This incredible footage has been unveiled by Britain's air traffic controller to give us a glimpse of the sheer volume of air traffic which exists during a typical summer day above our heads.

NATS, formerly National Air Traffic Serives, has created the visualisation using UK radar data from June 21 and European flight plan information from July 28 to prove airspace is just as important as any other transport network.

It says a few highlights include the North Atlantic tracks that connect Europe with North America, the airways that run up the spine of the UK, the holding stacks at London's capacity stretched airports and the military manoeuvres off Anglesey in Wales.

A spokesman said: "Airspace might be the invisible infrastructure, but it is every bit as important as the road, rail and utility networks we all rely on every day. It is the lifeblood of our island economy, connecting the UK to the rest of the world.

"Getting it right matters and we all have a stake in it.

"We hope you enjoy it and that is acts as a small reminder of the incredible work air traffic controllers, working with pilots and ground crew, do every single day."

NATS Factfile

  • On a typical July day there are around 30,000 flights across European airspace
  • Approximately a quarter fly within UK controlled airspace
  • The total distance flown by these aircraft is 25 million nautical miles
  • That's 998 times around the Earth or 104 trips to the Moon
  • On 21 June, 5,675 aircraft departed or arrived from UK airports
  • The video is 1440 times faster than real time