The Future Skies: Tomorrow’s Voices initiative had a huge impact on the final day of Airspace World. Across a breakfast and multiple sessions, some key points in the attraction and retention of young professionals were highlighted, some of which are not always considered.

A hybrid environment has pros and cons, for example. For the younger generation, it is seen as a positive, providing not only work-life flexibility but also the opportunity to speak up. The virtual environment can enable a confidence that is sometimes missing in the physical world with bigger, older voices dominating conversations.

But from the point of view of leadership however, a hybrid environment can make it difficult to create the right culture and to fully understand the needs of individuals, which are more apparent when working side-by-side in an office.

Another concept very rarely at the front of mind is reverse mentorship – where the younger generation share their insights and inspire leaders. The concept is attributed to Jack Welch, the famous former boss of General Electric. Essentially, young professionals are more attuned to the capabilities and promise of new technologies and procedures and have a stronger affiliation with future plans. The process could add tremendous value to an organisation, as could the impact of healthy equality and diversity policies. A CANSO/Firstfruits survey showed, for example, that gender imbalance is perceived as a health and wellbeing issue rather than pay, and 75 per cent agree that their organisation is an inclusive place to work.

The CANSO/Firstfruits survey highlighted five factors in attraction and retention:

1. Support for health and wellbeing
2. Inclusivity and diversity
3. Meaningfulness of work
4. Reliable and supportive people
5. Total compensation

Cross-referencing the responses it was clear that, in terms of attraction, passion for the sector counts more than money. This will be a challenge for air traffic management (ATM), often termed “the invisible highway”. People walk through airports and fly on aircraft, but the orchestrator of air traffic connectivity, ATM, can go unnoticed.

The importance of diversity in recruitment rounded out the conversations. One tip is to focus on the strength of people as this will naturally lead to diversity. Different backgrounds have different abilities and so pursuing diversity will inevitably lead to a stronger organisation.

The aim should be to build young, diverse teams, get them to work together and then enjoy the positive results.

The CANSO Air Traffic Management Podcast spoke to two of today's participants. You can listen to that interview here.

• iTEC, one of the Single European Sky pillars, will become a global alliance striving to improve air traffic management.

• NAV CANADA, which manages the second-largest airspace in the world, will adopt the iTEC SkyNex system, which is being deployed in some of the world’s most complex and busiest skies, including those of Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Lithuania. With this Alliance, the partners of iTEC manage an airspace covering 26 million square kilometers.

• With NAV CANADA’s entry into the Alliance, the iTEC SkyNex system will be extended to a total of 27 control centers in eight countries to provide a common technology that supports more sustainable aviation with fewer emissions.

• Aircraft will be able to cross half of the globe with iTEC SkyNex as the system managing their flights

NAV CANADA is joining the iTEC Alliance and gives further momentum to an initiative that brings together some of the world’s leading air navigation service providers. With this important partnership, iTEC has reached beyond the European borders for the first time and continues its cooperative venture to create a more efficient and environment-friendly generation of air traffic management systems.

The signing took place today at the Airspace World event in Geneva which has brought together some of the main players in air traffic management ecosystem. Mark Cooper, Vice-President and Chief Technology and Information Officer on behalf of NAV CANADA, and the main representatives of the iTEC Alliance, Dirk Mahns, DFS COO and Chairman of iTEC Board; Kuldeep Gharatya, NATS Technical Services Director; Laura Garcés, ENAIRE Deputy Director ANS; Jan-Gunnar Pedersen, Avinor ANS CEO; Magdalena Jaworska-Maćkowiak, PANSA President; Marlou Banning, LVNL CFO; Saulius Batavičius, Oro Navigacija CEO; and Javier Ruano, Indra’s ATM General Director, signed the agreement. 

With this settlement, cooperation between Europe and North America will be reinforced, and global air traffic will reach new levels of efficiency thanks to a more collaborative management. This partnership also brings the possibility of operating transoceanic flights using the same technology from start to finish, thereby facilitating smoother traffic management across both sides of the world’s busiest oceanic areas.

The joining of NAV CANADA, who plays a unique and critical role in managing the second-largest airspace in the world, constitutes a significant advancement for the Alliance—expanding its partnered airspace from 8 million to over 26 million square kilometres and supporting more than 12 million flights from 27 control centres each year. Aircraft will be able to cross almost half of the globe with iTEC SkyNex as the system managing their flights.

iTEC SkyNex will facilitate the introduction of Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO) into Canada, steer air traffic management towards a strategic approach and provide a more comprehensive view of the flight from take-off to landing. This new technology can accurately calculate trajectories and manage the progress of flights over a broader horizon, allowing for improved planning and greater efficiency. The system will increase efficiency, provide greater data accuracy, optimize flight paths and resources, reduce delays and CO2 emissions, and cut down costs significantly.

With the incorporation of NAV CANADA, the alliance will also acquire a partner that will contribute to evolving the iTEC SkyNex system and speeding up the introduction of new technologies, concepts and ever more sophisticated functions, sharing costs and know-how.

“We are delighted to be the first non-European ANSP to join the iTEC Alliance. Founded on the spirit of collaboration, NAV CANADA is proud to now be part of this partnership. A better future is ahead of us with iTEC SkyNex; we are now in a position to achieve goals that were previously unimaginable and build towards more sustainable skies,” said Raymond G. Bohn, President and CEO, NAV CANADA.

Dirk Mahns, DFS COO and Chairman of the iTEC Board, stated that “NAV CANADA’s entry into the alliance constitutes a significant milestone and highlights the fact that we have a highly advanced technology and a spirit of collaboration that are delivering tangible results and encouraging interoperability between air navigation service providers, a key aspect to transforming aviation and managing flights more intelligently and efficiently”.

Francesca Popescu and Yann Berger from Airbus explored Part-IS, a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) initiative that introduces requirements for the management of security risks that could affect information and communication technology systems and data used for civil aviation purposes.

Presenting at the Indra Theatre, Popescu and Berger gave an in-depth of analysis of what is technically Regulation 2023/203, noting it will align with the US Federal Aviation Administration requirements and is broader in applicability than many EASA regulations.

They pointed out that Part-IS – which will come into effect from October 2025 – is far more than a requirement for an Information Security Management System (ISMS) and should be studied carefully.

Berger said the goal should be to go beyond compliance. An ISMS is based on the idea of continuous improvement and so there will doubtless be additional requirements in future.

Indeed, he noted the industry must ultimately aim towards integrated risk management where physical safety meets cybersecurity. Organisations affected should perform a gap assessment and then define an implementation strategy to overcome any shortcomings.

In a wide-ranging discussion, the differences between risk management in the air and on the ground were also highlighted, as each is exposed to distinct types of attack and risk.

Aircraft, for example, don’t have cyber specialists on board and cannot immediately adjust systems. The aim therefore is to ensure prevention – attackers must not be able to get at aircraft systems inflight.

On the ground, there are not such clearly defined boundaries, and the vulnerabilities are far greater. Because it is impossible to protect against every potential attack, a combination of prevention, detection and reaction is the most viable way forward. Organisations should also have a good reporting system so that authorities and relevant third parties can anticipate an attack or react as necessary.

Berger concluded that the aim must always be an end-to-end approach that ensures safety and security risks are minimised.

Richard Ellis from NATS gave the audience a glimpse of the future with his presentation on new airspace users at the Future Skies Theatre.

Ellis explained that the skies of 2034 will be very different from those of today. The speed of development is difficult to ascertain but there is little doubt that disruptive technologies and new airspace entrants will transform the industry.

He highlighted a number of areas that have already begun changing or are at least in the planning stage:

• There will be a modal shift in transportation. Although human pilots may initially be involved in some advanced air mobility (AAM) flights, eventually uncrewed operations at scale will be routine.
• Airspace will be integrated from space to ground. Ellis emphasised that it cannot only be about what is happening below 500ft but rather must involve a more holistic approach.
• Regulators must embark on the same journey as the industry and enable different flight regulations, including digital instrument Flight Rules (IFR). Ellis suggested that AAM will use visual flight rules (VFR), then move to IFR before digital IFR becomes commonplace.
• Infrastructure will become increasingly complex and abundant with vertiports springing up across cities. The number and location of vertiports will be an important factor in the concept of operations (CONOPS) as most new airspace users will rely on battery power and so managing their flight times and capabilities will be critical to safety.
• Air navigation service providers (ANSPs) will need to accelerate and complete their digitalisation work to integrate all airspace users safely and seamlessly.

Ellis said there are several difficult challenges and questions ahead, such as determining the capacity needed since many areas will potentially go from hundreds of flights a day to tens of thousands.

He called for ANSPs to de-risk as much as possible. Possible risk mitigation strategies include validating the CONOPS and business cases at the earliest opportunity, providing regulators with the requisite data to help them make informed separation standard rules, and generating visualisations of future airspace.

A SESAR walking tour on virtualisation took in developments on display at the DLR, Frequentis and Indra stands.

SESAR’s Adriano Acanfora – the host of the tour – set the scene by explaining that the ultimate goal is a digital European sky that is efficient, resilient and sustainable. An important step on this path is the creation of virtual control centres that decouple the technology from the air traffic controller (ATCO).

At the Indra stand, it was explained the Virtual Centre with Triangle Architecture and Cyber Resilience (VITACTY) project and its involvement in iSNAP, which is the name for the technological evolution of the iTEC SkyNex platform.

VITACY will separate and provide data related to specific functionalities, such as arrival management (AMAN), time-based separation (TBS) and conflict detection. Validation tests in AMAN and TBS are ongoing and anticipated benefits include cost savings through the greater rationalisation of services. VITACY will also open the door for competition in data provision.

iSNAP, meanwhile, will advance iTEC communications to a more robust model, updating the ATM system supervision and data recording functions. The calculated trajectory of each flight plan will also be improved thanks to information received directly from the aircraft.

At Frequentis, it was explained that moving the technology into a data centre away from the controller has enormous advantages for resilience. There could be a second or third operational centre, for example, and even a second data centre. Aside from strengthening contingency plans this enables updates to be easily undertaken. The theory is that, ultimately, control of an airspace sector can be performed from anywhere in Europe, realising the digital sky dream.

The final element in this idea was described at the DLR stand. The Increased Flexibility of ATCO Validations (IFAV3) project will fill an important gap in the virtualisation concept. As it stands, ATCOs are endorsed on a specific sector following months of on-the-job training, which is expensive in terms of time and money and limits operational agility.

The idea is that through support tools, procedural changes, competency-based training, smart sector grouping and automation, ATCOs can be endorsed for multiple sectors. For example, tools might include a heat map that predicts future traffic density while procedural changes will move towards standardisation. User cases will also involve remote towers.

ATCOs that can move across sectors will complement the idea of virtual centres. It will make better use of existing capacity, improve resilience, enhance rostering possibilities and lower training costs.

• Frequentis X10 voice communication system (VCS) to modernise tower and approach
  infrastructure for air/ground and ground/ground communications
• X10 VCS provides a market-leading approach to cyber security and the most intuitive
  Human Machine Interface (HMI) for the air traffic controllers

Luxembourg Air Navigation Administration (ANA) has selected the Frequentis X10 VCS to modernise the voice communication system infrastructure for its tower control and approach centre at Luxembourg Airport.

X10 VCS is a fully software-based and air traffic management (ATM)-grade IT VCS, suited for both virtualised and conventional airspace. The offered solution provides all essential features for reliable air/ground and ground/ground communications. It provides the resilience and cyber security required of a system built for safety-critical ATM, with a unique multi-redundancy design, as well as the ability to adapt capacity depending on demand.

“The X10 is our next-generation VCS system, designed with operational agility and a future-proof update strategy that will ensure business continuity throughout ATM operations,” says Hannu Juurakko, Frequentis Executive Vice President ATM Civil and Chairman of the ATM Executive Team. “Having
worked with Luxembourg ANA for over 20 years, we are dedicated to supporting them with the changing demands of their airspace, providing the most modern VCS on the market with a clear path to a future unified communication solution.”

Frequentis X10 VCS adds value to every air traffic control operation, making it particularly strong from the air traffic controllers’ perspective. The loading of roles and the handling of scenarios are easy and intuitive, without any disruption to service provision. The advanced user functions, including sensitive and gesture-based operation, ensure any clutter on the operator panel is eliminated.

“As a long-term customer of Frequentis for many decades, we trust their solutions implicitly and are looking forward to this VCS modernisation to support our airspace with managing increasing demands, as well as preparing us for future requirements and ensuring the highest level of safety for our customers,” says Claudio Clori, Director, Administration of Air Navigation.

 Leidos, a FORTUNE® 500 innovation company, has announced the establishment of an Air Traffic Management (ATM) Research and Collaboration Center in Singapore to keep pace with the rapidly evolving demands of global aviation. This operational expansion is intended to deliver safe and efficient solutions to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Air Navigation Service Providers in the Indo-Pacific region.

"This expansion represents the next step in delivering the highest level of airspace services to the Indo-Pacific region,” said Ed Sayadian, Leidos senior vice president, transportation solutions. “We are excited to grow our regional team with innovative thinkers who will engage with a broad base of global air transportation stakeholders to advance critical air traffic management capabilities.”

Axel Bensch, pictured below, has been appointed to lead operations in the region as well as the new center, bringing with him more than 25 years of commercial aviation and ATM expertise. Under his leadership, the Center will collaborate with regional universities, research institutes and industry partners to augment international air traffic solutions and enhance operations in the region leveraging Leidos' 65-year history of supporting air navigation service providers and their mission.

The Center will also provide collaborative research and development for advanced capabilities in trajectory-based operations and international air traffic flow management through Skyline-X^TM – Leidos’ comprehensive air traffic management platform.

For more on Leidos’ extensive solutions in air traffic management, visit www.leidos.com/ATM.

Introduction

Competition for airspace around the world is fiercer than ever and air traffic is becoming increasingly complex to manage, as the aviation industry continues to find new ways to use the air domain in service of human endeavour.

At the same time as regular use of the airspace below 500 ft is increasing (think drones and passenger carrying air taxi / urban air mobility operations), non-aircraft (both physical and non-physical) airspace users are asserting their own right to use, affect or occupy a precious piece of the sky, putting even more pressure on the systems we need to ensure the safe, efficient and regular use of airspace.

The new competition

In the past, the airspace below 500 ft has been the domain of the specially trained who are adept at avoiding the ground and myriad of other hazards that concentrate just above the intersection of earth and sky. Aerial application and firefighting, search and rescue / aeromedical activities and low-level military operations are just some of the activities that necessarily occur in this hazardous environment. It is also where all aircraft are exposed to the highest risk of an accident – during take-off and landing.

In recent years this airspace has become increasingly occupied by millions of drones in the pursuit of leisure, commerce, agriculture, research, survey, medical and sometimes other more nefarious activities.

Meanwhile, the airspace above 500 ft, which has traditionally been the preserve of aircraft and the occasional tall structure in more developed areas, will soon be intruded upon by millions of wind turbines and supporting meteorological monitoring masts in areas close to and remote from built up areas, both on and offshore, as the world transitions from fossil fuels to renewable energy in pursuit of net zero carbon emissions. These tall structures, extending towards 1000 ft high and beyond, occupy airspace and intrude upon flight paths that are relatively undefended from potentially adverse impacts.

And now, with the imminent introduction of commercial, passenger carrying, air taxi / urban air mobility operations which will operate predominantly in the lower levels of airspace including below 500 ft, the global airspace and air traffic management sector is striving to establish a safe and efficient operating system that will accommodate these new users within a regulatory framework that is already struggling to keep up with technological advancements.

Changing the rules

Changing the rules will involve all elements of the air traffic management system, including separation standards, air traffic control, flight path design and surveillance systems. We’ll also need to improve airspace protection arrangements.

Separation standards. The commercial success of air taxi / urban air mobility operations relies in part on the value proposition that they will be able to get people from one place to another faster for roughly the same price as land (or sea) based transport options. To do this, they want to be able to fly between origin and destination without any delay. Given operations are likely to be conducted within or through controlled airspace with restrictive separation standards, the challenge is to achieve efficiency outcomes through reduced separation standards between these airspace users without compromising safety.

To do that we need to know with a high level of accuracy and certainty where each aircraft is, where it’s going, its planned flight path and operating parameters, and work out a way to enable these operations, dynamically and in real time.

Air traffic control. The traditional concept of a human air traffic controller managing a sector of airspace, monitoring and directing the various aircraft for which they are responsible as they move along their flight paths, supported by pre-programmed computer-based logic, will almost certainly persist for upper level and terminal airspace operations.

Low level airspace, though, will need a new approach to air traffic management – hence the brilliant and extensive work currently underway to develop and implement unmanned air traffic management (UTM) systems based on artificial intelligence that is supported by human monitoring and intervention.

New flight paths. Air taxis and other high frequency low level airspace users will also expect dedicated flight paths to be established, often within the most congested piece of the sky. The right to relatively unfettered occupation of certain parts of the airspace is being asserted as a fundamental requirement for the success of these future operations and is a real challenge to traditional airspace control arrangements.

Surveillance systems. Traditional aircraft surveillance systems are designed to be ground-mounted and look up, continuously searching for and attempting to interact with small aircraft specks as they traverse the skies above.

With aircraft equipped with appropriate onboard systems, cooperative interaction and satellite-based sensors, surveillance systems will be better able to look down and ‘see’ these aircraft at all levels from an even greater distance, providing better resolution of the airspace situation to airspace controllers, whether human or artificial.

Airspace protection. There will need to be more robust mechanisms to apportion and adjudicate on the rights of the various flying and non-flying airspace users, as taller structures and non-physical airspace users compete for parts of the sky towards and beyond 500 ft above the ground and more aircraft occupy the lower levels. An infringement of a flight path or obstacle protection surface can be resolved if the flight path or protection surface is modified, thereby preserving appropriate safety margins. But these changes almost always come with a compromise to efficient aircraft operations, and there is a lack of robust or universal guidance about how to effectively and fairly balance these competing interests.

Conclusion

Increased competition from aircraft and non-aircraft (physical and non-physical) for constrained low-level airspace means that we need new rules to ensure safe, efficient and regular aircraft operations while permitting desired development and technological advancements. While there is plenty of work to do, with the energy being directed to this task, the outcome is exciting and seems assured.

Urban ATM is the collection of systems and services to support the integration of all operations in the urban airspace environment, including Regulations, Organizations, Airspace Structures and Procedures, Technologies, and the Environment. The term “urban” is used to signify the area where new advanced high-integrity ATM services are likely to be required to support the integration of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and drones.

Given the need for eVTOLs to be integrated with other aircraft from initial operations, Eve believes that the introduction and evolution of this new type of aircraft will be the catalyst for a new approach to managing traffic in urban environments.

Urban ATM will support the integrated operation of initially piloted Urban Air Mobility (UAM) aircraft and other airspace users in low-level airspace, enabling the optimized performance and safety of UAM operations and providing a roadmap toward the integration of autonomous aircraft.

Optimizing the performance of operations is not limited to just separation services but will include consideration of all ICAO Key Performance Areas (Safety, Security, Environment, Cost Effectiveness, Capacity, Flight Efficiency, Flexibility, Predictability, Access & Equity, Participation & Collaboration and Global Interoperability).

Initial Urban ATM services may focus more on performance areas such as flight efficiency, flexibility, predictability, and participation and collaboration. Safety will be achieved through traditional ATM arrangements and pilots conducting operations under Visual Flight Rules (VFR).

Urban ATM services that enable the integration of all airspace users will differ from those required for UAS Traffic Management (UTM) in terms of functionality and level of integrity. They will support piloted, remotely piloted, and autonomous aircraft operations. Given their proximity, Urban ATM services will need to integrate with both traditional ATM and UTM services. It is expected that UTM services will continue to be utilized for segregated uncrewed aircraft systems operations (for example, in areas below 500 ft).

Eve sees the evolution of UAM operations occurring over several horizons, where different features for operations will take place.

Horizon 1 – UAM Launch

• Expected deployment timeline: 2025
• Initial piloted UAM aircraft operations using conventional ATM Procedures & Technology
• Implementation of existing ATM concepts (e.g. VFR routes)
• New vertiport and fleet operations planning, information sharing, flow management, and situational awareness Urban ATM solutions (provided by ANSPs or other parties)

Horizon 2 – UAM Scale

• Expected deployment timeline: late 2020s
• UAM aircraft operations where current ATM procedures and technologies are insufficient to support the demand for operations.
• New ATM solutions will be needed to enable the UAM industry to scale

Horizon 3 – Integration of uncrewed passenger carrying aircraft

• Expected deployment timeline: early to mid-2030s
• A mix of piloted, remotely piloted and autonomous UAM aircraft operations with other airspace users
• Integration of UTM and Urban ATM concepts

Tomorrow, we will introduce Eve’s work to develop technology solutions to support initial eVTOL operations.

For more information, visit us at the Atech stand F22

eveairmobility.com 

About the author: Rob Weaver is the Urban ATM Global Business Development Lead for Eve Air Mobility, the Embraer backed start-up dedicated to accelerating the global UAM ecosystem. He also leads Entry Into Service planning for Eve’s eVTOL aircraft in Australia.

Rob has worked with Embraer-X and Eve on new ATM concepts to support UAM since 2018. Previously he was Executive General Manager Safety, Environment & Assurance at Airservices Australia, where he was a member of the Executive for six years. He has also worked for the UK’s Air Navigation Service Provider and holds a PhD in safety critical systems from the University of York.

Geneva, March 20, 2024 –At Airspace World 2024 in Geneva, SkeyDrone has been honored with the runner-up award in the category “Integration of drones/AAM” with our Drone Detection as-a-Service solution. This recognition, presented by Air Traffic Management Magazine in collaboration with CANSO, highlights SkeyDrone's commitment to advancing drone technology in aviation.

The Air Traffic Management Awards aim to encourage pioneering concepts and acknowledge significant achievements by leaders, initiatives, and organisations in the aviation industry. This year, the "Integration of Drones/AAM" category saw a record number of entries, making the competition tougher than ever.

SkeyDrone’s award-winning Drone Detection as-a-Service solution boasts an exceptionally high detection rate and effectively distinguishes authorised drone operations from unauthorised drone activities. Since its successful deployment at events like Tomorrowland in 2023, where it helped confiscate 12 illegal drones, the solution has been adopted by many organisations safeguarding critical infrastructure.

Expressing pride in SkeyDrone's achievement, Hendrik-Jan Van Der Gucht, Managing Director of SkeyDrone, emphasized the company's unique position as the only startup recognized at the awards. "Winning this award among tough competition is a testament to the dedication of the SkeyDrone team. We're proud to be the only startup honored, showing our commitment to innovation in aviation."

note to the editors

Media requiring additional information can contact Nele Coghe, Head of Marketing at SkeyDrone via nco@skeydrone.aero and +32 473 76 90 16.

About SkeyDrone

SkeyDrone is a joint venture between the Belgian Air Navigation Service Provider skeyes and Brussels Airport Company. The company’s mission is to provide end-to-end solutions for business needs related to the use of uncrewed aircraft (drones). SkeyDrone offers solutions for lower airspace monitoring, management of and protection against drones for authorities and geo-zone managers, UTM/U-space & consultancy services for drone operators and business integration services for companies. Playing a pivotal role in the implementation of U-space in Belgium, SkeyDrone is on track to make history by becoming one of the first U-space service providers in Europe.

The increase in the number of drones flying around the world has been exponential. In less than a decade, drones have gone from an expensive technology available to a few, to a mainstream toy or capability within reach of anybody.

Knowing what is flying and where, be it collaborative or non-collaborative is a must. Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) represent a significant threat for airports, airlines and, ultimately, air passengers worldwide.

A few incidents have already demonstrated how even just the presence of a drone near an airport’s glidepath – let alone a collision – can affect airport operations. Hours of closures, hundreds of delayed or cancelled flights, dissatisfied passengers, all incur considerable costs for both airlines and airports. Incidents that may also adversely affect reputation.

Yet, today radar technologies currently deployed at most airports around the world are not designed to deal with UAS, in particular micro (2kg) and mini (2-20kg) drones. These drones feature a very small Radar Cross Section (RCS) capable of flying at low altitudes, high speeds and unpredictable patterns, making them objects particularly difficult to detect.

No one sensor can tackle the UAS threat alone, especially as the menace from non-collaborative drones – that is, drones flying without transmitting any information allowing their identification – continues to increase.

The right combination according to airport needs lies in the ability to design a bespoke solution that can efficiently and effectively detect, identify and track any UAS.

To address this fast-emerging drone threat we have developed the EagleShield – CUAS for Airports - (Counter - Unmanned Aerial System). A multi-sensor solution featuring its core the Gamekeeper holographic radar, enabling, long-range detection, identification and tracking of both collaborative and non-collaborative drones, protecting airport glidepaths for safer take-offs and landings.

EagleShield -CUAS for Airports- is a multi-layered and scalable solution comprising: a Gamekeeper holographic radar, long-range electro-optic (EO) sensors, Radio Frequency Direction Finders (RF) and remote ID sensors. The Gamekeeper radar features a 7.5km detection range and a 90° horizontal coverage, and the long-range EO sensors are crucial to detect non-collaborative drones - that is, drones flying without transmitting any information allowing their identification.

There are two key advantages to having a multi-layered drone detection system: The fusion of multiple sensors increases detection while also reducing false alarms, making sure that flight operations stay on time and are not interrupted by false alarms. In addition as a system of system solution, EagleShield -CUAS for Airports- is sensor- agnostic. The Gamekeeper radar and network infrastructure provided by Thales can integrate a large range of EO sensors, RF and/or remote ID sensor solutions according to airport operational needs. This offers a high level of flexibility to airports large or small around the world and ensures flight operations stay on time and remain secure.

EagleShield -CUAS for Airports- provides a holistic, long-range protection of the glidepaths and airport vicinity against non-collaborative and collaborative UAS. With 3 demonstration centers in the world, discover the demo for yourself. 

To find out more join us on the Thales stand J25 at Airspace World show or contact communications.ams@thalesgroup.com.

Netherlands favourite flight planning app to relaunch with enhanced user experience and industry-ready flight planning tool set

Netherlands ANSP LVNL and Altitude Angel, the world’s most trusted UTM (Unified Traffic Management) technology provider, have chosen the second day of Airspace World to announce the release of a new and improved version of the popular flight planning tool, GoDrone, bringing a host of new features which will give users an even greater understanding of the country’s airspace and access to it.

Designed and powered by Altitude Angel, GoDrone has established itself as the flight planning app for professional and recreational drone pilots across the Netherlands since its launch in April 2020.

“Planning is central to all commercial drone operations within a civil CTR, and any operator should start their flight plan with GoDrone, which is why we’re continuing to invest in the app,” said Wouter Pekela, Program Manager Unmanned Aviation, LVNL.

The new version of GoDrone, which begins rolling out in Q2 for both iOS and Android, is the most extensive update since the app was first launched and includes several enhancements and exciting new features.

The suite of updated features includes enhanced integrated flight planning, advanced flight plan drawing tools, and approval services – the ability to request access to fly digitally in airspace such as an airport CTR– through the app.

These updates make the app more user-friendly and intuitive for novice pilots, whilst providing several business-critical services for more experienced and professional operators.

In addition to enhanced integrated flight planning & drawing tools, GoDrone also includes new ‘pilot profiles’ and aircraft management, which provides users with the ability to log drone operator profiles, hours flown, and airframe hours used.  These features are particularly useful for professional drone operators who may be required to manage or evidence their operational experience and help in managing airframe service intervals and the like.

Other upgrades and new features also include:

• New UXUI -Completely rebuilt modern user interface. 
• New Accepted and Approved statuses, allowing GoDrone users to be able to receive more digital updates and information on their mission requests.
• New Map Types including Satellite Maps to help you plan your drone flights safely and efficiently.
• Advanced filter setup allows you to fully customise your airspace to suit your preferences, including political border and NOTAM’s. 
• Airframe Hanger – Ability to now input and save all of drones directly in the GoDrone APP. 
• GoDrone Operator Portal Integration – Information, edits and missions are natively linked between the GoDrone APP and Operator Portal.  
• Ground Hazards – Understand ground hazards in greater details, The Godrone now displays a list of ground hazards in the pre-flight report, each is clickable, providing users with more detailed information.
• New Area reports feature which gives you a simple-to-understand view of where you can fly safely, where you need to exercise caution or areas that are prohibited.
• Enhanced Security (Biometrics) Utilise the latest security features on your phone or tablet, including eye and fingerprint access.
• New flight plan tools- Maximise your flight planning by using advanced drawing tools, or upload files directly from your device.

• Follow-on to original contract awarded in 2020.
• EMIT platform provides comprehensive monitoring and analysis services

SeRo Systems, a leader in air traffic surveillance security and monitoring solutions, announced today that it has been awarded a 5-year follow-on contract for spectrum monitoring services from EUROCONTROL, the civil-military organization dedicated to supporting European aviation.

Under this contract, SeRo will continue to provide real-time datacollection and processing services, including host/data collection, preprocessing and a user interface, for the European Monitoring of Interrogators and Transponders (EMIT) platform. Developed bySeRo in 2020, EMIT provides comprehensive monitoring services, collects and manages the vast amount of data from the Europe-wide ground network of 1030/1090 MHz receivers, and combines the data feeds into a single feed. The system also processes the data, enabling automated detection and analysis of surveillance anomalies.

“We are honored to extend our partnership with EUROCONTROL to continue delivering critical spectrum monitoring services that enhance airspace safety and efficiency,” said Dr. Matthias Schäfer, managing director of SeRo Systems. “This contract leverages SeRo’s decade of experience in Big Data, high TRL surveillance data collection, and processing architecture, to help detect and analyze threats, including spectrum congestion or equipment malfunction. SeRo is committed to developing solutions that make air surveillance more secure and robust for stakeholders in Europe and around the world.”

“This system and SeRo have been an important part of our efforts to uphold the integrity of the CNS infrastructure and reduce spectrum congestion in our airspace,” added Petr Jonáš, EUROCONTROL ATM/CNS Expert. "Since 2020, EMIT has helped the European air traffic surveillance community not only monitor and manage frequency congestion but also detect and investigate incidents as well as avionics, transponder, and ground radar issues.”

Since its launch, EMIT has collected an impressive 3.15 trillion signals and boasts a growth rate of nearly 5 billion signals per day. Its capabilities include processing 90,000 signals per second during peak traffic hours, ensuring comprehensive monitoring and automated detection of anomalies within the European surveillance infrastructure. SeRo's proprietary deduplication algorithm ensures precise data analysis, while features such as online analysis, data archiving, and sensor operations monitoring enhance the system's effectiveness and usability.

• Frequentis digital application to cut the Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) process time by up to 75 per cent
• Automated risk assessment will enable scalable beyond visual line of sight operations
• World’s first automated and digital risk analysis service as value add to an UTM system

Oro Navigacija, the air navigation service provider (ANSP) of Lithuania, is extending its Frequentis uncrewed traffic management (UTM) solution with a digital, automated, risk assessment tool to speed up the classification of the risk posed by a drone flight in the specific category of operations and for the identification of mitigations and of the safety objectives.

The digital application from skyzr, a member of the Frequentis Group, is the world’s first for automated risk analysis supporting drone operators with creating SORA according to the guidelines defined by the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking of Unmanned Systems and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), cutting operator process time by up to 75 per cent.

The service, called wingman, will be provided as a web and mobile friendly application to be integrated into the future Lithuania UTM system, once deployed and operational. It follows the strategy to create a complete drone environment as a one stop shop for value added drone related services.

“In Lithuania, as with the rest of the world, the commercial need for scalable drone operations is increasing. Therefore, we are pleased to be able to support our Lithuanian drone industry by providing “wingman” as first additional value-add service to create digital risk assessments for faster flight permissions,” said Saulius Batavičius, CEO Oro Navigacija. “We are pleased to continue working with Frequentis by extending our current UTM service portfolio, harnessing their experience from other drone integration projects, while incorporating the specific needs of our airspace.”

In June 2023, Oro Navigacija selected Frequentis to provide its proven UTM solution for safe, efficient, and conformant introduction of drones into Lithuanian airspace as drone use cases grow.

“Automated and efficient risk assessments for drone operations will add value and safety to the ecosystem and, in particular, for emergency services. skyzr is pleased to be providing this additional digital service for the first ANSP in Europe to facilitate commercially valuable and lifesaving drone use cases. The extension of the wingman application, alongside the Frequentis UTM system, will further enhance safety and conformance and the ability for drones to scale with the perceived demand,” says Markus Bardach, Managing Director skyzr.

About FREQUENTIS

Frequentis is a global supplier of communication and information systems for control centres with safety-critical tasks. The listed family company develops and markets its “control centre solutions” in the Air Traffic Management segment (civil and military air traffic control, air defence) and the Public Safety & Transport segment (police, fire brigades, emergency rescue services, railways, coastguards, port authorities). With a market share of 30%, Frequentis is the world market leader in voice communication systems for air traffic control. Frequentis is also the global leader in aeronautical information management and aeronautical message handling systems.

As a global player with around 2,200 employees (full-time equivalents/FTE), Frequentis has a global network of companies and representatives in more than 50 countries. Its head office is in Vienna, Austria. Frequentis’ products, services, and solutions are used at more than 45,000 operator working positions in around 150 countries. Shares in Frequentis are traded on the Vienna and Frankfurt stock exchanges; ISIN: ATFREQUENT09, WKN: A2PHG5. In 2022, revenues were EUR 386.0 million and EBIT was EUR 25.0 million.

Wherever Frequentis’ systems are used, safety-critical operators bear responsibility for the safety of other people and goods. The company also works towards a more sustainable future through its air traffic optimisation solutions.

For more information, please visit www.frequentis.com and www.skyzr.com

Jennifer McLellan, Global Media Relations Manager jennifer.mclellan@frequentis.com, +44 2030 050 188
Barbara Fuerchtegott, Head of Communications/Company Spokesperson barbara.fuerchtegott@frequentis.com, +43 1 81150-4631
Stefan Marin, Head of Investor Relations stefan.marin@frequentis.com, +43 1 81150-1074

The awards were held at CANSO Airspace World in recognition of the significant achievements by leaders, initiatives, and organisations in the air traffic management industry.  

NATS was a winner in the Reimagining ATM Operations category which sought to recognised new approaches to airspace design, route optimisation, airspace classification and dynamic airspace management.

The West Airspace Deployment was one of the largest and most technically complex airspace changes NATS has ever delivered. A project that was the culmination of more than five years of development, it was successfully implemented on 23 March 2023.   

Spanning 54,000nm², the airspace structure above 7,000ft over southwest England and Wales was transformed to support the future of air travel and enable simpler, safer and more efficient flying. This once in a generation airspace upgrade forms an important part of the aviation industry’s roadmap to deliver a more sustainable future for air travel and supports the UK government’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy.  

In a first for the UK, two separate airspace change proposals to introduce Systemisation and Free Route Airspace (FRA) operations were deployed simultaneously in a section of airspace that hosts some of the busiest routes for international flights to and from major UK airports.   

The Digital Transformation in ATM category looks to recognise those working to revolutionising ATM for increased efficiency, safety, and capacity. NATS, LVNL, Leidos UK and Think Research were runners up for the deployment of Intelligent Approach, which went live at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on 26 January 2023 following three years of close collaboration. 

Intelligent Approach is an aircraft spacing tool developed by NATS and Leidos UK that allows air traffic controllers to improve the consistency of spacing between arriving aircraft. That helps maximise runway capacity, reducing delays and emissions and – importantly for LVNL – the noise impact on local residents. 

Upon going live, Intelligent Approach immediately delivered up to six additional movements for each of Schiphol’s runways, not only delivering much needed tactical capacity but also allowing reduced usage of the airport’s most noise sensitive runways. 

NATS was also shortlisted in the Integration of Drones and Advanced Air Mobilitycategory, recognised for its work in Project AMEC - Air Mobility Ecosystem Consortium.  

Last year, NATS conducted the UK’s first major air traffic management simulations for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), demonstrating how eVTOLs could one day be safely integrated with conventional air traffic.   

The simulations were the culmination of three years of work creating the required infrastructure and processes for eVTOLs to safely operate in a complex airspace environment. The work has brought new airspace users a step closer to safely integrating with existing air traffic in the UK.   

Project AMEC aims to demonstrate the commercial and end to end operational viability of Advanced Air Mobility in the UK. It is jointly funded by UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) Future Flight Challenge and is made up of NATS, Vertical Aerospace, Virgin Atlantic, AtkinsRéalis, Skyports, Connected Places Catapult, Cranfield University and WMG - University of Warwick, Bristol Airport, London City Airport and Heathrow Airport. 

DFS Aviation Services (DAS) and SITA have announced a collaboration to develop a coupled Arrival Manager (AMAN) and Departure Manager (DMAN) solution. This strategic partnership, aligned with the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between the two entities, aims to revolutionize air traffic management and enhance operational efficiency at airports worldwide.

The primary goal of this collaboration is to optimize outbound and inbound traffic, maximizing runway throughput and utilization, particularly at airports with mixed mode operations. By integrating DAS's ATC procedure expertise with SITA's ground movement knowledge and A- CDM capability, the coupled AMAN/DMAN solution promises to streamline flight operations and improve coordination among approach, tower controllers, and apron management staff. This collaborative initiative ensures that the coupled AMAN/DMAN solution meets the diverse needs of both airspace and ground operations.

“With our combined strengths, we are ready to deliver an innovative solution,” said Andreas Pötzsch, Managing Director from DAS. "Our goal is to achieve ICAO ASBU compliancy and set new standards for flight efficiency and coordination."

"The development of this solution is a testament to our commitment to innovation and collaboration," stated Peter Drummond, Vice President Airports, from SITA. "By working closely with experts and users from both systems, we are developing a product that improves airport operations and enhances the overall airport experience."

• Frequentis digital application to cut the Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) process time by up to 75 per cent
• Automated risk assessment will enable scalable beyond visual line of sight operations
• World’s first automated and digital risk analysis service as value add to an UTM system

Oro Navigacija, the air navigation service provider (ANSP) of Lithuania, is extending its Frequentis uncrewed traffic management (UTM) solution with a digital, automated, risk assessment tool to speed up the classification of the risk posed by a drone flight in the specific category of operations and for the identification of mitigations and of the safety objectives.

The digital application from skyzr, a member of the Frequentis Group, is the world’s first for automated risk analysis supporting drone operators with creating SORA according to the guidelines defined by the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking of Unmanned Systems and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), cutting operator process time by up to 75 per cent.

The service, called wingman, will be provided as a web and mobile friendly application to be integrated into the future Lithuania UTM system, once deployed and operational. It follows the strategy to create a complete drone environment as a one stop shop for value added drone related services.

“In Lithuania, as with the rest of the world, the commercial need for scalable drone operations is increasing. Therefore, we are pleased to be able to support our Lithuanian drone industry by providing “wingman” as first additional value-add service to create digital risk assessments for faster flight permissions,” said Saulius Batavičius, CEO Oro Navigacija. “We are pleased to continue working with Frequentis by extending our current UTM service portfolio, harnessing their experience from other drone integration projects, while incorporating the specific needs of our airspace.”

In June 2023, Oro Navigacija selected Frequentis to provide its proven UTM solution for safe, efficient, and conformant introduction of drones into Lithuanian airspace as drone use cases grow.

“Automated and efficient risk assessments for drone operations will add value and safety to the ecosystem and, in particular, for emergency services. skyzr is pleased to be providing this additional digital service for the first ANSP in Europe to facilitate commercially valuable and lifesaving drone use cases. The extension of the wingman application, alongside the Frequentis UTM system, will further enhance safety and conformance and the ability for drones to scale with the perceived demand,” says Markus Bardach, Managing Director skyzr.

• Contract for expansion and maintenance of the voice communication backup systems for all major Spanish air traffic control (ATC) centres
• Benefits to include increased capacity of air traffic controller radio and telephone resources improving the quality of contingency communications and resilience
• Full integration into ENAIRE’S digital communication network
• Extensive software maintenance element will prolong the system’s life span

Spanish air navigation service provider (ANSP) ENAIRE has selected Frequentis to complete an expansion of its contingency communication systems upgrade, known as Last Resort Voice.

Frequentis has been successfully collaborating with ENAIRE since 2020 to implement its IP-based voice communication solution across Spain, bringing on average one centre live per year. The latest contract expansion will include operational maintenance to extend the lifecycle of its systems. The systems are being provided to all major ATC centres as a backup system in the event of unavailability of the main voice communications.

“Frequentis has been providing ENAIRE with its VCS3020X IP-based voice communication system as a contingency system across nine locations in Spain since 2020,” says Hannu Juurakko, Frequentis Executive Vice President ATM Civil and Chairman of the ATM Executive Team. “Providing comprehensive maintenance services for those systems to keep them up to date and to protect ENAIRE’s investment is the next step in this process to maximise the life cycle of the system.”

The project period is six years, with two potential three-year extensions, guaranteeing provision and coverage of operational needs for the next decade. Full integration into ENAIRE’s internet protocol (IP) communication network will facilitate the migration to voice over IP (VoIP), replacing older analogue features.

"We are facing an ambitious project that will allow us to have a contingency voice communication system for our control centres, with all the capabilities for oral communications between controllers and with pilots. This will allow us to ensure the provision of air traffic control service in a more efficient way and with the use of cutting-edge digital technology," says Enrique Maurer, CEO ENAIRE.

Adacel Technologies Limited, an industry leader in advanced Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Air Traffic Control (ATC) simulation and training solutions, announces a new contract award from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The contract, a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract, includes a one-year Base Period and four, one-year Option Periods. Under this contract, Adacel will provide ATC Tower Simulation System (TSS) Software and Support Services for technical and operational training of Air Traffic Controllers at selected FAA Air Traffic Control Towers (ATCTs). Adacel estimates the total value of the contract over its five-year duration to be USD$6.7 million contingent on
the optional years exercised.

Speaking about the award, Daniel Verret, Adacel’s CEO states, “As the FAA TSS software Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), we are thrilled with the confidence the Federal Aviation Administration continues to place in our team, products, and services. Adacel consistently improves the performance of its ATC simulation software, while maintaining the highest levels of availability and reliability. We look forward to successfully supporting the FAA TSS software and deploying our latest ATC training software solutions to the FAA.”

The comprehensive scope of the awarded contract includes TSS software support andmaintenance plus options to update the TSS simulation engine, speech recognition software and migrate the FAA’s current Image Generator to AeroScene, Adacel’s latest and state-of-theart image generator solution.

“We are fully committed in supporting the FAA to successfully recruit, train, and enhance the skills of Air Traffic Controllers at critical National Airspace System (NAS) terminal facilities and ensure each day is a training day with Adacel’s high-performing simulation and training solutions,” continues Mr. Verret.

This contract reaffirms Adacel’s industry leadership and ongoing collaboration with the FAA, spanning over two decades. By delivering industry-leading technology and solutions, Adacel remains committed to advancing air traffic control simulation and training systems for the
benefit of the aviation industry.

This contract award has already been included in the Company’s forecasts. There are nomaterial conditions that need to be satisfied before the contract becomes legally binding.

Katrina Hall, Deputy Chief Operating Officer NAS Programs and Support, FAA ATO, is a key panellist at our Inclusive Skies: Strategies for Diversity in Aviation session in the Boeing Theatre on Wednesday 20 March, at 15:30. Here she talks about the importance of diversity and inclusion in the ATM industry.

Is aviation an attractive industry to Gen Z?

Aviation is undergoing momentous change. Drones and commercial space vehicles are revolutionizing the industry, we’re introducing digital technologies and looking at how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to increase safety. There are future technologies that I can only dream about and have yet to be invented. We need to recruit a passionate and curious workforce as we integrate all these new technologies into the system.

I think aviation, with its strong history of innovation and focus on connecting people, is attractive to Gen Z. Our challenge is ensuring that through outreach, we meet them on their terms, in their spaces. For example, we have a strong digital footprint on social media and collaborate with influencers from our target audiences to engage with and provide information to Gen Zers on aviation opportunities.

What more can we do to close the gender gap?

Women play critical roles throughout the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Organizations like Professional Women Controllers, Inc., Technical Women’s Organization and the Federal Women’s Program are breaking down barriers to the hiring and advancement of women as well as enhancing employment opportunities for women in every area of federal service.

We know we have more work to do, and through our diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) outreach programs continue to engage with women and female students to show them the career opportunities that exist in aviation.

How important are role models?

I believe that role models are hugely important. It’s so much easier to see yourself in a career if you have a person who can support or inspire you on your journey.

We know that there are many talented people who would excel in aviation, however if you are in a community where no one talks about aviation it’s hard to imagine oneself making it a career. That’s why I am so passionate about mentorship – I’m able to provide information and see opportunities that the person may never have considered.

In addition to our established recruitment efforts, those of us who work in aviation are the best advocates for our industry. I believe we should all aspire to be the role model that we wanted/needed when we started our professional journeys.

What constitutes success in diversity?

At the FAA people are our strength. We are stronger, more innovative, and more successful when diverse talents and experiences are present at the table. The mission of the FAA is to ensure the safety of a diverse nation. It only makes sense that the workforce responsible for that mission reflects the nation that it serves.

For the FAA, diversity is a wide range of life experiences and backgrounds. We believe diversity is needed to ensure multiple perspectives are at the table, guarantee safety as a priority, and promote a healthy work environment. We believe that when we work together, we will advance our objectives more efficiently and effectively than if we do not. 

Hear from Katrina at the Inclusive Skies: Strategies for Diversity in Aviation session, Wednesday 20 March, 15:30, Boeing Theatre

Tuesday saw the opening day of Airspace World 2024, with thousands of attendees from over 130 countries coming to be part of the largest ATM gathering. You can see all of yesterday's pictures here.

Airspace World is in full swing, and all our speakers and exhibitors are stepping up to the challenge of keeping our attendees engaged and informed. As ever, there is a full programme of sessions at the five theatres. Here are just a few highlights:

10:00-10:25am Wing Theatre

Electronic Conspicuity, the Roadblock to AAM

A complete picture of airspace is necessary for the safety of all users. The concept of sharing position data is called Electronic Conspicuity. Traditionally, this is done with ADS-B systems but not all aircraft can or choose to use ADS-B. This session will look at UTM, designed to be  a comprehensive EC system capable of supporting various types of flight plans and flight tracking systems.

10:30-11:20am Boeing Theatre

Solving a Decades-Old Problem: Dynamic Civil-Military Airspace Sharing

A US company is looking to facilitate civil-military cooperation. Its solution – called Dynamic Airspace Sharing – provides tools to military range commanders, air traffic controllers and flights dispatchers. The aim is to achieve notable reductions in flight times, operating expenses and CO2 emissions.

1:00-1:50pm Indra Theatre

Securing our Skies: Addressing Cybersecurity Challenges

Increasing digitalisation means an increasing cybersecurity challenge.  Participants in this panel will explore the latest emerging technologies relevant to aviation, and discuss the measures, strategies, and collaborative efforts required to fortify the integrity of our airspace systems. 

2:30-2:55pm Future Skies Theatre

Enabling Reasonable Autonomy for Emphatic AI Agents in ATM through Large Language Models

Large Language Models (LLMs) have the potential to shape aviation’s future. LLMs can function as reasoning engines, self-deciding agents and human-machine interfaces on a variety of fields, such as ATCO workflows, airline operations and U-space services. Learn how these models ingest relevant data and output informed answers.

4:00-4:25pm Frequentis Theatre

The Power of Sharing: Operational Benefits of Convergence

Find out how advanced digital technology is driving a convergence between airport and tower operations. This promises several advantages, including enhanced situational awareness, an increased time horizon for decision-making and optimisation of airport capacity.