Requirements:
* Compatible with iPad
* Requires iOS 9.3 or later
* 99.1 MB

Pricing and Availability:
From 10 April, NATS – Airspace Explorer 1.0 is Free and available exclusively through the UK App Store in the Navigation category. A version for iPhone is currently in development, with one for other platforms under consideration. For more information, please contact Paul Beauchamp.

NATS – Airspace Explorer 1.0
Download from iTunes
Screenshot
App Icon

NATS is a leading air traffic management and solutions company, established in the UK in 1962 and now operating in countries around the world. NATS handled 2.4 million flights in 2016, covering the UK and eastern North Atlantic from its centres at Swanwick, Hampshire and Prestwick, Ayrshire. NATS also provides air traffic services at 14 UK airports; at Gibraltar Airport and, in a joint venture with Ferrovial, at a number of airport towers in Spain. Building on its reputation for operational excellence and innovation, NATS offers aerodrome, data, engineering, capacity, efficiency and environmental performance solutions to customers worldwide, including airports, airlines air traffic service providers and Governments. All Material and Software (C) Copyright 2017 NATS Limited. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.