2025 Agenda

Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) aim to deliver sufficient capacity for airline customers and airspace users. But, as demand increases and system flexibility decreases, even minor disruptions risk escalating across the network. Examples include the 2023 failure of the NATS flight planning system, the industrial action from French ATC in July 2025, and most recently the closure of Greek airspace in January 2026 due to a radio system failure – all with network-wide knock-on costs. It’s clear that building resilience alongside capacity is essential to contain issues and ensure safe recovery, which raises the question: are current investments in resilience and continuity adequate?

ANSPs evaluate the risks, costs, and advantages differently, striving to strike a balance between investing in business continuity and addressing other organisational priorities. However, the costs of disruption can extend beyond individual service providers, impacting on their stakeholders and the flying public, and therefore the potential benefits of investment in business continuity improvements can be under-represented.

This presentation focuses on how ANSPs can deliver a resilient service and enhance their business continuity provision. Should they take the gamble that their systems won’t fail, or invest in their business continuity capability?

Why this session is important
• Resilience is a strategic imperative: disruptions in ATM and airport operations can have severe economic and social consequences
• Major disruptions occur more frequently today (weather conditions, social actions, system and software outages)
• It is relevant for all stakeholders: from global hubs influencing GDP to small airports serving isolated communities

Key takeaways for the audience
• Understand the true cost of disruption and balance risk and investment.
• Discover practical solutions: review examples of resilience strategies tailored to different airport scales and contexts.
• Explore real-world examples from major hubs and regional airfields, illustrating both the impact of disruptions and potential continuity solutions.