Air traffic control service found guilty of age bias

THE air traffic control service has been found guilty of age discrimination after it refused to employ a 50-year-old as a trainee.

The London man took the service, known as Nats, to a tribunal after he was rejected for a position because of his age. Nats refuses to recruit trained controllers older than 35 on safety grounds. But the tribunal ruled that the age bar was irrational and arbitrary, and as such was direct age discrimination. The man who brought the case had been qualified to train as an air traffic controller.

Nats justified the decision to reject him because of his age on safety grounds, the need to recoup the cost of training, and the belief that the performance of controllers declines with age.

Nats spokesman Richard Wright said: "We are disappointed. We introduced the recruitment limit because independent research showed that controller performance declines from the age of 45 onwards, unless the person has about 10 years' experience from before that age. The controllers we employ are working at Heathrow and Gatwick, some of the busiest and most complex air spaces, and they need to be at the top of their form. Our aim has been to ensure we provide a safe air traffic service."

He said Nats would study the decision, made by London Central tribunal at Holborn, before considering its next step,