Gama recruits Martin Hill as air traffic specialist

Gama Aviation is preparing for the forthcoming 2012
Olympics and the anticipated increase in business aviation traffic with the
recruitment of its own dedicated air traffic specialist. Consultant Martin
Hill brings 30 years’ experience as an air traffic controller and supervisor at
the London Air Traffic Control centre to Gama.  He is now in situ at
the company’s Farnborough Airport HQ and is advising Gama’s operations and
charter teams as they communicate to clients about their air travel to London coinciding with
next year’s big event.

Gama’s director of client relations Trevor Jones was
participating as a panellist at BGAD 2011’s Practicalities of the Olympics Panel at Cambridge Airport. “We are advising our customers and
charter brokers to book their slots early in order to avoid
disappointment.   For international clients coming to London between 21 July
and 15 August we urge them to contact us as soon as possible so we can make the
slot applications accordingly.  This is because there will be capacity
constraints in the airspace over the London
area, affecting a total of 40 airports in the South of the UK.” 

Slots will be required for all flights arriving or departing the London area during the period from 21 July to
15 August 2012, inclusive.  (This covers the Olympic Games only,
there are no extra slot restrictions for the Paralympic
Games.)  Flights will also be subjected to security screening, even
at the smaller airports/airfields. 

Martin Hill explains “Slots will be issued on a first
come, first served basis and where the requested slot time is not available,
the closest match will be offered as an alternative. Airports will be
charging a non-refundable fee for the booking of the slots, which will be added
to the cost of the flight, and in some cases, requiring payment of landing and
handling fees in advance.”

Gama is advising its clients and charter brokers that
once a slot is issued, changing the time of the flight will invalidate that
original slot. There will be no guarantee that a slot will be available
for the revised time, on the day concerned.  If the slot is not adhered to
the flight will not be able to depart until a new slot time is granted, which
could be many hours away.

The slot system is now operational to take bookings
at Farnborough Airport,
and will become active at other London
area airports over the coming months.

The following airports, all subject to slot
co-ordination, have confirmed their available capacity and effective from 5
September, it is possible to make a reservation at the following slot
coordinated airports now:

Biggin Hill, Blackbushe,
Cambridge, Chalgrove, Cranfield, Damyns Hall, Denham, Dunsfold, Elstree,
Fairoaks, Farnborough, Goodwood, Lee-on-Solent, Leicester, Lydd, Manston,
Northolt, North Weald, Old Sarum, Oxford, Peterborough, Redhill, Rochester,
Shoreham, Southend, Srapleford, Sywell, Thruxton, White Waltham, Wycombe Air
Park. 

Slot
reservations will be available at Bournemouth from 30 November 2011 and at Southampton from 1 February 2012.

The following airports are yet to confirm their
capacity so slot bookings are not yet available, but you will be able to book
slot reservations from the dates quoted:

Birmingham (slot reservations from 30 November 2011), Coventry
and Duxford (reservations will be available as soon capacity is determined), London City
(slot reservations from 1 February 2012), London Gatwick, London Heathrow (slot
reservations from 1 February 2012. London Luton and London Stansted (slot
reservations from 30 November 2012).

Gama Aviation’s advice is ‘book early’.