The UK’s National Air Traffic Service (NATS) has appointed the former boss of Rolls-Royce as chair as it looks to rebuild confidence after last August’s air traffic meltdown.
Warren East led Rolls for seven years until 2022, in a period which saw it grapple with an international bribery scandal and narrowly avoid bankruptcy during the pandemic. He also spent nearly two decades with ARM, the British chip designer.
East will replace Dr Paul Golby, who has served as chair for 10 years. In a statement, NATS credited Golby with “laying the foundation for much needed improvements in carbon emissions” and ensuring air traffic services stayed up and running during Covid-19.
The switch-up comes as NATs faces the difficult task of regaining airlines’ faith following a major computer system outage last August, which disrupted hundreds of thousands of British passengers.
The operator of UK airspace faced stinging criticism for the disaster and Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has since called for the organisation’s CEO, Martin Rolfe, to resign.
A subsequent report commissioned by the aviation watchdog criticised a “significant lack of pre-planning,” and NATS has since come under more fire for staff shortages, particularly at Gatwick Airport.
Warren East said: “Aviation is vital to our society and economy, and the essential infrastructure which NATS provides underpins that important function.
“The next decade or so brings huge challenge alongside multiple possibilities as the sector faces the necessity of the energy transition together with the opportunities presented by advancing technology.
NATs chief Martin Rolfe said: “We very much look forward to working with Warren. His knowledge and insight into the aviation sector, the role of critical UK infrastructure and the experience he has of technology-led transformation will be enormously valuable.”