Investigation under section 35 of the Transport Act 2000: Project Oberon, CAA Provisional Conclusions

The CAA has published preliminary finding of an investigation into an alleged breach of licence conditions by NATS En Route (NERL). The investigation followed the receipt of complaints regarding the performance of NERL’s operations in managing the London Approach Service.

The CAA has investigated the matter and while flight delays did increase in 2016 compared with previous years, the CAA has preliminarily found that NERL did not fail to take all reasonable steps to meet demand. The investigation also found that NERL has not discriminated against any party in delivering the London Approach Service. The CAA has made a number of recommendations to NERL to ensure it improves its contingency planning and the resilience of its operations in the future.

The CAA is now awaiting representations from interested parties after which it will consider whether or not to confirm its preliminary findings.