An example is Helios’ contract to provide technical support to the Industry Consultation Body (ICB), for which I’ve recently completed a 2-year period as Helios’ day-to-day project manager. The ICB is made up of representatives from the main parties in the industry (airspace users, air navigation service providers, airports, manufacturers and staff associations) and provides advice to the European Commission on the Single European Sky and SESAR projects. So this was a good project to be involved in when the industry is going through so much change. On a daily basis I’d work for the ICB Chairman, previously the CEO of an airline; so working for someone of that calibre was an experience in itself. Meanwhile on the Helios side, I was responsible for ensuring the project ran smoothly and for bringing in specific expertise as needed.

I joined Helios from the UK’s National Air Traffic Services Ltd (NATS) where I worked on the impact of ATM on airport capacity, and airport related work has continued at various stages in my career. For example, in 2008 I was part of a team working on a UK CAA project to assess the resilience of runway operations at Heathrow and Gatwick airports. This work was an input into the development of DfT’s airport policy, particularly concerning Heathrow. In parallel, the members of the team helped the Dutch Government form a view on environmentally-friendly approach and landing procedures at Amsterdam Schiphol airport.