NATS
n. plural-onlyn. Stands for National Air Traffic Services. The main company in the United Kingdom that manages air traffic control to keep planes flying safely.
n. Abbreviation for National Air Traffic Services. The primary provider of air traffic control services in the United Kingdom, responsible for managing aircraft in UK airspace and over the eastern North Atlantic.
NATS manages thousands of flights across the UK every day.
A technical failure at NATS caused widespread flight cancellations across several major European airports last summer.
While NATS is a public-private partnership, it remains the sole entity responsible for the high-altitude en-route air traffic services that ensure safety within the busy London Flight Information Region.
Typically treated as a singular entity in British English despite the plural 'Services', though it can take a plural verb depending on the speaker's focus on the organization or its staff.