NATS hosts Oman workshops to bring latest thinking to airspace management

A team of UK-based specialist trainers from NATS’ air traffic college held in-depth sessions for Omani engineers in both Muscat and Salalah. The workshops also provided an opportunity for the UK instructors to witness the technology in use at Oman’s airports first-hand, and therefore identify potential enhancements to the existing Air Traffic Safety for Electronics Personnel (ATSEP) training programme.

The workshop series is just another component of NATS’ ongoing work with Oman’s Public Authority of Civil Aviation (PACA). NATS’ objective is to support the Oman cater to the growing aviation and tourism sector of the country and wider region. This in turn will help to realise PACA achieve its ongoing modernisation and transformation programme.

Sajeesh Unnikrishnan, Oman Country Manager, NATS Middle East, said, “The transformation of Oman’s aviation infrastructure is exciting, and continued investment in its people and technology is a vital element of this process.

“We are proud to be supporting Oman’s aviation engineers, as the country seeks to grow and establish itself as a regional aviation hub. A highly-skilled workforce is integral to ascertaining the manpower capable of catering to rising industry demand, and the aviation sector is a core part of this.”

Saleh Abdullah Al-Harthy, Director of Communications, Navigation and Surveillance at PACA, said: “Aviation in Oman is currently going through a rapid transformation and PACA is making huge investments in our technology, infrastructure and most importantly our people.

“NATS has an excellent track record of delivering Air Traffic Management solutions in the Middle East and it is of enormous benefit for our engineers to be working with them. In our efforts to be renowned for aviation safety, security and the excellence of our people, PACA is pleased to see NATS continued commitment to Oman provide such opportunities to develop the knowledge and capabilities of our engineers.”

In October 2014, NATS opened its headquarters for the Middle East and North Africa region with a permanent office in the DMCC Free Zone in Dubai, UAE. The organisation has an impressive track record operating in the Middle East, having been contracted to design the terminal airspace around Al Maktoum International Airport prior to its opening.