The Spectrum Squeeze: How to prepare your spectrum regulators for UTM

The deployment of UTM across urban and rural areas will create a resource squeeze on available spectrum, and an increase in interference or jamming incidents with existing communication infrastructure. This means the job of spectrum regulators will become more complex, due to limited staffing and sensor placement. CRFS has remote sensing and spectrum automation tools that can alleviate the burden through occupancy reports, baselines, and automated geolocation. The talk will showcase a demonstration of these capabilities.

Unlocking Value by Unlocking Airspace: Dynamic Airspace Sharing for ANSPs, Militaries, and Air Carriers

Airspace Data is building and deploying tech to automate and secure real-time airspace-status sharing between military operators and ANSPs. Its approach to Dynamic Airspace Sharing is sustained engagement with all stakeholders, primarily frontline range commanders, controllers, and dispatchers. The company’s tools support filing and flying through special-use airspace, and enhanced military access when needed to fulfill training and readiness goals. Material reductions in flight times, operating expenses, and CO2 emissions will be achieved. The company launched a proof of concept with two major U.S. airlines in June 2023; to date more than 1250 flights have been successfully completed, saving more than 750,000 pounds of CO2. The briefing will be provided by Justin P. Oberman, CEO & Co-Founder, who has more than 25 years of industry experience including as a co-founder of TSA after 9/11 where he worked closely with all key stakeholders.

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

For more than two decades, at-scale sharing of airspace between military operators and ANSPs to enhance training and readiness, and mitigate airspace congestion, respectively, has eluded industry.

An early-stage U.S. company, Airspace Data, is building and deploying technology to achieve this long-sought objective. Led by industry veterans, and with a focus on providing measurable value for all stakeholders, especially those on the front lines, Airspace Data launched with Southwest and Delta in summer 2023 (saving more than 1 million pounds of CO2 to date) and is expanding with additional airlines and in the U.S. and Europe in 2024 and 2025.

Its solution – called Dynamic Airspace Sharing – provides tools to military range commanders, air traffic controllers, and flights dispatchers. The company’s tools support filing and flying through special-use airspace, and enhanced military access when needed to fulfill training and readiness goals. Material reductions in flight times, operating expenses, and CO2 emissions will be achieved.

May Virtual Tower Operations become real!

Remote Towers are in operations and Remote Tower Centers (RTC) becoming more and more. ATCOs are not bound anymore to the airport location they provide ATC for but you can bunch them in RTCs and thus create a lot of synergies and other beneficial side effects. But, think about having the complete controller working position including out-the-window view and all other needed CNS system in a virtual environment. Not in cave but in wireless state of the art virtual reality glasses. You are not even bound to an RTC. You can do ATC wherever the glasses are or wherever you have internet access. Apart from Germany (I am kidding) almost all over the world! You can do the night traffic from Melbourne from Geneva at day time. You can control the only flight at night from home avoiding to ride to the ATC tower at your airport in the middle o the night. You can call for an assistance ATCO during an emergency. And you do not care anymore about hardware maintenance because apart from the glasses there is no CWP hardware anymore. How far are we right this way? By this talk we introduce a prototype to you and want to discuss this scenario with you!

Higher Airspace Operations – Space Traffic Management

DG DEFIS is launching a legislative initiative to develop a framework on safety, resilience and sustainability of space traffic management (STM) under the Union Space Programme. This initiative is following the joint Communication by the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the EU approach to Space Traffic Management that was adopted in February 2022 and that was supported by the European Parliament and by the EU Member States. In the said Communication, STM encompasses the means and the rules to access, conduct activities in, and return from outer space safely, sustainably, and securely.

DG DEFIS recently launched a targeted stakeholder consultation on the EU legislative initiative on safety, resilience and sustainability of space activities (“EU space law”): The ATM community was invited to contribute to that survey to express the views of the ATM community, in particular related to the impact on air traffic during the phases of transit (launch and re-entries). EUROCAE offers full support to a European approach to space traffic management, in line with our members needs.

This panel shall discuss latest developments expected for higher airspace operations and space traffic management.

CP 1 – Towards digitalized Single European Sky

SESAR Deployment

Digital Tower roadmap

In the provision of Air Traffic Services (ATS) basic capabilities and models are evolving thanks to digital technologies. In particular, control towers are rapidly evolving into digital towers, augmenting air traffic control capabilities at an aerodrome through fully digital means (e.g. artificial intelligence, augmented reality, Machine-Learning), making airports around the world safer, more flexible and efficient. ENAV roadmap foresees to develop both local and remote digital towers, depending on tailored solution able to target the expected operational benefits. For remote digital towers, two Remote Tower Control Centres are in the pipeline, able to accomodate a total of 26 airports. Advantages come from airports flexible allocation and air traffic controllers flexible management, with the idea of pioneering the ultimate goal, e.g., the multiple management of airports.

The European ATM Master Plan campaign – Establishing Europe as the most efficient and environmentally-friendly sky to fly in the world

The new European ATM Master Plan, to be adopted at the end of 2024, will set the vision and prioritise the digital solutions needed to deliver the Digital European Sky, with the goal of establishing Europe as the most efficient and environmentally-friendly sky to fly in the world. This session will provide an update on progress so far in relation to each of the key success criteria for the Master Plan campaign.

Drone Corridors – From Segregation to Integration

The presentation will discuss the possibilities for integrated airspace operations with drone corridors. Beginning with the the evolution of regulations and standards for Aeronautical Information Services (AIM), Air Traffic Management (ATM), and Communication Navigation & Surveillance (CNS), the topic will cover aspects like separation, safety, and airspace management.

Regulations stipulate that each airspace defines minimum communication standards (C2 and Data Communications), navigation accuracy (TSO GPS, INS, and Containment Areas), and surveillance requirements (Cooperative and Non-Cooperative DAA). The presentation will introduces the concept of a drone corridor as a new type of airspace that redefines CNS and ATM requirements to seamlessly integrate all users, whether piloted or remotely managed.

The core questions for a drone corridor will be discussed:

1. Control – Ensuring all users can control their aircraft and respond to tactical instructions.

2. Navigation – Ensuring participants are accurately located.

3. Safety – Verifying conformance of all users and allowing for intervention, both air-to-air and air-to-ground, to maintain safety.

with overarching goal to influence a regulatory framework that facilitates the integration of diverse airspace users, fostering a balance between accessibility and safety in the evolving landscape of aviation.

NEXT-GEN Digital Tower

The presentation highlights a groundbreaking advancement in air navigation services – a futuristic digital remote tower system. It delves into the technology’s unique capabilities, including its utilization of real-time data, safety, enhancements, and efficient management of air traffic from remote locations. The focus is on its ability to integrate and display all source of data, necessary to provide tower control in single HMI. This level of integration is a huge leap for aerodrome ATC, adding up advanced camera technology. The presentation underscores how this cutting-edge system transforms aviation operations for a safer and more effective future.