A ten-year contract for air traffic control and engineering services at Manchester and Stansted airports has been agreed with National Air Traffic Control Services (Nats).
The new contract will start on April 1, 2015, extending a long-standing arrangement with the two airports owned by Manchester Airports Group (MAG).
Manchester is the UK’s third largest airport handling more than 21 million passengers a year while Stansted is the fourth largest serving more than 18 million.
MAG chief operating officer Andrew Cowan said: “Nats is highly regarded within the aviation industry and has a proven track record when it comes to aircraft and passenger safety, which is our shared priority.
“We believe that Nats is best placed to deliver a modern and efficient air traffic control service for our two largest airports.
“Both Manchester and Stansted are growing rapidly and we look forward to continuing our strong working relationship and growing a positive future for our airports.”
Nats airports operations director Mike Stoller said: “We will be working in partnership with MAG to build on the safe and resilient service we provide today with innovative air traffic management solutions for their business going forward.
“Both airports have ambitious growth goals and we will work closely with MAG to ensure that increased air traffic movements and passenger numbers, can be successfully realised.”