THE mayor of Bournemouth tried his hand at air traffic control when he opened the new premises of a thriving Bournemouth company.

Mico Nav provides air traffic simulation and training systems in more than 25 countries.

It has more than 60 users around the world, including major civil and military authorities.

The company’s staff, numbering more than 100, have moved into refurbished and spacious premises at Seabourne Road, Southbourne.

They were joined at the official launch of the new offices by the mayor, Cllr Rod Cooper, and the mayoress, his wife Elaine.

Mike Male, founder and managing director of the company, said: “We at Micro Nav believe that our friendly, flexible approach to providing the solution that the customer wants and continuous efforts to improve our product has resulted in our retention of a large and diverse customer base.

“This has enabled us to grow the team by over 300 per cent in the last five years and we will continue to grow to meet the demands of the business.”

Mico Nav Limited describes itself as the leading specialist in simulation and training systems for civil and military air traffic operations, airport design and fighter control.

It delivers and supports systems worldwide for both civil and military authorities.

In August 2012, it became part of the Quadrant Group of companies.

The company won the Queen’s Award for enterprise in the category of international trade in 2010 and was placed 55th in the Sunday Times Microsoft Tech Track 100 league table, which ranks Britain’s fastest-growing private technology companies.

In 2011, it was placed 62nd on the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 100 league table, which ranks UK private limited companies’ international sales growth.