DETAILS have emerged of a £446,000 pay-off for the man who was in charge of 2,500 air traffic control staff in Hampshire.

Richard Everitt, the Hampshire based chief executive of air traffic control group NATS, was given the money after he was ousted by the board earlier this year.

The severance deal includes compensation of £353,000 for loss of office, according to the group's annual report.

It also reflects £93,000 of non-cash benefits such as medical insurance and contributions to the company pension scheme.

As reported in later editions of the Daily Echo yesterday, NATS moved into the black as the aviation industry overcame the turbulence that followed the September 11 attacks.

NATS posted pre-tax profits of £1.8m for the 12 months to March 31.

This marked a turnaround from losses of £29.1m a year ago and reflected the record levels of traffic using UK airports and the benefits of a financial restructuring. NATS, which was part-privatised in July 2001, overhauled its balance sheet after being shocked by a drop-off in flights in the wake of September 11. At one stage the government had to lend the group money as losses reached £79.9m in the full year following the terrorist attacks.

NATS has a £623m air traffic control centre at Swanwick, near Fareham, as well as ones at West Drayton - which Swanwick will make obsolete by 2011 - Manchester and Prestwick.

These centres provide air traffic control support at 14 major UK airports. Many staff are also employed at NATS' corporate and technical centre at Solent Business Park in Whiteley, near Fareham.