ACI World and CANSO sign a Memorandum of Understanding

New program to unlock airport capacity and support the sustainable growth of air travel demand

Airports Council International (ACI) World and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) have today announced the development of the Airport System Capacity Enhancement (ASCE) program aimed at removing the barriers to unlocking airport capacity and supporting the sustainable growth of air travel demand.

The ASCE program is one of the core areas of cooperation to come from a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed today at Airspace World by the Director Generals of ACI World and CANSO, representing airport operators and air navigation service providers (ANSPs) respectively. The MoU will see closer levels of collaboration between both organizations to promote the safe, efficient, and sustainable development of civil aviation.

Challenges of air travel growth

According to the latest ACI World Airport Traffic Forecasts 2022–2041, total passenger traffic worldwide is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5% from 2021–2041, to reach 19.3 billion passengers. This includes a steep recovery gradient observed in the first five years (CAGR for 2021–2026) at 19.0%. In addition, the aviation industry has committed to the ambitious long-term environmental goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement.

Accommodating the growth of air travel demand has long been a challenge for the aviation system and the future forecasts necessitate cooperation among stakeholders to ensure a safe, efficient, and sustainable air transport system for passengers.

Benefits of the Airport System Capacity Enhancement Program
The ASCE program focuses on the entire airport system and surrounding airspace as these areas can often be the most significant capacity challenges. Unlocking capacity through improved coordination, changes to procedures, and strategic investments in technology and infrastructure, can provide significant advantages.

Improvements in capacity usage can reduce delays and inefficient operations that can result in additional costs for airports, ANSPs and aircraft operators, as well as disruptions for passengers. In some cases, improvements can be made that enable the deferral of costly infrastructure or system investments and contribute to aviation’s ambitious emissions reduction goals.

How the Airport System Capacity Enhancement Program works
The ASCE program provides a comprehensive onsite review led by industry peers and experts to optimise the use of airport system capacity, both in the air and on the ground. The airports and ANSPs being reviewed benefit from an assessment tailored to their unique needs and receive expertise, practical recommendations, and targeted solutions that contribute to their long-term capacity usage and operational efficiency.

ACI and CANSO will collaborate on a pilot of the program in order to refine and validate methodologies. An ASCE program pilot is planned to take place at Jorge Chávez International Airport, in Lima, Peru, with another one intended in the coming months. Interested parties looking to reap the benefits of the program are invited to fill in the ACI World-CANSO ASCE form.

ACI World Director General, Luis Felipe de Oliveira said: “Leveraging all the available capacity across the airport system is one of the key ways that airports and air navigation service providers can support the growth of air travel demand and the sustainability of the global aviation ecosystem. This includes the ability to meet the industry’s ambitious emissions reduction goals while sustaining economic balance by deferring or reducing the need for expensive CAPEX investments. For these reasons, ACI World is proud to be strengthening its relationship with CANSO through the MoU and the launch of the Airport System Capacity Enhancement (ASCE) Program—dedicated to optimizing capacity for today and tomorrow’s passengers.”

CANSO Director General, Simon Hocquard added: “ACI and CANSO have many shared priorities and we are pleased to be working with our airport partners on this program. I believe focussing on unlocking system capacity in the airport and airspace terminal environment can deliver real benefits for the system. We need new perspectives on the management of congestion and to be looking at new ways to utilise existing infrastructure resources if we are to meet future demands.”

Less is more

New workstations could clear the clutter for air traffic controllers

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Multitasking is mentally exhausting.

Anyone who has watched TV while scrolling around on their smartphone knows how easy it is to miss or forget something. Academic research backs that up; a Bryan University study said multitasking can lower IQ by as much as 15 points – about the same effect as trying to function the day after an all-nighter.

Few professions demand as much multitasking as air traffic control, where controllers monitor multiple data streams and work as many as eight pieces of technology at the same time. To lessen their burden, Raytheon Intelligence & Space, a Raytheon Technologies business, has built a prototype workstation that combines the clutter of monitors, trackballs and keyboards into a much cleaner configuration using tablet and touchpad tech.

The system is called the Multi-platform Automation Re-Hosting Solution – or MARS for short. So far, the reception among air traffic controllers has been good, said Jackie Dent, who leads the project for Raytheon Technologies.

“Typically, adjusting to new technology can be daunting to air traffic controllers due to retraining and recertification requirements,” Dent said. “So when we debuted a MARS proof of concept at several major shows last year, we were surprised and happy when not only did the controllers like MARS, many of them spent 10 minutes or more filling out what they thought about it and how we could make improvements.”

With MARS, controllers use one or two 43-inch touchscreen monitors to see an integrated picture of flight, surveillance, weather and airport data from multiple air traffic applications. Those screens can show air traffic applications such as Raytheon Technologies’ Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System, or STARS, voice recording and switching systems, airport surface detection system alerts, weather display systems and electronic flight strip systems, or logs of the instructions controllers give to pilots.

The system can scale to the needs of different air traffic control facilities, which can vary greatly. 

“Each airport has unique airspace configurations and runway layouts; they could be crossing or parallel or they could have a single approach and depart path because of mountain ranges,” said Meghan Smart, Raytheon Technologies MARS strategist. “At airports, it’s not one-size-fits-all, and since MARS is display agnostic, site adaptable and has a common architecture, it’s capable of using whatever systems are already in place.”

MARS could also improve the flow and feel of the air traffic control facilities themselves – especially those where monitors are mounted on walls and controllers must walk back and forth to look at them. A single MARS system could replace those monitors and individual input devices.

“You never have to take your eyes of the screens,” Dent said. “And we’ve also made MARS so it can be adaptable to every position. Today, you need different equipment depending on your role. If you have five systems at a workstation, then you’d have five displays, five keyboards, five trackballs. MARS reduces that to two displays, one track pad and one tablet that’s a virtual keyboard.”

Then there’s the typing. Air traffic controllers use keyboards with color-coded function buttons, and they vary from position to position. Many use an “ABC” layout, which is far different from commonplace QWERTY keyboards. MARS lets controllers determine their own keyboard layout – kind of like when video games let players customize the control buttons.

“You can personalize the layout so you don’t have to hit a function key and enter a string of alphanumeric characters for your maps to come up, but instead you hit a single key, and, boom, maps,” Dent said. “If you’ve been using an ABC keyboard for 20 years, then you can keep the ABC layout; however, we have a whole generation that’s grown up using QWERTY on their computers, tablets and phones, so they can setup their keyboards for QWERTY.”

Cursor control has also stepped into the modern age; a touchpad replaces the old-fashioned trackball, and users can tell the system which hand they want to use. The rest is all swiping, pinching and tapping – just like everyone does on their smartphones.

“In this day and age, a lot of controllers end up touching the screens out of force of habit even though they’re not touchscreens,” Dent said. “So if we help move them to a touchscreen, tablet and trackpad, we’ll actually give them what they’ve been wanting.”

MARS would complement Raytheon Technologies’ STARS, which is in use at 600 Federal Aviation Administration and Defense Department locations in the U.S. as well as DoD locations overseas. That system tells controllers the altitude, position and speed of aircraft taking off and landing at airports. The current STARS display will reach the end of its service life in about 2025.

“MARS is an upgrade that offers the latest technology, usability and provides greater situational awareness,” Dent said. “Also controllers won’t need to be retrained on STARS, and we’ve gotten rid of all the serial connections and special cables, because STARS will plug right into MARS.”

The system can be used beyond what’s known as the terminal airspace, or the area within 60 miles of an airport. That means MARS could help control air traffic for en route and oceanic flights.

“When we showed the proof-of-concept MARS, a lot of the controllers automatically tied it to STARS,” Dent said. “We’re known for STARS, so we had some controllers say that they’d move from en route to terminal if they got to use MARS. At the upcoming shows when we show the MARS prototype, we’re making sure everybody knows that it’s a good fit at every air traffic control position.”

Taking U-space to the finish line

The integration of drones into shared airspace continues with the aim to progress key elements for scaled operations. 

Drones are becoming a part of everyday lives and increasingly integral to community services and a greener path forward for supply logistic chains. The value they represent will be seen in benefits to the individual, businesses, and the environment.

Reinaldo Negron, Wing’s Head of Uncrewed Traffic Management (UTM), says U-space – a term used to describe airspace in which scaled drone operations integrate with crewed aircraft – has to be made available in a safe and equitable manner.

“We have a lot of the ingredients for integration at scale,” he says. “But we need to make the dish, and we now need to get U-space across the finish line.”

Certification

U-space is at a critical phase with U-space service providers (USSP) going through certification. Although certification must act as a strong and acceptable marker for safety and industry standards, it must also be achievable for companies large and small. Making certification a complex undertaking could act as a barrier to a nascent industry that promises enormous advantages.

“We are all aligned on ensuring safety outcomes,” explains Negron. “However, we need to continue to match system performance to risk, which means we shouldn’t blanket transfer air traffic management (ATM) processes to UTM. We must enable innovation to focus on the outcomes instead of prescriptive means.

“We don’t need to go through the exact same steps, and there are many parts of the regulatory, standards and industry ecosystem working to create something new,” he continues. “This is a completely different concept. We are talking about new vehicles with different performance parameters and requirements. It is a new journey that we are on together.”

What the regulation does do is ensure an open market with provision for multiple USSPs. “This is essential as we can’t have a static market,” says Negron. “Services will need to evolve and expand. We must be able to move with the pace of the industry.”

Interoperability

And though European-wide regulation (EU2021/664) became applicable in January 2023, interoperability is another obstacle to overcome before the UTM sphere matures. 

The European Union’s (EU) Drone Strategy 2.0 aims to create a trusted and safe environment for a competitive EU drone services market, with a fully functional European-wide U-space anticipated by 2030. But information exchange and navigation performance standards are key areas of discussion if the target date is to be met. 

“Drone manufacturers and operators want to make sure that their approvals are portable and procedures repeatable,” says Negron. 

“As an operator and USSP, we want to have similarity for key processes, such as dynamic airspace reconfiguration,” he says. “If the implementation is different, if the procedures are different, it increases both certification complexity and operator risk as drone operators would need to be trained for each unique airspace. Interoperability and harmonised processes are critical to increased safety and lower cost.

“Best practice has to dictate how we move forward,” Negron concludes. “The sky is a shared resource and there must be collaboration and harmonization. If we do that, we will be better at risk assessment and solving the practical issues ahead.”

Wing is discussing the crucial UTM topics at the Wing Theatre.

Ends

The latest from SESAR Innovation

Fresh off the press: SESAR Innovation Pipeline – 2022 Highlights

Get the highlights from some of the SESAR research and development (R&D) activities that took place over the course of 2022. The brochure features updates from each strand of the programme: exploratory research, industrial research and very-large scale demonstrations.

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The SESAR 3 JU Solutions Catalogue is now fully digital.

Discover the new interface and find out more about the solutions’ benefits, stakeholders, implementation locations, related projects and a lot more!

How diversity can unlock innovation in air traffic management

To mark International Women’s Day yesterday (8 March), the SESAR 3 JU spoke to those active in the programme about the need for greater diversity in the air traffic management industry, recognising that a diverse set of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds is crucial to innovation and the development of new ideas. This is particularly pressing today as the industry embraces digitalisation and seeks to address the climate impact of aviation.

Welcome to Airspace World Day 2

A message from Alex Bristol, CEO of Skyguide, and Chairman of CANSO

I hope you are all enjoying Airspace World. An industry-leading event like this gives us all the chance to make new contacts and gain fresh insights into industry challenges and opportunities.

Walking the halls, I sensed a real buzz. On the stands, in the theatres and throughout the floor, people are talking about drones, carbon reduction, new technologies, innovative procedures and much more. This is the beginning of collaboration. We talk a lot about how to work more closely with each other. At Airspace World, it seems to be happening naturally!

Most importantly, the discussions are about modernisation, digitisation and solutions. Air traffic management is a complex area that is often accused of being overly cautious and acting too slowly. But the innovation on display and the ideas being presented in the theatres and on the stands makes you realise that this is a thriving, progressive industry.

Big projects do take time. But this industry does not lack the desire or expertise for change. In many respects the future is already happening. Drones are flying regularly and in large numbers, digital towers are safely managing flights. I urge you all to explore the exhibitors and visit the theatres because some of the ground-breaking solutions may be closer to implementation than you think.

On a personal note, it was a great honour to moderate the Women in Aviation panel yesterday – International Women’s Day. Our key speakers, Shaesta, Waiz, Huy Kim Tran and Mildred Troegeler, are perfect role models and I am sure they are inspiring the next generation of female leaders. Diversity enables better business outcomes and our sector is no different. More must be done in this critical area.

The AIS Manufacturer’s support the digitalisation of AIS to AIM

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Use the A4F AIS Manufacturer’s & Market Report to assist your CAA, ANSP, and airport procurements.

The uninterrupted electronic / digital aeronautical data chain defined by ICAO Annex 15, PANS-AIM (Doc 10066), and industry standards like RTCA DO-200/EUROCEA ED-76 is not fully established worldwide. Furthermore, new requirements are arising for the digitalization of the system-wide information management (SWIM). At the time the transactions of aeronautical data need more protection to ensure correctness and consistency when received at end users’ location. This requires a trusted aeronautical frame work and network to ensure the uncompromised reception of aeronautical data at any place. These are all essential prerequisites for collaborative decision-making purposes.

Currently, there are 193 ICAO member states which serve around 230 territories with their Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) headquarters, NOTAM Offices, and AIS units at airports and aerodromes. It is estimated that 4,300 airports have scheduled traffic. In total there are probably more than 47,000 airports, aerodromes, landing places, and heliports in the world which need to be served by AIS.

Industry manufacturers’ support this digital transformation with their products. But who are these AIS Manufacturer’s? What is the difference between the various companies and their portfolio? Currently, there is no overview available about the world-wide AIS market and the manufacturers serving this market. ASBU for Future (A4F) closes this gap. The report in its entirety shall be an industry contribution to the world-wide initiative from AIS to digital AIM, led by ICAO.

To obtain a copy of the AIS Manufacturer’s & Market Report, please contact us using any of the following methods: scan the QR code, send an email to report@a4f.aero, or visit our dedicated website at www.aisreport.a4f.aero.

Collaboration from the start

SESAR Deployment Manager continues to deliver technological solutions designed to increase efficiencies in cost, performance and sustainability.

These solutions fall under the Common Project 1 (CP1) regulation that came into force in February 2021. SESAR Deployment Manager broke down the regulation into a new SESAR Deployment Programme, producing a concrete manual guiding operational stakeholders on what has to be done, where, how and when, with the aim of accelerating the digitisation of European ATM towards greener skies.

Mariagrazia La Piscopia, Executive Director, SESAR Deployment Manager, says that as of early March 2023 six of the 20 CP1 sub-ATM functionality initiatives that had a  December 2022 deadline are at  85% completion. Within the few next months, that will reach 95%. “We are demonstrating a practical impact on the industry and have enabled significant cost, time and emissions savings,” she says.

Total investment in CP1 stands at more than €2.7 billion, €1.4 billion of which has come from industry investment, the remainder from grants. The projects completed to date will have cumulated savings of more than 1 million tons of fuel by 2030.

The point, says La Piscopia, is that SESAR deployment is a reality and the work done together with operational stakeholders is having an effect. Even those CP1 projects that have not yet started have clear roadmaps for implementation.

“This has been achieved despite the pandemic and the Ukraine war, which has affected the availability of some components,” she says. “We have been helping the industry to make savings and become more resilient and we will continue to help.”

Going forward, a major focus will be on system-wide information management (SWIM) and trajectory-based operations. La Piscopia calls these projects “game-changers” but accepts they will be a challenge to implement.

“The key is to involve all the key stakeholders as one big team – including the military, Network Manager, EUROCAE, EASA, and SESAR Joint Undertaking – from the start, and we are doing that,” she says. “We need to reinforce these partnerships and ensure the projects are synchronised so that airlines, airports and air navigation service providers in Europe are ready to go at the same time.”

Air-to-ground connectivity will be equally vital. “It is the bedrock of every project,” says La Piscopia. “If I could do one thing tomorrow, it would be to fully and operationally implement datalink. Not only is it an enabler but it would show that we are one industry with one set of data.”

Another busy day ahead in the Airspace World Theatres

As day two of Airspace World 2023, brought to you by CANSO, gets underway, don’t forget to check out our packed agenda of talks, debates and conversations in one of our five theatres.

With sustainability at the forefront of the challenges facing our industry, see how SESAR is helping to bring about a digital transformation in ATM, with technological solutions that can deliver a “perfect flight” in terms of carbon emissions reduction. That talk is at 13:45 in the SESAR Showcase Theatre.

And then this afternoon, at 15:15, head back to the SESAR Theatre to see who wins their Digital European Sky Awards.

In the Wing Theatre at 10:00 the ongoing conversation about integrated skies continues with what will be a fascinating panel discussion about vertiports. Moderated by ATM Magazine Editor, Claudia Bracco, panellists include Skeydrone Managing Director Hendrik-Jan Van Der Gucht, and Gema Ferrero Rubiera, Managing Director of Bluenest

In the FABEC Ops Theatre at 11:30 there’s another fascinating panel discussion looking at Regional Differences in ATM. By combining operational expertise from all over Europe and from the Network Manager, this panel aims to get a common picture of ATM operations and learn how to combine national, regional and network aspects. 

At midday head over to the Boeing Theatre for another panel discussion on Unlocking a culture for customer-centric organisational transformation. The event description ends with the intriguing statement that we can “learn how this ‘clash of cultures can help build more robust and resilient organisations.”

For those who love to talk tech, the Frequentis Theatre has a wide range of discussions on all things technology throughout the day, but ending with a roundtable discussion of industry leaders and technology users, focussing on potential regulatory hurdles, shifts in our operational concepts, speed of integration, and the investments industries or ANSPs are making to achieve the desired outcomes.

Finally, The CANSO Global Safety Achievement Award for 2022 will be announced in the Boeing Theatre at 14:00. Come along to celebrate the achievements of colleagues in this, our most crucial, field.

Today in the Europe For Aviation Theatre

On Day 2, the “Europe for Aviation” partners have another busy theatre programme in store for the Airspace World visitors.

The programme kicks off at 09:45 with a briefing on the European ATCO licensing, and goes on until 17:30.

Topics featured incude the ATM network summer challenges, civil-military collaboration, future and long-term communications infrastructure, innovation in aviation, ATS common datalink services, CP1, trajectory-based operations and space operations in ATM.

Check out the full programme details here: https://www.eurocontrol.int/event/airspace-world

CANSO and Infina sign a partnership offering virtual training to the aviation community