skyway - eurocontrol · by david mcmillan, director general 5 ... skyway 55 summer - autumn 2011 44...

magazinewaySky

Designing & managing airspace routesManaging the networkJacques Dopagne, Director Network Management, EUROCONTROL

Interview withMatthew Baldwin, Director Air Transport European Commission

Skyway is a EUROCONTROL publication

No. 55, Summer - Autumn 2011

EUROCONTROL

Also in this issue:

n Airspace management

n Free route implementation

n 4D trajectory management

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The EUROCONTROL Skyway magazine.

Publisher: David McMillanManaging Editor: Kyla EvansEditor: Lucia Pasquini, Catherine De Smedt Linguistic Advisers: Language Service Layout: Frédérique FyonPhotography: Véronique Paul/GraphixPrinting: EUROCONTROL Logistics and Support Services

magazinewaySky

Contents

FOCUSStrategy and vision

Improving civil-military ATM coordination for the Single Sky in order to enhance European network performance

Airspace developments: key in network operations planning

Airspace management: a collaborative and transparent decision-making process

Tactical handling of the European airspace network

FRAM: Free Route Airspace Maastricht - As the crow flies

Integration of functional airspace blocks into ARN version-7

4D trajectory management

EDITORIALBy David McMillan, Director General

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Number 55Summer - Autumn 2011

© European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL) September 2011

This document is published by EUROCONTROL in the interests of exchange of information. It may be copied in whole or in part, providing that EUROCONTROL is acknowledged as a source. The information contained in this document may not be modified without prior written permission from EUROCONTROL.

Articles appearing in this magazine do not necessarily reflect EUROCONTROL’s official policy.

For more information and to receive a free copy of Skyway, please contact the editor, Lucia PasquiniE-mail: [email protected]: +32 2 729 34 20Fax: +32 2 729 91 98

EUROCONTROL96, rue de la Fusée, 1130 Brussels, Belgium

EUROCONTROL Website: http://www.eurocontrol.int

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VIEWPOINTBlue Med Malta free route real-time simulation

The FABEC ATFCM/ASM function: one step ahead

REVIEWThe Central Route Charges Office, 2001-2011

INDEPENDENT PLATFORMOperational challenges to enhancing airspace usage

VISITSEUROCONTROL welcomes visitors to its premises, both individuals and organised groups

Forthcoming events

INTERVIEWSeven questions for Matthew Baldwin, the newly appointed Director of Air Transport at the European Commission’s Directorate General of Mobility and Transport, DG MOVE

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Skyway 55 Summer - Autumn 2011

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5Skyway 55 Summer - Autumn 2011

EDITORIAL

Dear Readers,

A sky without borders is the underlying vision of the Single European Sky. This means that we need to radically rethink the way in which airspace is designed in order to improve perfor-mance and efficiency in the skies above Europe. In this issue of Skyway, we will be looking at the main challenges Europe is facing and the key initiatives currently in place to tackle them.

One of the main challenges is to adopt a real network approach – thinking and operating as a network is essential for perfor-mance. Following on from the reform programme we under-took in 2010 to adapt ourselves to the changing political and operational context, we have recently been nominated by the European Commission to take on the role of European network manager.

As network manager we will work with all the various actors within the European aviation sector to make sure that the ATM network can meet the demands of its users. A key element in design-ing an efficient airspace and oper-ating as a network is the interface between the air routes and the main airports. As Jacques Dopagne, Director Network Management, will explain airspace design must combine the route structure of the flight together with the best possi-ble interface with the airport, where future bottlenecks are expected.

Looking to the users of the network, it is clear that different airspace users have different needs. Balancing the needs of civil and military users so that the airspace is effectively utilised requires close coordination at all levels, and we have unique experience in this area. Skyway will tell you more about the changes required to make civil- military ATM coordination fit for SES.

A network perspective is critical if we are to meet the perfor-mance targets of tomorrow. EUROCONTROL has solid experi-ence and expertise in air traffic flow and airspace management, network planning and airspace design, and our nomination as Network Manager is clearly built on this. I see this nomination as a token of the appreciation and trust of our stakeholders for more than 50 years and as an exceptional challenge for the next 50 years. We are fully committed to building on our past experi-ence and to evolving in our new role, in full cooperation with our stakeholders.

Let me conclude by taking a few words from Matthew Baldwin’s interview and which reflect the spirit of this edition of Skyway: “Performance is the absolute beating heart of the Single European Sky. We can’t consider it a done deal until we have realised significant and enduring performance improvements.”

David McMillanDirector General

Chers lecteurs,

Un ciel sans frontières est ce que nous visons à mettre en place à travers le Ciel unique européen. Ce projet nous impose de repens-er radicalement la manière dont l’espace aérien est organisé dans l’optique d’améliorer les performances et l’efficience dans le ciel en Europe. La présente édition de Skyway examine les grands défis que l’Europe doit relever ainsi que les principales initiatives mises en œuvre pour les surmonter.

Un des défis majeurs consiste à adopter une véritable approche de réseau – penser et fonctionner comme un réseau est essentiel pour la performance. Dans le sillage du programme de réforme lancé en 2010 afin de nous adapter à l’évolution du contexte poli-tique et opérationnel, nous avons récemment été désignés par la Commission européenne pour exercer le rôle de Gestionnaire du réseau européen.

À ce titre, nous allons œuvrer avec l’ensemble des différents acteurs du secteur aéronautique européen pour faire en sorte que le réseau ATM soit à même de satisfaire aux attentes de ses usagers. Un facteur déterminant pour organiser l’espace aérien de manière efficiente et travailler en réseau est l’interface entre les routes aériennes et les principaux aéroports. Comme l’explique Jacques Dopagne, Directeur « Gestion du réseau », l’organisation de l’espace aérien doit combiner la structure de routes du vol et la meilleure interface possible avec l’aéroport, où des goulets d’étranglement sont escomptés dans l’avenir.

En ce qui concerne les utilisateurs du réseau, il est évident que les différents usagers de l’espace aérien ont des besoins qui leur sont propres. Concilier les besoins des usagers civils et militaires de sorte que l’espace aérien soit exploité efficacement impose une étroite coordination à tous les niveaux, et nous possédons une expérience unique dans ce domaine. Skyway vous en dira plus sur les changements requis pour adapter la coordination civile-

militaire dans le domaine de l’ATM aux exigences du SES.

Une perspective de réseau est cruciale pour atteindre les cibles de performance de demain. EUROCONTROL peut se prévaloir d’une vaste expérience doublée d’une solide expertise de la gestion des courants de trafic aérien et de l’espace aérien ainsi que de la plani-fication du réseau et de l’organisation de l’espace aérien, autant d’atouts qui sont clairement à la source de notre désignation en qualité de Gestionnaire du réseau. Je considère cette désignation comme un gage de l’appréciation et de la confiance de nos parte-naires après plus de 50 ans, et aussi comme un défi exceptionnel pour les 50 prochaines années. Nous sommes pleinement déter-minés à faire fond sur nos acquis et à évoluer dans notre nouveau rôle, en totale coopération avec nos partenaires.

Je conclurai en reprenant quelques mots de l’entretien de Matthew Baldwin qui reflètent bien l’esprit de ce numéro de Skyway : « La performance est l’élément vital absolu du Ciel unique européen. Tant que nous n’aurons pas apporté des amélio-rations significatives et durables sur ce plan, nous ne pourrons considérer que le projet a abouti ».

David McMillanDirecteur général

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The vision for a Single European Sky is almost as old as the commercial aviation sector itself. That vision is now finally being put in place but efficient airspace usage and design require a detailed strategy and careful implementation.Skyway talks to Jacques Dopagne, Director NetworkManagement, who tells us more about how this is being achieved.

Strategy andvision

FOCUS

Skyway 55 Summer - Autumn 2011 7

FOCUS

The political will to create a unified sky over Europe dissipated in the 1960s shortly after the creation of EURO-CONTROL – the organisation that was founded with this very goal in mind. Some 50 years later, however, the phenomenal – and initially unexpect-ed – growth in air traffic has led to a consensus for the grand European avi-ation scheme to finally go ahead. This time though there is a political struc-ture – in the shape of the 27 Member States of the European Union – that is robust enough to support the vision through to its fruition and pragmatic enough to work to extend it beyond its supranational borders.

The vision is to rethink the way air-space is designed so that it no longer represents the national borders below it. The fragmentation created by the airspace design, as it was originally conceived, is creating inefficiencies and delays that currently dog the con-tinent’s aviation network. Therefore, a set of nine multinational projects, known as functional airspace blocks, are being defined to be implemented by the end of 2012 to improve the per-formance in the skies above Europe. Countries have banded together to combine their airspaces into large enough segments to be able to create the unified network that was set out in the first legislative package of the Sin-gle European Sky back in 2004. A sec-ond legislative package (SES II) was ad-opted five years later which fine-tuned and, to some extent, reinvigorated the project. Within this second legislative package there are three elements that will drive the quest for greater effi-ciency, lower costs, less environmental impact and increased safety – a rigor-ous Performance Scheme, the creation of the SESAR Joint Undertaking and an effective Network Manager.

Managing the network

The European Commission (EC) was conscious of the fact that if it imposed targets on the system then it should also establish a means of helping the stakeholders to achieve them, hence the concept of the Network Manager was born. Its role is primarily to coor-dinate all of the various actors within the European aviation sector in order to get the optimum output from them in terms of:

n route network design;n management of scarce resources;n traffic flow management;n slot coordination and allocation;n support and synchronisation of the

deployment of SESAR technologies and new operational concepts.

The Single European Sky Performance Scheme will gradually build up its remit. For the first reference period (RP1), running from 2012 to 2014, the targets relate specifically to the flight efficiency/environment, network ca-pacity and cost-efficiency. Those cov-ered by the targets are all 27 EU States plus Norway and Switzerland who have entered the project under agree-ments with the EU. The second refer-ence period (RP2) will incorporate ad-ditional targets for safety and airports.

When the EC adopted the Network Management Functions Implement-ing Rule in February 2011, it also pro-posed that EUROCONTROL should be designated as the Network Manager. Late August, EUROCONTROL’s 39 Member States accepted our nomi-nation. The European Commission has supported EUROCONTROL’s ef-fort to get all EUROCONTROL States on board as it is aware that the Net-work Manager would work best if its

Jacques Dopagne

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FOCUS

remit was extended beyond the EU. Nevertheless the sovereignty rights of EU States and EUROCONTROL non-EU States has to be secured in the imple-mentation of Network Management functions.

In preparation for such a move, EUROCONTROL has undergone a radical reorganisation, part of which saw the creation of the Directorate Network Management (DNM) on 1 January 2011. Jacques Dopagne, who heads the DNM, sees EURO-CONTROL as the logical organisation to take on this role. “For decades now, we have been active in every technical and op-erational domain that is required for this task – airspace design, air traffic flow and airspace management, ca-pacity planning both for airspace and airports, managing scarce resources as well as introducing new technolo-gies and procedures.” Moreover, the Central Flow Management Unit that was established by EUROCONTROL in 1989 to drive down delay could be said to be a precursor of the Net-work Manager. Other high-profile programmes like the effort to increase airspace capacity by implementing reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM) underline the Agency’s ability to develop and deliver pan-European projects. The switch-over to 8.33 kHz voice communications channel spac-ing is another good example.

In addition, the fact that EURO- CONTROL has been working with the military ever since its inception to-gether with the fact that its member-ship is larger than the EU’s (39 against 27) makes it an ideal bridge from the EU to the rest of Europe. This is vital as Dopagne points out, “The larger the area of the airspace you design the better it is for the flow and airspace management.”

Designing the airspace

According to Dopagne, “What airlines want is shorter routes. They also want to choose their own routes, the ones that fit their business, wherever pos-sible.” But, he elaborates, “There is one particular element that is very important. That is the interface be-tween the air routes and the main airports like Amsterdam, London, Madrid, Paris and so on.” In short, the airspace design must combine the route structure of the flight together with the best possible interface with the airport. It is, therefore, a function of the Network Manager to work with the other stakeholders – air naviga-tion service providers, airlines, air-ports and the military – to ensure the overall coherency of the network by integrating local plans with the ‘big picture’.

One key element that will make the flight efficiency target achievable is the Free Route Airspace concept. In this, airlines choose where they enter into an airspace sector and where they leave it. This will achieve the shorter more direct routes and produce great-er efficiency. Additional efficiency gains will also be achieved through the way in which flights actually take place. Significant savings are already being accrued through the growing adoption of continuous descent ap-proaches (CDAs) where an aircraft can glide down from the top of its descent with its engines on idle. Not only does this save fuel, but it also reduces noise irritation along the route to the airport as less of the flight is within earshot of the ground. A similar concept is be-ing adopted for aircraft departures. The airspace design around airports needs to be adapted so that there are

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“The larger the area of the airspace you design the better it is for the flow and air-space management.”


multiple paths for these approaches and departures to be undertaken. On the airport side, besides operational and technical evolutions that will con-tribute to the performance both of airports and the network, there is now growing optimism that there will be an acceleration of the implementation of A-CDM in more airports.

Responding to crises

The eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjal-lajökull volcano was a stark example of how the lack of a coordinated re-sponse to an event, and the absence of harmonised regulations, practices and procedures can result in confusion, de-lay and increased costs. That is why the establishment of the European Avia-tion Crisis Coordination Cell (EACCC) was so necessary. This body has set about finding a new consensus-

driven and more efficient method of addressing the issues arising from such an event and deploying the remedial action required to heal the system. The process was put to the test in May 2011 when Iceland’s most active volca-no, Grimsvötn, erupted, spewing ash once again across northern European airspace. “We activated the EACCC, we had five meetings and we were in contact with the major airlines, the air navigation service providers (ANSPs), the national supervisory authorities (NSAs), EASA (European Aviation Safe-ty Agency) and the Volcanic Ash Advi-sory Centre (VAAC). We monitored the situation, decided what to do and put a plan into action,” Dopagne explains with obvious enthusiasm. The second volcanic eruption may not have been as severe as the first but the response was markedly better. Plans are now afoot to bring the EACCC within the re-

mit of the Network Manager so that it can play a larger role within the entire system and help to address not just volcanoes but other disasters such as nuclear contamination scares like the Fukushima incident in Japan.

Reducing the distance aircraft have to fly over Europe will inevitably result in fewer emissions, which is good for the environment and good for the cost- effectiveness of the entire network and all the actors within it. It should come as no surprise, however, that getting to the end of the roadmap which has been sketched out by the ATM Master Plan that governs this huge effort will take time.

By 2020 the aviation sector should however have radically overhauled the way the airspace above Europe is organised and the way in which air-craft fly within it. n

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Ifwearetoachievecompleteandsuccessfulimplemen-tationoftheSingleSkyatpan-Europeanlevel,therearestillsomechallengestobemastered.MichaelSteinfurth, Head of EUROCONTROL’s Civil-Military ATM Coordination Division, looksatthechangesrequiredtomakecivil-militaryATMcoordinationfitfortheSES.

Improvingcivil-militaryATM

coordinationfortheSingleSkyin

ordertoenhanceEuropeannetwork

performanceWhereas in the past, air travel was the privilege of wealthy elite, com-mercial air transport has gradu-ally evolved to become a common means of transport for business and leisure trips. As a result, Europe has experienced a continuous growth in air traffic over the last 30 years and despite occasional drawbacks stem-ming from various crisis scenarios, the growth is not expected to stop. In order to allow these activities to be safely executed with the neces-sary punctuality, air traffic manage-ment (ATM) has become increas-ingly important. One major tasks of ATM is to manage the efficient use of airspace in order to facilitate the operational needs of commercial air transport, military aviation and gen-eral aviation. Consequently, airspace management (ASM) has massively increased in importance in recent decades, especially since airspace is a finite resource that has always been facing and continues to face an ever-growing demand for capacity.

Michael Steinfurth


From airspace as a single entity to a Single European SkyAs early as the 1980s, EURO- CONTROL was already address-ing this problem, and provided its Member States with best practices for managing airspace, utilising the Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA) con-cept. The FUA concept brought to-gether civil and military partners to discontinue the practice of dividing airspace between civil and military use. Instead, airspace was considered a single entity, which is allocated to the various users when needed.

Today, this practice is well applied in the vast majority of European States. However, the effectiveness of ASM and the FUA finds its limita-tions in the nationally fragmented European ATM structure. The fact that this national ATM fragmenta-tion reduces airspace and network capacity was identified by EURO-

CONTROL many years ago, and the resulting idea “One Day – One Sky” may still be remembered. However, only the clear determination of the European Union to reduce fragmen-tation, increase capacity, accommo-date major traffic flows and establish a transparent performance scheme has provided sufficient power and momentum for the implementation of the Single European Sky (SES).

Since the first EC communication in December 1999, the SES has made good progress, with the EU bringing into force two legislation packages, establishing the SES ATM Research (SESAR) Programme, creating the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), developing functional air-space blocks (FABs) and entrusting the task of European Network Man-ager to EUROCONTROL. There are, however, still some remaining chal-lenges to be mastered before com-plete implementation of the Single Sky on a pan-European scale with all its expected benefits can be success-fully achieved.

Airspace management (ASM) has massively increased in importance in recent decades, especially since airspace is a finite resource that has always been facing and continues to face an ever-growing demand for capacity.

FOCUS

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Single European Sky challenges

One of the major remaining chal-lenges is to improve civil-military ATM coordination arrangements to reach beyond national boundaries in order to sufficiently match the SES environ-ment, including future changes result-ing from SESAR and the ATM Master Plan. The good news is that EURO-CONTROL is ready and prepared to support its Member States in impro-ving civil-military ATM coordination.

EUROCONTROL, as the sole civil-military intergovernmental ATM or-ganisation in Europe, is best suited for this task, since, with the Civil-Military Interface Standing Committee (CMIC), the Military ATM Board (MAB) and the Military Harmonisation Group (Mil-HaG), appropriate consultation ar-rangements are already in place, and with its Civil-Military ATM Coordina-tion Division (DSS/CM) forming part of the recently created Directorate Single Sky, there is also a work force of the ap-propriate size and quality to facilitate the intended improvements.

Changes required to make civil-military ATM coordination fit for SESBefore a start is made on the develop-ment of changes, an agreed “desired end-state” must be defined. The desired end-state for the civil partners is mani-fested within SES and SESAR: ten times more safety, half the cost, three times more capacity, 10% less environmental impact. The desired end-state for the military partners is to maintain opera-tional flexibility and the availability of appropriately sized airspace to “train as they fight” at least at the same qual-ity level as today. On the assumption that the desired military end-state is accepted by the relevant civil partners, the European military ATM community is determined to fully support SES and SESAR and to adapt civil-military ATM coordination arrangements for better network performance.

Supported and facilitated by EURO-CONTROL’s Civil-Military ATM Coor-dination Division (CM), the European military ATM community has already reached important milestones towards

improved civil-military coordination ar-rangements at the strategic and techni-cal levels. MAB has established military-military coordination arrangements, which will deliver to the maximum extent possible single pan-European military positions for civil-military ATM coordination, instead of multiple na-tional views.

With due regard to respective SES leg-islation and in line with the ATM Mas-ter Plan, CM has developed for EURO- CONTROL’s military and civil stakehold-ers an airspace management support system, the “Local And sub-Regional ASM Support System (LARA)”. This system is supporting military airspace planners, but far more importantly, for the first time in ATM history, a widely deployed LARA could also provide a pan-European view on military aerial activities throughout all three ATM phases for all civil actors involved. Currently, LARA is being deployed in Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK, but more States are lining up to get in-volved.

Together with the military liaison officer (MILO) function that has been already implemented in the Network Manage-ment Operations Room, the future Net-work Manager could pro-actively initi-ate civil-military collaborative real-time decision-making to improve network performance by using the enhanced ASM opportunities provided by LARA.


To assess the performance of ASM and to receive feedback for required cor-rective actions, the PRISMIL service was developed and initially established within the Belgian, French and German air forces. PRISMIL is currently the only operational system in Europe capable of measuring ASM performance. Ap-propriately responding to SES II legis-lation and the ATM Master Plan, many more States are therefore getting ready to use PRISMIL.

The military European ATM commu-nity has fully engaged in SESAR since the definition phase and is convinced that SESAR has the potential to devel-op systems and tools that will enable both the civil and military sectors to reach their desired end-state in ATM.

To achieve this, military requirements need to be duly regarded and inte-grated into the ongoing research and development activities. For that pur-pose, the Directorate Single Sky and its Civil-Military ATM Coordination Division have established, internally with EUROCONTROL’s SESAR Direc-torate and externally with the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU), functional working arrangements to manage military SESAR contributions. The on-going SESAR work is intended to pro-vide maximum civil-military system interoperability in order to ensure best possible implementation of the SESAR Concept of Operation and its

main enablers, system-wide informa-tion management (SWIM) and trajec-tory-based operations.

Coordination for a true pan-European Single SkyFurther activities to align civil-mili-tary ATM coordination with SES re-quirements are aimed at enhancing civil-military CNS (communications, navigation and surveillance) system interoperability to minimise State air-craft exemption policies, which also place constraints on network perfor-mance.

Equally important for network per-formance is a sufficient level of ATM safety and subsequent efforts that improve civil-military coordination in regulatory matters. Supported by EUROCONTROL, the military Euro-pean ATM community is engaged in harmonising military rules and shar-ing them with its civil partners, and in the process to establish sound work-ing arrangements with EASA.

The military European ATM community has fully engaged in SESAR since the definition phase and is convinced that SESAR has the potential to de-velop systems and tools that will enable both the civil and military sectors to reach their desired end-state in ATM.

An often underestimated aspect is ATM security, as security incidents in particular could have a massive impact on the performance of the network. The military European ATM community is also active in this field and is supporting civil-military coordination arrangements within the NATO-EUROCONTROL Air-space Security Coordination Group (NEASCOG). Many activities and projects to improve civil-military ATM coordination for the Single Sky and to enhance European network performance have already been initiated, developed or are about to be deployed.

However, the efforts must continue in a true spirit of civil-military coopera-tion that acknowledges the require-ments of all partners involved and pays due respect to their constraints, even if this at times calls for a durable compromise which might not provide maximum individual benefit but im-proves overall network performance for civil and military users at large. If all States and stakeholders involved embark on these principles, nothing can stop the successful implementa-tion of a true pan-European Single Sky.

These final words could have been a suitable ending to my contribution to the summer edition of the Skyway magazine. However, my article would not be complete without mention-ing the merits of Jean-Robert Cazarré, who has just finished his contract with EUROCONTROL, since it was his strategic vision and determination as Director for Civil-Military ATM Coordi-nation which initiated and advanced many of the projects that will pro-vide sustainable improvements for civil-military ATM coordination in the Single European Sky. n

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A performance-driven development As a result of the combination between traffic growth and delay targets, the Eu-ropean ATM network capacity will need to increase by 28% between 2010-2014 if it is to achieve and maintain the EU annual delay target of 0.5 minutes/flight and accommodate a forecast traffic in-crease of 13%. The European ATM net-work also faces intense pressure to im-prove the environmental performance in order to achieve the EU environmen-tal targets and limit the impact of rising fuel prices.

A consolidated development The Version 7 of the European air traffic services (ATS) Route Network (ARN) and its associated concept of operations and catalogue of projects were developed to respond to these requirements. The deliverable is generally known as ARN Version-7.

ARN Version-7 responds to the Provi-sional Council’s Airspace Action Plan and the 2015 Airspace Concept and

Version7oftheEuropeanATSRouteNetworkwasdevelopedtoaddresstrafficgrowth,delaytargetsandenvironmentalrequirements.ItrespondstotheProvisionalCouncil’sAirspaceActionPlanandthe2015AirspaceConceptandStrategyfortheECACStates.Razvan Bucuroiu,Head of Operations Planning Unit at EUROCONTROL,tellsusmoreaboutit.

Airspacedevelopments:keyinnetworkoperationsplanning

Strategy for the ECAC States. ARN Ver-sion-7 will also continue to address the main requirements included in the Flight Efficiency Plan signed in 2008 between IATA, CANSO and EURO-CONTROL.

The objective of ARN Version-7 is the enhancement of European ATM capacity, flight efficiency and envi-ronmental performance through the development and implementation of an improved ATS route network and terminal area (TMA) system structures, supported by corresponding improve-ments to the airspace structure and optimal utilisation rules for both within the ECAC area.

ARN Version-7 ensures the further deployment of the ad-vanced airspace scheme route network and consolidates into a network approach the first functional airspace block (FAB) developments, the move to-wards free route application implementation projects and TMA system developments. It lays the foundations for the delivery of the operational as-

pects of SESAR IP1 (2008-2013) and also contributes to the achievement of the Single European Sky requirements.

ARN Version-7 offers more alternative routings and more direct route align-ments closer to the user-preferred routes, whilst maintaining the internal operational consistency of the Europe-an airspace organisation. It takes into account the need for a coherent inter-face with the remainder of the ICAO European and North Atlantic Region and other relevant ICAO regions.

Razvan Bucuroiu

ARN VeRSION-7 IS DeRIVeD fROM the fOLLOwINg SOuRceS:

n AAS route network;n additional proposals

covering a cohesive development of the European ATS route network;

n solutions developed within various FAB initiatives;

n proposals originating atnational or sub-regional level;

n aircraft operator proposals.


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What is new?

ARN Version-7 includes a large num-ber of new features, namely it:

n is based on a dedicated opera-tional concept;

n includes a network-wide Free Route Concept of Operations;

n includes an evaluation of the con-tributions to European operation-al performance targets;

n comprises a European night route network;

n includes a first comprehensive package of Free Route Projects;

n integrates the first comprehen-sive package of airspace improve-ments resulting from FAB devel-opments;

n has been developed on the basis of several layers of improvement (fixed permanent route network, night route network, free route airspace, sectors, TMA develop-ments, etc.) responding to the no-tion of airspace configuration.

What will be the impact on performance? At this stage ARN Version-7 contains 470 packages of airspace propos-als scheduled for implementation for the 2011-2014 summer seasons. These proposals include more than 1,500 route changes, around 40 re-sectorisation projects and about 25 TMA projects.

The evaluation of the ATS route net-work improvements included in ARN Version-7 indicates a reduction of the daily route extension of approxi-mately 33,000 nautical miles (NMs) per day as a result of the airspace de-sign actions implemented between autumn 2010 and autumn 2014.

As a result of these airspace design actions, the European ATS route net-work will become only 2.90% longer than the great circle distances (from TMA entry to TMA exit points).

ARN Version-7 has the potential to significantly improve flight efficiency if all projects are fully implemented. Between autumn 2010 and the end of 2014, flight efficiency is expected to improve by at least 10%. The route extension due to airspace design (if all flights use the route network with-out any route restrictions and with all CDRs permanently available) is expected to decrease from 3.13% in September 2010 to 2.90% by the end of 2014. The graphs above show the expected trend of flight efficiency in-dicators between autumn 2010 and the end of 2014 in terms of extension compared to the great circle and net savings.

The ARN Version-7 Catalogue contains approximately 40 re-sectorisation projects in addition to route network solutions designed to reduce the com-plexity of the airspace structure. Based on fast-time simulations of a number of projects, it is expected that ARN Ver-sion-7 will bring an additional 8-10% capacity to the European ATM network when fully implemented.

As from full implementation of ARN Version-7 in 2014, flying distances will be reduced by approximately 12 million NMs, representing the equivalent of 72,000 tons of fuel saved, or reduced emissions of 240,000 tons, or € 60 million.

Route efficiency KPI per AIRAC cycle

Route savings Daily reduction of route extension of 33243 NM

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Main improvements

Map 1 indicates the airspace struc-ture expected to be in place at the end of the implementation of ARN Version-7 (end of 2014), together with the traffic load based on cur-rent traffic.

ARN Version-7 is an integral pack-age of airspace design and utilisa-tion solutions. It was built on the development of new concepts that were transposed in several layers of airspace developments. These lay-ers are properly interconnected at network level to ensure an appro-priate and cohesive airspace utilisa-tion:

n between various concepts;n over a 24-hours period;n and over various period of the

week or year.

The further development of the concept of airspace configurations at network level will ensure an en-hanced utilisation of these various layers at local, sub-regional, FAB and network levels.

Map 2 shows the layer of new ATS route segments that will be added to the European ATS Route Network through ARN Version 7.

Map 3 shows the layer of new night/weekend direct ATS route segments that will be added to the European ATS Route Network through ARN Version 7.

Map 4 shows the layer containing the implementation of Free Route Airspace initiatives that are current-ly included in ARN Version-7. This layer is supported by an initial net-work operational concept for Free Route Airspace Operations.

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2.

3.


Linking airspace design and airspace utilisation ARN Version-7 offers a greater number of possible options for use with ATS route and ATC sector combinations, facilitating a balanced approach to capacity and flight efficiency. These options were taken into account in the airspace design planning stages. Nevertheless, in order to exploit their full potential, development of appro-priate flight data processing systems, enhanced air traffic flow and capacity management (ATFCM) processes, the charging scheme and an enhanced ASM concept of operation will need to be applied.

By bringing airspace design and air-space management closer together it will enhance the effectiveness of the overall ATM system. The target should be a structure that allows airspace us-ers to fly their preferred routes and profiles, ANSPs to select the most effi-cient airspace organisation and ATFCM services to manage overall capacity at its optimum.

Conclusions

ARN Version-7 enabled the achievement of a successful European airspace design through:

n the implementation of an advanced and consolidated concept of operations;n a pan-European view treating the European airspace as a continuum and a stra-

tegic vision of the European ATS Route Network, designed on the basis of main traffic flows and user-preferred routes and profiles, with optimised supporting ATC sectors;

n the gradual elimination of bottlenecks and reasons for flight inefficiency;n optimised procedures for an enhanced use of airspace;n a balanced approach between European network, regional and local requirements;n a coordinated and integrated partnership approach for the collective benefit

of airspace users, Member States, air navigation service providers, and civil and military authorities, deployed through a collaborative planning process. n

4.

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BackgroundThe DMEAN concept of operations (CONOPs), developed in 2004, intro-duces an organised and dynamic flex-ibility in the management of the air traffic management (ATM) system. It does this in many different areas, with airspace management (ASM) being a key solution, advocating as it does a collaborative and transparent deci-sion-making process in the allocation of airspace.

Based on the DMEAN CONOPs, the EUROCONTROL ASM Improvements Initiative was launched in 2007, with the objective of achieving operational improvements in the short and medi-

Anders Hallgren, EUROCONTROL Opera-tions Planning Expert, looksathowairspacemanagementhasdevelopedtoensureadynamicutilisationofavailableairspaceinrealtime,ensuringthatairspaceusersmakethemostoftheairspaceavailable.

Airspacemanagement:acollaborativeandtransparentdecision-makingprocess

um-term. This Initiative also focused on issues relating to civil/military air-space utilisation as a means of opti-mising airspace use, as highlighted by the Performance Review Commission. In particular, processes in support of effective civil/military cooperation, to-gether with a more user-friendly noti-fication process, were seen as very im-portant enablers to provide for a more dynamic use of airspace.

A more dynamic airspace management

A first concrete step in the move towards a more dynamic process has already been taken: the air-space use plan (AUP) is now is-sued on the day before operations (called D-1), and changes can therefore also be dealt with before the tactical phase.

Anders Hallgren


This is the first step towards a key de-liverable of the ASM Improvements Initiative, i.e. the promulgation of procedures allowing for a continuous, rolling process where the airspace us-ers can better take advantage of avail-able airspace. The scope of the rolling process is to improve the planning phase by allowing for changes to air-space to be uploaded and shared with users in real-time. Even though some

changes will still have to be dealt with at a tactical ATC level, the more that can be handled at the planning stage, the more efficient network operations will be.

Support tools

The development of tools to support the airspace management activities is of course essential. Without the in-troduction of improvements to the system such as CIAM (the CFMU/air-space manager interface), and LARA (local/sub-regional ASM tool), it would not be possible to take full advantage of the processes developed. A full in-teroperability of tools required both at national and network level is certainly a pre-requisite to ensuring an auto-matic exchange of data.

Real-time up-to-date airspace dataAt the same time, the DMEAN CONOPs recognised the need for a common and consolidated view of European airspace data, kept up-to-date in real-time, as the main enabler for opera-tional improvements.

ADR, a virtual airspace data repository, provides access to consistent sources

of airspace information containing both static and dynamic elements, which will support the ASM/ATFCM/ATC collaborative process.

Real-time simulation to confirm benefitsA real-time simulation is scheduled for the beginning of 2012 to prepare for how processes related to the ADR (in particular data on airspace status) could be provided. This simulation will address and investigate changes in airspace status as they are handled in real-time during actual ATC opera-tions, which in ASM terms is called ASM level III. The objective of the simulation is to perform an initial val-idation of the process and confirm possible benefits that can potentially be delivered such as:

n promoting the use of the air-space and/or capacity for plan-ning purposes as soon as it is available;

n safety improvements;n more accurate and relevant air

traffic flow and capacity manage-ment (ATFCM) measures due to ASM/ATFCM operations based on real use of airspace and not only on intentions.

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Role of airspace management cellsStates have established airspace management cells (AMCs) to allocate the required airspace on a day-to-day basis and to promulgate each day the airspace allocation decision for the following day, through an airspace use plan (AUP).

Today, most national AMCs are involved only during the planning phases, and do not perform any tactical monitoring of the airspace situation. In most cases, the tac-tical information is not even available. However, the developments previously out-lined aiming at increasing the dynamism of ASM and moving parts of the pre-tactical phase into the day of operations through a rolling process will have an impact on the future roles and responsibilities of AMCs.

If, in a future dynamic system, the AMCs are not aware of the real situation i.e. do not receive real-time airspace status updates, it will be difficult for them to take informed decisions on the development and progressive issuing of dynamic airspace use plan updates and to be sure that the plan and updates are still relevant.

ASM solution process

However, the ASM Improvements Initiative is not only focused on the development of processes. One of its important objectives is to identify and support States and air navigation ser-vice providers (ANSPs) to make use of hidden ATM system capacity through an assessment of where ASM improve-ments could support more efficient network operations. ASM solutions are the response to the current capacity is-sues linked to the sharing of airspace between civil and military users, mak-ing extensive use of airspace manage-ment tools, processes and procedures.

The ASM solution process is aimed at delivering ATFCM options that will al-leviate capacity problems identified in any particular area of the European airspace, where a better management of ASM airspace structures (e.g. CDRs) could help alleviate ATM delays. It is intended to complement the current CFMU scenarios in use, offering a flex-ible approach towards network-wide air traffic management.

The ASM solutions process is a col-laborative process; it is based on the partnership between ANSPs, aircraft operators and the military to make the

best decision acceptable to all parties. While decision-making remains with the national Flight Management Posi-tion (FMP)/AMC, the Network Manager is the entity best situated to have the network perspective and to propose the optimal solution for a particular situation.

In order to get the process for ASM solutions up and running, a number of enablers have to be put in place, namely:

n concept of utilisationn supporting toolsn appropriate coordination proce-

dures between the network man-ager, aircraft operators and military

n data availability (traffic demand, airspace status and environment data).

To date, a number of trials organised by EUROCONTROL have been run to prove the concept and to identify pre-liminary requirements for further de-ployment of ASM solutions.

The outcome in terms of usefulness and network management improve-ments is promising, as these resulting solutions have been validated by ap-plication to real traffic.

So far, the ASM solutions have been used only during weekends; therefore, coordination with the military was not


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required. The next phase will be to consider application during weekdays, which will require full coordination with the military.

The trials were also focused on D-1 processes using historical traffic data. The objective is now to extend the ap-plication of ASM solutions to the day of operations with the purpose of us-ing the developed scenarios with real traffic data, hence responding more dynamically to capacity problems.

Short-term deliverables

Based on the finalisation of procedures and use of existing supporting tools, the short-term target is to put the ASM solution process into operation for this summer, mainly focusing on the south-east axis major traffic flow. The first ob-jective is to improve the situation dur-ing weekends, and once the process is stable and running smoothly, it will be considered for weekdays as well.

By the end of 2011 the ASM Improve-ments Initiative is expected to deliver the processes and procedures needed to apply the “rolling process”, and there is now a need to identify the next steps required to continue improving the management and utilisation of air-space. Various EUROCONTROL working arrangements, in close coordination with the related SESAR work packages, are already looking at the implemen-tation steps needed over the next five years to enable the new ASM/ATFCM/ATS scenario in the context of network operations. A conceptual vision of a wider collaborative sequence of pro-cesses between the ASM, ATFCM and ATS partners that should provide for further enhancement of the flexible use of airspace and the European ATM as a whole is required.

The intention is to define implemen-tation steps that introduce perfor-mance-driven operations based on the management of airspace con-figurations. It will also provide for processes that support the use of more dynamic and flexible elements, and describe in more detail a seam-less, CDM-based ASM/ATFCM/ATS process with real-time management of airspace configurations as well as a continuous sharing of information enabled by advanced technology developed within SESAR step II (e.g. SWIM, the system-wide information management).

Once such conceptual elements are agreed, they will steer the future developments in a way that is con-sistent with the SESAR ATM Master Plan, allowing us to progress in the right direction on our way towards SESAR, while continuing to progres-sively improve network operations in order to to meet agreed perfor-mance targets. n

So far, the ASM solutions have been used only during weekends; therefore, coordination with the military was not required. The next phase will be to consider application during weekdays, which will require full coordination with the military.

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Preparations for each summer season culminate with the publication of the seasonal Network Operations Plan at the end of April each year. By this stage the capacity plans, route network and airspace changes of all area control centres (ACCs) have been finalised from a planning perspective. Based on forecast traffic demand, strategic air traffic flow and capacity manage-ment (ATFCM) and airspace manage-ment (ASM) measures are planned to counterbalance bottlenecks and other potential problems.

Of course, the tactical situation will vary quite significantly from that fore-seen at the planning stage for several reasons.

Basedonforecasttrafficdemand,strategicairtrafficflowandcapacitymanagement(ATFCM)andairspacemanagement(ASM)measuresareplannedtocounterbalancebottlenecksandotherpotentialproblems.Brian Flynn, EUROCONTROL Head of Network Operations,tellsusmoreaboutanticipatingeverytypeofeventanddisruption,anddevelop-ingandimplementingsmalloperationally-focussedactionstosuiteverycircumstance.

TacticalhandlingoftheEuropeanairspacenetwork

The weather

We hear a lot about climate change. Whether there is a genuine climate change in Europe or not, we have cer-tainly experienced significantly differ-ent weather patterns over the last few summers. Summer en-route weather disruption usually mostly affects the central parts of Europe. While much of north western Europe basked in un-seasonal early summer sunshine, sev-eral other parts of Europe experienced significant weather disruption in June.

Network Management Operations (NM Operations) has increased its activities in this area in order to better anticipate and mitigate the effects of adverse

weather on capacity. Detailed weather forecasts (precipitation, winds, visibi-lity) are assessed. Discussions then take place with air navigation service pro-viders (ANSPs) so that the likely effects on capacity are assessed and mitiga-tion measures prepared for implemen-tation at an appropriate stage, rather than relying on the traditional reactive approach. These procedures are being finalised and will be fully deployed be-fore the end of 2011.

Political events

Events in the Arab world have had some impact on the tourist traffic patterns expected for this summer. Growth has been lower than expected

Brian Flynn


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in parts of the south east and higher than expected in the south west and Scandinavia. The patterns are however irregular, which makes it difficult for ANSPs to provide day-to-day capacity aligned with a volatile demand situa-tion. A no-fly zone in Libyan airspace has been in place since March. Where-as the overall disruption to air traffic is minimal, substantial coordination between NATO, Malta ATS, other ad-jacent ACCs and NM Operations (par-ticularly on flight plan authorisations) is continuing.

We have had our second (hopefully not annual) significant volcanic erup-tion. Fortunately the disruption was much less significant than in 2010. The eruption lasted for a shorter duration. New thresholds for the safe opera-tion of commercial air traffic were in place in time for the event. The Euro-pean Aviation Crisis Coordination Cell (EACCC) was officially convened un-der the joint chair of EUROCONTROL Director of Network Management (DNM) and the European Commission. Our newest tool, EVITA (the European Crisis Visualisation Interactive Tool for ATFCM) was operationally deployed. This enabled the volcanic ash charts and associated danger areas to be plotted and displayed to all opera-tional NOP users. Aircraft operators were able to plot the route of a flight plan using the EVITA tool as part of their assessment of the circumstances in which intended flights should take place.

Significant ATFCM events also took place, including the relocation of Frankfurt air traffic controllers to a new tower in preparation for the fourth runway and a new ACC in Belgrade. Such events require detailed short-term planning and special transition measures. Most airspace changes are implemented in the spring or winter. A number of significant changes have been successfully implemented and are providing more efficient route op-tions for airspace users. These changes require substantial testing and valida-tion by operational staff from ANSPs

and NM Operations prior to imple-mentation. All these events took place with no significant problems and reflect the excellent cooperation be-tween the ANSPs concerned, airspace users and NM Operations.

Despite the comprehensive advance planning there are several other fac-tors that result in tactical bottlenecks which need to be handled on a daily basis.

Some ANSPs are facing significant financial problems, mirroring the serious economic circumstances in several European countries. Such dif-ficulties, together with other factors, also lead to social tensions in the ATC community that are reflected in rigidi-ties in staffing, and sub-optimal capac-ity and sector configurations. A con-stant effort on a daily basis is required throughout the network in order to squeeze the maximum capacity and minimise delays and routing penalties for aircraft operators.

One of the main ATFCM processes used to manage the network is the axis concept. This concept has been in use for more than 10 years and seeks to optimise the handling of major sea-sonal traffic flows (e.g. south west axis – UK/IRL/Scandinavia < > Iberian pen-insula). A new “network delay attribu-tion” technique was successfully used on this axis this summer. The tech-nique involves collaborative agree-ment on an optimised traffic flow and an equitable sharing of the “delay

Despite the comprehensive advance planning there are several other factors that result in tactical bottlenecks which need to be handled on a daily basis.

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penalty” among the ANSPs involved according to the capacity provided rather than the actual delay incurred in each sector. This technique should prove to be a powerful tool for network optimisation in the future.

How are we doing so far?

First let us look at a bad day. On Sunday 24 July there were just under 29,000 flights. Total delays were more than 126,000 minutes. The average delay per flight was 4.37 minutes. Whereas this average delay may not seem very large, more than 5,000 flights had delays in excess of 23 minutes each. During the peak part of the day over 1,300 queries were received in NM Operations operations room from air-craft operators seeking an improve-ment for their individual flights. Our staff succeeded in finding alternative routes for some flights. The aircraft op-erator must choose between the cost of the additional route length and the de-lay. In many cases it was not possible to reduce the delay on flights. There were severe staffing and capacity problems both in the south west and south east part of the airspace. Weekends are very busy in these areas with thousands of holiday makers going to and returning from these holiday destinations. The overall situation, however, is much improved on 2010 (admittedly a very bad year for delays and disruptions to the network). Delays are down by over 40% compared with the first three summer months of 2010. The forecast en-route delay for the summer is 1.7 minutes per flight. Current indications are that this figure will be met or bet-tered. Significant capacity improve-ments have been achieved at some

ACCs and airports. In addition to these real capacity improvements, NM Operations in its new role as part of the network management function is focussing its efforts on comprehensive assistance to and coordination with ANSPs in order to achieve every pos-sible minor real-time improvement on a daily basis. A number of concrete and practical action plans have been developed with individual ANSPs. These involve bilateral visits between NM Operations and ACC flow manage-ment position (FMP) and supervisory staff, tailor-made training, refinements of sector configurations and capaci-ties, etc. Within the new Network Management Directorate structure, all other aspects including airspace and route design, airport integration in the network and safety form a fully inte-gral part of these action plans.

The allocation of the network mana-gement function to EUROCONTROL

presents enormous challenges and opportunities for the Directorate of Network Management. We are al-ready well advanced in focussing on this network optimisation role in our activities, including the tactical handling of the network. Whereas 2012 and beyond will present enor-mous challenges in the context of the SES performance scheme, a first look at summer 2011 operations shows that we have clearly em-braced the role.

Tactical handling of the network needs a constant “eye on the ball”, anticipating every type of event and disruption, and developing and imple-menting small operationally-focussed actions to suit every circumstance. n

Tactical handling of the network needs a constant “eye on the ball”, anticipating every type of event and disruption, and developing and implementing small operationally-focussed actions to suit every circumstance.


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Mireille Roman

Dirk De Herdt

Jean-Marie Leboutte, FRAM Project Leader, Dirk De Herdt, FRAM Deputy Project Leader, and Mireille Roman, responsible for Communications at Maastricht UAC,reportontheimplementationofFreeRouteAirspaceinthecoreofEurope.

AsthecrowfliesFRAM: Free Route Airspace Maastricht

Sub-optimal air routes

Recent studies1 have demonstrated that air routes in Europe are not optimally designed. In 2010 a flight’s route was on average 47.6 km (or 5.5%) too long com-pared to its optimum flight trajectory. Deviations from the optimum flight trajectory generate additional flight and engine running time, fuel burn, gas emissions and high costs to the indus-try. Extended air routes are due to sev-eral factors, e.g. sub-optimal airspace design, inefficient city pairs, constraints related to the need for civil and military airspace users to share the airspace, in-appropriate flight planning and route utilisation or route restrictions.

The current environmental and eco-nomic challenges facing the aviation industry demand rapid and funda-mental progress on flight efficiency. The introduction of performance as-sessments and targets is an effec-tive mechanism in driving the per-formance of the European air traffic management system.

Carbon-neutral growth

Starting in 2012, the EU-wide per-formance targets agreed under the Single European Sky legislation will provide a formal framework for the development of safer and more ef-ficient European airspace, with

straighter and shorter routes. The objective is to move towards carbon-neutral air traffic growth. The Single European Sky performance scheme stipulates that by 2014 the average route extension in Europe must be reduced by 0.75% compared to the situation in 2009.

So far, significant focus has been placed on initiatives to improve air-space design and network mana-gement and to reduce flight route extension. One of the most signi-ficant developments in the core area of Europe is the introduction of a Night Route Network in the FABEC – Functional Airspace Block Europe Central – area, the busiest of Europe’s nine functional airspace blocks.

The Single European Sky performance scheme stipulates that by 2014 the average route exten-sion in Europe must be reduced by 0.75% compared to the situation in 2009.

Jean-Marie

Leboutte

1- Performance Review Report,An Assessment of Air Traffic Management in Europe during the Calendar Year 2010, published May 2011

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At the end of 2010, some 115 new routes were implemented as part of the FABEC Night Network programme, shortening total flight distance by 1.5 million km per year and resulting in savings of 4,800 tonnes of kerosene and 16,000 tonnes of CO

2.

The Free Route Airspace Maastricht (FRAM) programme complements the FABEC Night Network programme and provides an initial operational valida-tion for conceptual elements of the SESAR air traffic management target concept. FRAM is therefore a first step towards the implementation of aircraft operators’ preferred business trajecto-ries, which will allow pilots to choose

their entry and exit points freely in a given airspace and fly their preferred route.

What is free route airspace? Free route airspace refers to a specific portion of airspace within which air-craft operators may plan a route freely between a defined entry point and a defined exit point, with the possibility of deviating via intermediate naviga-tion points without reference to the fixed route network. Within this air-space, flights remain at all times sub-ject to air traffic control and to any overriding airspace restrictions.

Free Route Airspace Maastricht (FRAM): 142 new direct routes introduced as from March 2011.

What is FRAM – Free Route Airspace Maastricht? For several decades now air traffic con-trollers at the Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) have been of-fering aircraft operators direct routes as far as possible. However, these routes – or direct clearances – have not been reflected in the flight plan, which has always referred to the fixed route network.

In March 2011, some 142 new direct routes were introduced, in addition to the 40 direct routes already de-ployed in MUAC airspace as part of the FABEC Night Network. Aircraft opera-tors are therefore able to flight-plan these routes and it is estimated that some 250 aircraft are able to benefit from shorter routes every night from 00:00 to 08:00 CET.

FABEC Night Network: at the end of 2010, some 115 new routes had been implemented, shortening total flight distance by 1.5 million km per year and resulting in savings of 4,800 tonnes of kerosene and 16,000 tonnes of CO

2.


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For aircraft operators and for air traffic managers, this means:

n better flight and network predict-ability

n better flight efficiencyn reduced fuel upliftn reduced engine running timen greater cost-effectivenessn reduced environmental impactn better air traffic management per-

formance through more accurate traffic prediction and improved sec-tor workload.

FRAM aims to achieve an acceptable balance between flight efficiency and capacity requirements while maintain-ing or improving current safety stan-dards without hampering military mis-sion effectiveness.

FRAM and military operations

Military aviation has a vital role to play in the security of each State. It is, there-fore, fundamental for each State to be able to operate its military forces to en-able them to discharge their security and defence responsibilities. FRAM will support the level of military mission ef-fectiveness required by each State.

In order to meet the increasing needs of both civil and military airspace users in terms of airspace volume and utili-sation time, close cooperation is key in order to take full advantage of limited airspace.

Operational characteristics of FRAM

n The FRAM concept is characterised by the absence of any reference to the route network and is an integral part of the overall airspace organisation.

n FRAM will encompass the lateral boundar-ies of the MUAC area of responsibility and will extend vertically from flight level 245 (24,500 ft or 7.5 km) to the highest operat-ing level of managed airspace.

n FRAM airspace is seamlessly connected with non-FRAM airspace.

n Transparency with adjacent partners isensured in the Brussels UIR, Amsterdam FIR and Hannover UIR 245+, with the exception of ATS delegated areas.

n Close coordination is maintained withthe CFMU.

n Unrestricted free route airspace cannot be envisaged within the MUAC area of responsibility owing to the complexity of the airspace and the nature and density of traffic. Because flight profiles are no longer aligned with routes, there are a greater number of random crossing points.

n Airspace Management Cell manageable airspace structures remain unaltered.

n All airspace users have equal accessto FRAM.

Expected benefits

FRAM is all about planning, filing and flying direct routes in one of the densest areas of the continent.

The savings expected from FRAM deployment at night and at week-ends alone compared to the fixed route network are:

n 624,000 NMs or 1.16 million km per year when compared to the fixed route network. This equates to flying 29 times around the world!

n Some 3,700 tonnes of fuel (calculations are based on the average consumption of an A320).

n 12,000 tonnes of CO2.

n 37 tonnes of NOX.

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Technology

The operational implementation of FRAM is closely linked to the technical deployment of features of the high-tech air traffic control system in place at MUAC. Systems are maintained and managed in-house in line with opera-tional requirements. With only slight modifications to the existing software, technical and operational staff were able to prove during real-time simula-tions that the system can fully support FRAM operations.

Partnerships

In order to ensure its optimal deploy-ment, the implementation of free route airspace is being closely coor-

dinated with similar initiatives in the area. The future will bring new partners on the road to greater flight efficiency. DFS Karlsruhe ACC (Ger-many), Naviair (Denmark), NATS (UK) and LVF (Sweden) are expected to link their initiatives with the MUAC FRAM programme.

Free route airspace deployment in EuropeAir navigation services in FABEC, Sweden, Portugal and Ireland have already deployed free route air-space at local level, either in full or in part. FRAM, however, represents the first operation of free route air-space in the high-density core area of Europe.

To ensure the robustness of the concept, FRAM will be deployed in incremental phases:

n March 2011: during the least busy hours of the night,

from 00:00 to 06:00 CET

n June 2011: extended night-time, from 00:00 to 08:00 CET

n end of 2011: weekends, from Saturdays 00:00 to Mondays

08:00 CET

n early 2012: a real-time simulation will confirm that further deployment is feasible and safe

n 2012: day-time on busy Fridays (from 12:00 CET to Monday 08:00 CET) and during national holidays

n 2013+:24/7 operations. Full concept of

user-preferred trajectories.

Area of responsibility: MUAC is responsible for the upper airspace (above 7.5 km or 24,500 feet) of Benelux and north-west Germany. With 1.5 million flights controlled per year, MUAC is the second busiest air traffic control facility in Europe. It is responsible for the upper airspace of the Benelux and north-west Germany. Because traffic patterns show a significant portion of climbing and de-scending flights, MUAC’s airspace is among the most complex in Europe. The airspace is located either above or close to the main European hubs of London, Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. For several successive years MUAC has been rated by independent assessors as one of the most cost-effective air navigation service providers in Europe, with by far the highest controller productivity.

For more information, please contact: Jean-Marie LeboutteFRAM Project [email protected] +31 43 366 1554

Dirk De herdtFRAM Deputy Project [email protected]+31 43 366 1321

Mireille Roman (for media)MUAC [email protected]+31 43 366 1352

Aircraft operators:for more information on the direct routes, consult the euROcONtROL Route Availability Document (RAD) on: https://www.public.cfmu.eurocontrol.int/PUBPORTAL/gateway/spec/index.html

The RAD can be consulted via the seventh blue header in the left column of the Network Operations portal (NOP), by clicking on “RAD homepage”, then “AIRAC”, then “Appendix 4”.

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Since 2007, as part of an overall net-work development approach, the Route Network Development Sub-Group (RNDSG) Secretariat has worked in close cooperation with all functional airspace block (FAB) initiatives to pro-vide support to FAB airspace design.

All the FAB initiatives utilised the Ad-vanced Airspace Scheme (AAS) and the Dynamic Management of the Eu-ropean Airspace Network (DMEAN) Operational Concepts as the main inputs for their operational concepts. Most of the FAB initiatives used a har-monised approach, as suggested by EUROCONTROL, for the development of their future airspace structure.

OneoftheSingleEuropeanSkyrequirementsfortheFABsistoenableoptimumuseofairspace,takingintoaccounttrafficflows,andtoensureconsistencywiththeEuropeanroutenetwork.Razvan Bucuroiu, Head of the EUROCON-TROL Operations Planning Unit,looksatthevariousFABapproachestakeninthecontextofATSRouteNetworkVer-sion-7.

IntegrationoffunctionalairspaceblocksintoARNversion-7

The close cooperation between EUROCONTROL and the FABs allowed for continuous cross-fertilisation be-tween the airspace projects developed in the context of the FABs, the medium and long-term airspace development processes, the deployment of future operational concepts and the evalua-tion of the future operational perfor-mance of the European ATM network.

EUROCONTROL supported the coor-dinated development and deploy-ment of the FAB improvements. This ensured, as requested for all FAB ini-tiatives, overall pan-European net-work consistency and interconnectiv-ity, interconnectivity inside FABs and

between FABs, uniform application of airspace management (ASM) and air traffic flow and capacity management (ATFCM) procedures, synchronised im-plementation of new airspace projects or operational concepts and a cohesive view of performance improvements in relation to the targets set at political level.

ARN Version-7 (ATS Route Network) includes contributions from a large number of FABs. This consolidated view responds to the Single European Sky requirements for the FABs: to en-able optimum use of airspace, taking into account traffic flows, and to ensure consistency with the European route network.

Razvan Bucuroiu

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1. fAB europe central (fABec)Very close cooperation was established through the techni-cal and operational support provided to the FABEC airspace design working groups. A large number of projects were de-veloped covering various parts of the FABEC airspace, and consolidation of individual projects, an overall FAB view and an overall European network view and integration were en-sured. All the projects scheduled for deployment over the period 2011-2014 are now included in ARN Version-7. These include the deployment of the new concept of night direct routes. 6

2. BLue MeD fABA catalogue of airspace projects was finalised with the BLUE MED FAB containing a large number of airspace design proposals that are within the scope of ARN Version-7. The RNDSG Secretariat provided support in the development of this catalogue and in the assessment of the benefits of the proposals made. Network integration of all the projects scheduled for deployment over the period 2011-2014 was ensured through ARN Version-7. The deployment of the new concept of night direct routes within the BLUE MED FAB forms part of ARN Version-7.

3. fAB central europe (fAB ce)All the projects due to be deployed during the period 2011-2014 within the geographical area of the FAB CE are now included as FAB CE contributions to ARN Version 7. Full net-work consistency was ensured. A proposal on the future evolution of the European night direct routes network in the FAB CE airspace forms part of ARN Version-7, as does the implementation of night Free Route operations in Prague FIR.

4. uK-Ireland fABAll the projects due to be deployed during the period 2011-2014 within the geographical area of the UK-Ireland FAB are now included as FAB contributions to ARN Version 7. Full network consistency was ensured. Appropriate links were

ensured to provide good interconnectivity with similar ini-tiatives in the FABEC or other adjacent airspace.

5. Danube fABA good cooperation process was established with the Dan-ube FAB on airspace design aspects with the clear under-standing that the work with the States involved forms part of the overall European network airspace design process. A catalogue of proposals was developed containing a large number of airspace design proposals covering the short, medium and long term. These proposals took into account the overall European ATS route network evolution but also the implementation of more advanced concepts (Free Route or Free Route-like). Complete integration of these projects within ARN Version-7 was ensured. 6. North european (Ne) fABA good cooperation process was put in place between the NE FAB and the RNDSG Secretariat for the introduction of the related projects within ARN Version-7 and in order to ensure overall network consistency. The main aspects ad-dressed were related to the implementation of Free Route operations.

7. Denmark/Sweden fABThe main contributions of the Denmark/Sweden FAB to ARN Version-7 relate to the harmonised deployment of Free Route Operations. In addition, network consistency was en-sured at the interface with other FABs through the develop-ment of a number of interface projects that ensured overall network consistency. These projects were a result of the overall network coordination process. 8. Baltic fAB The contributions of the Baltic FAB to ARN Version-7 relate to the overall development of a new airspace structure for Polish airspace, as part of the European airspace network developments, and to the development of more efficient connections within Lithuanian airspace with the overall route network. The deployment of these projects will en-sure enhanced capacity and flight efficiency performance in the Baltic FAB. 9. South west Portugal Spain fAB The airspace design projects relating to the South West Por-tugal Spain FAB contributions to ARN Version-7 relate to the overall development of new airspace projects within Spain. The implementation of Free Route Operations within all of Portuguese airspace completed the overall improvement of the airspace structure in Portugal. Further developments in Portugal could be expected in terms of sectorisation, de-pending on the trend in traffic demand. n

Approach taken with the FABs in the context of ARN Version-7


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32

FOCUS

The challenge for air traf-fic management (ATM) is to manage large num-bers of aircraft safely and efficiently while match-ing capacity and limit-ing the environmental

impact. In this context, trajectory management (TM) ensures that the constraints of individual air-craft are met. This is the basic prin-ciple advocated by both SESAR and NextGen when they envisage ATM development programmes centred on trajectory-based operations (TBO), i.e. programmes which are entirely dependent on the management of 4D trajectories.

Basically, 4D trajectory management makes it easier for aircraft operators to plan their preferred routes at their

preferred times, through coordination with all ATM stakeholders, and subse-quently to fly their preferred planned trajectories without the need for inter-vention, whenever possible.

4D trajectory planning consists of a layered process taking into account business intention, aircraft type and performance, meteorological infor-mation and potential airspace/airport constraints. It is negotiated through ef-ficient collaborative decision-making (CDM) processes, driven by the busi-ness intentions, with a view to achiev-ing the best possible compromise.

4D trajectory prediction starts at the gate. Taxi routes and target off-block, take-off and in-block times resulting from CDM processes become part of the agreed reference trajectory,

which is jointly agreed between all ac-tors and shared through the network. Similarly, 4D trajectory execution and revision can be initiated in the air or on the ground, the output being the reference trajectory.

A number of activities involving sev-eral disciplines are required within the 4D TM framework. The quality, accu-racy and timeliness of the data avail-able to all ATM participants is essential for the successful management of 4D trajectories and is subject to extensive research and development activities.

Why do we need 4D trajectory management? The goal of achieving TBO introduces a paradigm change not only in the concept of operations, but also in the

Ibrahim Bayraktutar

4Dtrajectorymanagement

4Dtrajectorymanagementisexpectedtoimproveairtrafficoperations,inparticulartoincreasetheoverallpredictabilityoftraffic,withbenefitstoairlinesandairtrafficmanagement.Ibrahim Bayraktutar, SESAR Trajectory Management Design Project Manager, explainshow4Dtrajectorymanagementmakesiteasierforaircraftoperatorstoplantheirpreferredroutesattheirpreferredtimes.


interaction between the flight man-agement and trajectory management functions. This shift has an impact on the multitude of different trajectory predictors that support these func-tions. 4D TM is required to achieve true gate-to-gate operations, ensuring that tra-jectories are efficient and conflict-free and that where possible they corre-spond to the users’ preferred trajec-tory – the reference business trajectory (RBT) in SESAR terminology. This means that there is a requirement for a system capable of getting the trajectories from the users who generate them to the ATM system where they are needed. The trajectories have to be exchanged in a consistent manner, together with all the associated quality tags which will qualify them for planning, separa-

tion or both, using criteria such as ac-curacy, robustness, stability, etc.

What is required?

4D TM requires the use of control-ler decision support tools (e.g. arrival manager utilising P-RNAV) featuring advanced automation and the associ-ated infrastructure and procedures. Central to the concept and the sup-port tools are the air and ground tra-jectory prediction processes and the negotiation of the trajectories.

To achieve TBO using 4D TM, several issues will have to be addressed at

each ATM capability level defined in SESAR. These include:

n how to ensure a consistent view of the trajectory among the different civil and military stakeholders;

n how to define what “a consistent view of the trajectory” actually means (i.e. how to define certain TM system requirements) and derive its conse-quences and impacts on ATC ground systems;

n how to accept changes in the refer-ence business trajectory/mission tra-jectory. For example, what is the set of changes/constraints that can be proposed and how are they encoded and interpreted, how is the flight in-tent and aircraft intent information created and by which system?

4D trajectory plan-ning consists of a layered process taking into account business intention, aircraft type and perfor-mance, meteorologi-cal information and potential airspace/airport constraints.

FOCUS

34

How can this be achieved?

44 PLANNINg

The preparation of a Network Operations Plan (NOP) will start with the user-preferred trajectories (UPTs) combined with the ATM constraints which have an impact on a flight or group of flights.

Currently, owing to uncertainty in the long term (more than 10 minutes – the look-ahead time), traffic complexity manage-ment does not consider potential conflicts but only interact-ing pairs. As some of the trajectories will have a quality tag “suitable for separation”, the traffic complexity management layer will have already performed separation management at planning level in order to reduce complexity and it will deliver conflict-free NOP RBTs, whenever possible.

This process will already require some level of TM support to facilitate a trajectory as close as possible to the UPT satisfying the set of constraints. This means that:

n for the airspace users who have the capability to provide shared business trajectories (SBT), trajectory negotiation/exchanges will be applied;

n for the airspace users without the capability to provide SBTs, the NOP will be prepared by the ATM system support-ed by the required automation tools.

Since not all the constraints will have the same “urgency” tag, a prioritisation process can be applied. In this case, the NOP-pre-paring ATM process may decide to release some constraints depending on the level of associated uncertainty.

Use of ATM automation tools is a continuous process, and for each flight the final RBT identified as “NOP-compliant” should be frozen as late as possible to ensure that it has been agreed taking into account the latest information on ATM constraints and other flights’ RBTs.

The process of getting to the RBTs should be implement-ed within the real-time ATM system itself, which will also include a set of automation tools to support the imple-mentation of the agreed NOP and, where this cannot be achieved, to use the required tools to revise the RBT (e.g. to provide a new departure sequence, arrival sequence, rerouting, etc.).

44 eXecutION

In a fully compliant SESAR concept, we can envisage the planning phase of ATM ending just before push-back. The following phase will require the “guidance” element, on board and on the ground, ensuring that the aircraft flies the agreed RBT and that everything happens as planned.

This already raises the question of the location of the TM process for the future ATM system – should it be in the aircraft operations centre (AOC) or in the flight man-agement system (FMS)? Since the AOC will have a better knowledge of the overall strategy for the complete fleet and given the availability of high bandwidth links which can be used to continuously update the ATM constraints where each SBT/RBT is optimised, a shift of the TM pro-cess from the cockpit to the AOC could be envisaged.

Challenge

A challenging area will be when the progress of one or more aircraft cre-ates a situation in which the NOP can-not be maintained or in which the ATM system itself requires a change to the NOP.

The ATM system will rely on a manage-ment component by means of which, through a set of strategies and what-ifs, a solution can be found which is as close as possible to the previous NOP in order to ensure plan stability while

at the same time taking into account flight efficiency. This component will require a level of intelligence so that constraints coming from separation insurance components (conflict de-tection and resolution), ETO planning modules (integrated arrival/departure manager), traffic complexity manage-ment modules, and probably others, can be integrated in the most efficient way whilst minimising the changes to be applied to the NOP.

This will require the development of a very interdependent/integrated set of

ATM automation tools and strategies within the ATM system. For example, a change in the trajectory of one air-craft to satisfy a separation constraint (probably the ones with the high-est priority) may result in a trajectory which can no longer satisfy a planning time constraint (calculated time of ar-rival (CTA)) for the same flight. Howev-er, the opposite is also possible, such that a management module with the right level of intelligence can find a strategy to comply with a separation constraint which also has a beneficial impact on a traffic complexity con-

REVIEW


However, in the next decade, such an advanced system may not be feasible, because not all aircraft will be able to fly their trajectory to a level of “quality” sufficient to ensure gate-to-gate conflict-free planning at NOP-preparation time. This means that the ATM planning layer will have to be support-ed by a separation (conflict detection and resolution) layer as well as the automation tools from tactical controller tool (TCT) to traffic complexity management during execution.

This ATM system will operate in a closed loop and continu-ously monitor the progress of individual flights against RBTs. Due to the difference in the quality of each trajectory, some flights with “high-quality trajectories” may only require RBT-adherence monitoring (position, time and speed), whereas others with “lower-quality trajectories” may require continu-ous monitoring of their separation and planning time adher-ence (estimated time over (ETO)).

Consequently, prior to entry into the SESAR 4D TM area, each flight will receive a “trajectory clearance” which may be quite different from one aircraft to the next depending on aircraft capabilities. For non-equipped aircraft, the trajec-tory clearance may simply result in a sequence of standard route/level/speed clearances provided to the air traffic con-troller (ATCO) by automation and sent by voice, whereas for fully equipped ones it may be a 4D TM contract for a given look-ahead time with tolerances in the constraint-matching process.

As soon as the aircraft is active in the 4D TM area, it will be continuously monitored against the RBT, covering separation as well as ETOs to ensure that the NOP can be maintained.

straint downstream of the flight with-out invalidating a CTA constraint on the same flight.

Conclusion

TBO is the foundation of the SESAR concept. It requires a significant shift in the focus for ATM from airspace to trajectory. The essence of the TBO con-cept is an agreement in which aircraft fly their preferred trajectories (busi-ness trajectories) which are facilitated by airport and air navigation service providers.

This will most probably not be “simple” time and speed monitoring but will, at least for the less equipped aircraft, continuously predict a limited look-ahead-time trajectory (15 minutes) to feed sepa-ration and planning prob-ing tools.

In addition, the monitoring limits will not be defined, as in the present system, as a set of limits requiring re-planning when overrun, but as an area where the aircraft can evolve without requiring re-planning to ensure that no flight is over-constrained unnecessarily . The dy-namic definition of this “area of freedom” will be quite a challenging process, as it requires the integration and prioritisation of constraints coming from the different layers of automation, from separation insurance to traffic complexity management, but it is essen-tial in order to maximise flight efficiency.

In the TBO environment, flight and trajectory management compo-nents will be using many different automation facilities. Interoperabili-ty among these facilities will be para-mount if a fully efficient TBO is to be achieved.

In addition, the trajectory predic-tion (TP) performance requirements are significantly different from those required for legacy systems, and any change in the TP requirements will result in a change in validation strat-egies from legacy methodologies.

It can be concluded that, the imple-mentation of TBO will be feasible, pro-vided that certain improvements in the communication infrastructure are realised in order to facilitate the effec-tive sharing of trajectories between air and ground systems, through system-wide information management. n

Trajectory-based operations (TBO) is the foundation of the SESAR concept.

36

INTERVIEW

Withfar-reachingexperienceintheCommissionandUKGovernment,andhavingbeeninJoséManuelBarroso’scabinetbetween2007and2010,MatthewBaldwinhasnowtakenanimportantroleinguidingEuropeanaviationthroughaverycomplexandchallengingtime.HetalkstoSkywayabouthisaimsandpriorities.

1. having taken up post in March 2011, what would you say are your main objectives as Director of Air transport?

In my short time here I have been fasci-nated by the challenges of this job. My time as a trade negotiator has helped in some respects, but aviation is a new and exciting world for me. The air transport portfolio is very diverse. I’m responsible for international negotiations, the avia-tion single market, the Single European Sky, aviation safety, and airports, as well as the fast-growing industry that is aviation security. The sheer diversity can be daunting, and making time for everything is a challenge, but a great experience so far. I inherit an amazing legacy from my predecessor, Daniel Calleja. One major priority is to consolidate to ensure that the momentum is not lost.

But there is new ground to break: we will also be coming up with a new

7 questions for

MatthewBaldwin, thenewlyappointedDirector

ofAirTransportattheEuropean Commission’sDirectorateGeneral ofMobilityandTransport,DGMOVE

package on airports in the autumn to tackle issues such as slots, ground han-dling, noise and the overall problem of airport capacity. Moreover, we will be bringing forth communications on se-curity, safety and, last but not least, our ideas on SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) deployment.

2. what are your priorities in terms of the Single european Sky?

Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas has frequently stated that his over-whelming priority is the Single Euro-pean Sky (SES). It goes without say-ing then, that if it is the key aim of the European Commission’s (EC’s) Trans-port Vice-President, it is by implication also mine! We must keep up the pace of reform.

The history is important, if you’ll allow me to trace the SES origins back a bit to the beginning. The EC was looking for a big-bang approach with a genuinely European dimension to airspace de-

sign. But the Member States were not ready for this top-down approach, so we developed a bottom-up approach whereby the Commission has asked the States to work out among them-selves how to implement a system of functional airspace blocks (FABs). The priority, however, is not so much the political or institutional agreements that establish the FABs. On the contrary, it is the actual operational implementa-tion of what is required to improve per-formance – operational coordination, merging airspaces, consolidating con-trol systems and so on.

In keeping with the bottom-up approach we have made a con-scious decision not to try and micro- manage this process. Instead, we have appointed a very active and ener-getic high-level coordinator in Georg Jarzembowski – the former German MEP. He is making an important impact and has been able to stimulate the pro-cess at the political level and keep it at the forefront of everyone’s minds.


INTERVIEW

MatthewBaldwin, thenewlyappointedDirector

ofAirTransportattheEuropean Commission’sDirectorateGeneral ofMobilityandTransport,DGMOVE

3. Are you satisfied with the current status of the fAB development process?

I would say that in principle we at the Commission are broadly satisfied with some of the work that’s been done. It is clear that there has been a lot of work at the institutional level. But we must remember that we are after more than institutional agreements: we want substantive performance im-provements. There is a slight concern that perhaps one or two of the FABs will be “empty shells” lacking substan-tive ATM agreements within them. The deadline of December 2012 is fast approaching, and so those FABs which are still concentrating on the institutional elements will need to pick up the pace quite dramatically. It is a complex solution. Take FABEC, the FAB Europe Central, for example. It has to deal with two large Member States, a very busy traffic scenario (55% of total European traffic) and the very different national conditions of its six participating countries. Other FABs are experiencing similar if not greater difficulties.

4. what role can you play in assisting the fAB process?

I want to be as helpful as I can. I see my role as helping to facilitate the rapid progress to fully functioning FABs that are clearly and demonstra-bly delivering higher performance. I am trying to meet as often as I can with the heads of national civil avia-tion authorities and CEOs of air navi-gation service providers and other stakeholder groups. In early July, for example, I met representatives from Hungary, Poland and Italy to discuss where they are and examine some of their proposals and suggestions. This is exactly what I think is needed. I want to participate in finding and implementing innovative and cre-ative ideas.

5. Are you confident in the role of the Network Manager?

Firstly, the Commission strongly wel-comes EUROCONTROL as the Net-work Manager, and we want to work in a spirit of real partnership. It is a remarkable joint effort between two very different institutions, and we will not overlook the pan-European aspect that EUROCONTROL brings to this arrangement. We hope to cement this collaboration further in the form of a high-level agreement as soon as we get a negotiating mandate from our Member States. It goes without saying that we are grateful for David McMillan’s inspired leadership as this has helped us to get this process mov-ing with a real sense of confidence that we will be successful.

6. Just how important do you consider fAB performance to be?

Performance is the absolute beat-ing heart of the Single European Sky. We can’t consider it a done deal until we have realised significant and en-during performance improvements. David McMillan, EUROCONTROL’s Director General, was right when he said “we can’t go on like this”. It is sim-ply not viable to keep running faster and faster just to keep still. We can’t al-low ourselves to be buffeted so badly by volcanic eruptions, bad weather and industrial action. Something has to fundamentally change. After all, we spend the same amount of money on our air transport system as the Ameri-cans and yet they manage to handle twice the amount of traffic.

7. Is the european commission ready to use its powers to ensure performance improvements?

Obviously, the Commission has a po-tentially strong role to play in imple-menting performance. The regulations give us a full set of sharp teeth should

we feel that the delivery on perfor-mance is being impeded in some way. In particular, we are very aware that airspace users are watching every move as they have expressed clear disappointment with the compromise reached with the Member States on establishing the performance targets. It is therefore an absolutely essential minimum requirement that we deliver on these targets. But first, we await the hard work and analysis through the summer led by the Chairman of the Performance Review Board, Peter Griffiths, and his excellent team in the PRU (Performance Review Unit). I am quietly confident that the calm, reasonable and logically iterative pro-cess in play between the Performance Review Board, Member States and the Commission will in fact deliver the re-quired results. We know that we can’t let the process lose any momentum whatsoever.

When I look at the contribution that has been made by my predecessors and the leadership shown by people like Vice-President Siim Kallas and David McMillan it is very clear to me that the opportunity for radically im-proving the performance of the Euro-pean air transport system has been en-thusiastically taken up. It is now up to the likes of me to complete the work in the interests of the citizens of the EU and the wider European family be-yond its borders. In these difficult eco-nomic times, this is truly an area where we can make significant economic improvements and deliver a safer, cleaner, more cost-effective and better managed system for everyone. n

38

INDEPENDENT PLATFORM

Aviation journalist Simon Michell looksatsomeofthekeychallengesfacingtheEuropeanaviationsectorasitseekstoimprovethewayairspaceisdesignedandused.HetalkstoGrahamLakeandBoRedeborn.

Operationalchallengesto

enhancingairspaceusage

Delay and inefficiency are the bug bears of air travel in Europe. Last year for example, delay was the worst it had been for a decade. The price of this de-lay to the airlines and to passengers is not straightforward to calculate as many of the costs, particularly to the passengers, are hidden. Suffice to say that even a decade ago it was estimat-ed by the Institute du Transport aérien to be possibly as much as €11.5 billion.

The trouble is that there is no silver bullet that can suddenly fix the way air travel operations are handled and controlled by eliminating the factors that introduce delay and inefficiency. The issues are complex and require not just technical expertise but dip-lomatic skill and regulatory stamina. Furthermore, the European air travel network is not only dealing with some elements that are beyond its control – winter storms, volcanic eruptions, global financial meltdowns – but also with issues that, although they can be influenced – fragmentation, regu-lation, civil/military cooperation and

union militancy – require a coordi-nated and consensual strategic vision – one that can be achieved by Europe’s nations at the same time. That vision has been delivered to the European Union Member States via the Single European Sky. It is being more widely implemented throughout most of Europe through voluntary compliance by non-EU States.

The structural causes of delay relating to the design of the airspace and the way in which aircraft are prevented from flying the most direct and short-est routes from airport to airport are being addressed. The initial division of airspace according to national boundaries is finally being revised to enable larger international segments of airspace to evolve into the so-called functional airspace blocks (FABs). Within these FABs, military airspace is becoming more available through the process of flexible use of airspace (FUA). The SESAR Programme is devel-oping the technology and procedures that will underpin the vision. On the

Simon Michell


face of it, it looks like it should only be a matter of time before the situation is turned around.

As with any major project of this kind there are pitfalls and blockages along the way. graham Lake, Directorgeneral of cANSO, points out that persuading the military to give up their airspace is not always easy but it can be done. The challenge is to cre-ate an environment of trust and un-derstanding, and to develop airspace solutions that meet the needs of all users. “Germany in particular has been integrating civil and military airspace needs very effectively for years. Their experience has shown that it is inevi-tably a slow process that is built on de-veloping trust and understanding be-tween the stakeholders,” he explains. Although there are obvious times when military airspace, which is mostly used for training, may not normally be in use – weekends and public holidays for example – the fact remains that some airspace will always be needed for exclusive military use. However,

perhaps there is room for some ra-tionalisation. “In our united Europe, I hope we have now reached the point where not every State requires its own dedicated military training airspace,” suggests Lake. Balancing the needs of the military to train pilots or surface-based weapons operators against the needs of an efficient commercial air-space network is not always straight forward. The key to this, like many other areas in this endeavour, is to get governments and the ministries within governments (Transport and Defence) to move at the same pace throughout Europe and to understand the reasons behind the need for change. “When it comes to questions of sovereignty, politicians need to be able to confi-dently sell the changes to their own constituencies in a compelling fashion. Our industry needs to clearly support these messages,” Lake adds.

Free Route Airspace

Getting the regulatory bits of the puzzle in place then makes it simpler to achieve game-changing advances such as the Free Route Airspace (FRA)

The structural causes of delay relating to the design of the airspace and the way in which aircraft are prevented from flying the most direct and shortest routes from airport to airport are being addressed.

40

INDEPENDENT PLATFORM

concept. Allowing airlines to choose the point of entry and exit into and out of an airspace sector is the sort of ‘revolution’ that tends to make people nervous, especially air traffic control-lers. But, as Bo Redeborn, Principal Director of AtM at euROcONtROL, explains, “It is about sketching out the routes to get everybody to accept the Free Route Airspace concept so that everyone can fly directly to where they want to go. It is up to the system to pick up the conflicts as they occur. This is the best way to bring down costs and reduce fuel burn and CO2

emissions.” The challenge here though is with overhauling a system that has been in place for decades and is there for a reason – safety.

The gatekeepers to introducing FRA are the air traffic controllers and the pilots. They have to be persuaded that the system will not only do what it is meant to do but that it will also be as safe or safer than the old system. The organisations that represent these two sections, IFATCA and IFALPA, are working towards its introduction with the likes of EUROCONTROL and ICAO

(International Civil Aviation Organi-zation) and there is already substan-tial success being achieved. Ireland, Portugal, Sweden and FABEC have all implemented FRA to vary-ing degrees. Beyond that Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Romania and Serbia plan to imple-ment FRA during the night time when traffic is a bit lighter. However, the real challenge for FRA in terms of the controllers is, according to Bo Redeborn, having enough appropri-ately trained controllers with adequate sectorisation availability.

Social partners in the guise of unions are also critical to this. In the past, unions have defended their members’ rights robustly and they will continue doing so in the future. The absence of air traffic controllers can lead to the total shut-down of a nation’s airspace. However, it will not be possible to trade the introduction of FRA with a finan-cial reward merely for the permission to proceed. The Single European Sky performance targets will not allow this. Costs have to be brought down not raised. As Bo Redeborn concedes, “We

can of course negotiate productivity gains but we can’t increase costs per se.” There is also the possibility of try-ing to restrict the amount of airspace controllers can shut down through legislation so that in the future no nation’s entire airspace will be closed down by industrial action.

Implementing PBN

Europe is not alone in its need to squeeze out additional capacity from a finite resource. The US, China and Aus-tralasia are all grappling with the same problems. The system-wide panacea of performance-based navigation is be-ing touted by everyone as the means to capitalise on a seamless airspace network. If the inefficiencies of the air-space design can be ironed out, then PBN will help to deliver shorter, more direct routes with less reliance on ground-based systems through great-er use of advanced satellite-based technology and systems on board the aircraft itself. True as that may be, it is not the whole story. As well as the lin-ear route chosen by the aircraft opera-tor, the way the aircraft actually tran-sits that route offers huge potential for cost savings and CO2

reductions. Continuous descent approaches (CDA) from the top of the descent, with the aircraft gliding into the airport using very little engine power, will minimise


fuel burn and therefore cost. Likewise, continuous climb departures offer a more efficient way to transport passen-gers and cargo through the air. How-ever, these gains can be lost, particu-larly if the aircraft is forced to remain in the air for longer than it anticipated whilst the runway is made ready for it to land. Having landed, more fuel can be wasted if the aircraft has to hang around with its engines running while it waits for somewhere to disembark its passengers.

This is where the systems and proce-dures at the airport come into play. By implementing collaborative decision-making at airports all of the actors on the ground can see what is happen-ing around them and make decisions based on more accurate information. Understanding where the inefficien-cies are building up in the system theo-retically enables the operators to make decisions that will relieve the pressure. SESAR’s SWIM (system-wide informa-tion management) system is therefore a key element of the future network.

Network Manager

The foundations for the new, im-proved, more efficient, greener Eu-ropean Sky are being laid right now with many of the SESAR work pack-ages having been launched. Realis-ing that the return on investment had to be made certain, the Euro-pean Commission has created two more elements that will monitor and drive the implementation of the net-work and realise the capacity gains and cost efficiencies that have been promised. The SES Performance Scheme sets down the targets that are expected to be met by the net-work, and the Network Manager pro-vides the oversight and supervision to make sure that everybody is pull-ing together in the right direction.

The Performance Review Body has taken over the role of monitoring the targets, and the functions of the Network Manager will be delivered by EUROCONTROL’s Directorate Net-work Management. Although work

will not start until October when the first meeting of the Network Management Board takes place, Bo Redeborn points out that in es-sence the functions are now being delivered. Having realised that it was not possible to have another year like 2010, when delay reached unac-ceptable levels, EUROCONTROL has worked with its stakeholders and Member States to increase capac-ity by 12% for the summer period of 2011, whilst bringing down the av-erage delay from 2.8 minutes to 1.7 minutes per flight.

A lot rests on the Network Manag-er’s shoulders as it runs the risk of becoming the whipping boy for Eu-ropean aviation if things go wrong. That said, the nomination of EURO-CONTROL is logical. Graham Lake adds weight to this sentiment, say-ing “Clearly Europe needs a Network Manager and it needs an appropri-ately empowered and experienced group of people to fulfil that func-tion.” n

Europe is not alone in its need to squeeze out additional capacity from a finite resource.

The US, China and Australasia are all grappling with the same problems.

42

VIEWPOINT

The Malta area control centre (LMMM) is centrally positioned over the high seas of the Mediterranean. As there is only one international airport (Luqa) and only one regional airport (Lampe-dusa) situated within this airspace, it is predominantly used by overflying traf-fic. Situated at the crossroads between Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the north-western African countries, the traffic flown is mostly on the north/south and west/east routes.

Malta ACC is composed of two large en-route sectors and one terminal sec-tor. Air traffic controllers have been managing traffic by clearing aircraft from entry to exit point ever since ra-dar coverage in the east sector was established. Aircraft operators appreci-ate this working method which is both

Thefreerouteconceptaimstooptimisetheuseofairspaceintermsofcapa-city,flightefficiencyandcostreductionwhilemaintaininghighsafetystandards.Mr Robert Sant, Chief Operations Officer - Malta Air Traffic Services,explainshowtheMaltaACCfreeroutesimulationinvestigatedthepossibleeffectsoftheintroductionofthefreerouteconceptinarealisticworkingenvironment.

BLUEMEDMaltafreeroutereal-timesimulation

time and fuel efficient. As a result they tend to expect the approval of a di-rect route to the exit point on check-ing in on the entry point of the LMMM Upper Information Region (UIR).

The free route real-time simulation (RTS) held at the ENAV experimen-tal centre in November 2010 proved that this working method is safe even at elevated traffic levels close to sector capacity. It was observed that the simulations did not have a negative effect on the air traffic con-

trollers’ working methods nor on the approach to managing traffic. On the contrary, a flight-planned free route had a positive effect on the planning controller’s workload as the interven-tion to update the trajectory for each flight was significantly reduced. The planning controller ended up with more time in hand to perform the ac-tual planning and conflict detection on behalf of the executive controller. This is clearly a much more efficient method than the present operation where flight-plan trajectories have to

Robert Sant


VIEWPOINT

BLUEMEDMaltafreeroutereal-timesimulation

be updated by the planning control-ler to reflect the direct route execu-tion.

Free route RTS exercises were well planned and very realistic. Although the traffic during the simulations was increased by 10% of the actual sector capacity, controllers did not notice an unacceptable increase in workload. Controllers therefore do not need to change their mental attitude and approach to accom-modate for any foreseen free route

activities. It is clear that the free route RTS was significant in indicat-ing that the current methodology used by Malta area control centre is on the right track to accepting the introduction of the free route con-cept in the LMMM UIR.

Current plans to take a go/no-go decision by spring 2011 on the im-plementation of free route airspace in the Malta UIR before the end of 2012 has been postponed owing to the Libyan situation.

To achieve this objective, the BLUE MED operational working package (WP1), in close cooperation with the other BLUE MED partners, took into consideration some additional possible free route airspace opera-tional scenarios. Among the other projects, 2015 operational scenario foresees wide free route airspace application throughout the FAB, in particular in the area of responsibility of Malta and Cyprus (H24) and Italy and Greece (night free route). All the studies, carried out with the support of EUROCONTROL, show very promising improvements in the flight efficiency domain ensuring relevant reduction in mileage, flight time, fuel burn and emissions.

Free route airspace application hypotheses have also been exten-ded to the non-EU countries involved in the BLUE MED initiative: Albania, Egypt and Tunisia. Even in these cases, the flight efficiency investiga-tion carried out by EUROCONTROL shows significant savings for the users.

These potential benefits from the simulation exercise have to be consi-dered as a key element in order to pursue for the regional implementa-tion of free route operations as soon as possible. n

“The positive results of this first BLUE MED real-time similation on free route airspace – commented Mr Giovanni Torre, the BLUE MED FAB Project Coordinator – allow us to look at the future in a very optimistic way. As a matter of fact, the feedback received from the simulation exercise is very encourag-ing for the deployment of the results gathered across the whole BLUE MED airspace, withdifferent timescales.”

44

VIEWPOINT

The formative principle of the Functional Airspace Block Europe Central (FABEC) Operational Con-cept laid down in the Feasi-bility Study Report is based on a simple logic. At some point, capacity required in

the core area of Europe will not match the capacity available. Of course, ur-gency can be discussed in light of the traffic downturns of the past few years – but it is worthwhile to keep some facts in mind. Today, air navigation ser-vice providers (ANSPs) are looking for capacity gains mainly by scaling down sectors, which is by nature a finite sys-tem. In addition, it will be difficult to

On2May2011,anoperationaltrialoftheFABEC

ATFCM/ASMfunctioncom-menced.Buildingupthis

functionisacentralrecom-mendationlaiddowninthe

FABECFeasibilityStudy–andduringthetrialFABECpart-

nersareworkingforthefirsttimecommonlyasoneunit.

Peter van Hoogstraten, Chairman of the FABEC

Standing Committee Operations,explainstheideabehindthisregional

functionandgivesaninsideontheobjectives

ofthetrial.

Onestepahead

gain more benefits by further optimi-sation of routes or by changes to the airspace design as long as the current framework exists. In parallel, we can observe that we are getting close to the limits of airspace use. There is no doubt that the existing air traffic flow system works more or less fine. But almost 20 years after it was set up, we have to think about the future – espe-cially as we know that in our business the cycle of change is tremendous.

Based on this conviction, FABEC ANSPs decided in 2008 to launch a task force to develop a regional FABEC ATFCM/ASM function. The operational live trial on ATFCM/ASM commenced in spring 2011 and will be the third major milestone in this project. From 2 May until 31 July 2011, civil and military experts from air navigation service providers in FABEC devised common

solutions for the pre-tactical phase (level 2: day-7 until day-1). Based on the field trial conducted at the end of 2009 and the experts’ work, the live trial validated in operations the func-tion that aims to optimise FAB-wide capacity provision, traffic flows and the use of airspace by civil and mili-tary users in close coordination with the network function (CFMU), military units and the local functions.

Combining best practicesBy starting to discuss opportunities in the area of airspace use, one aspect emerges immediately. Although the process as such – divided into a strate-gic, pre-tactical and tactical phase – is the same everywhere, the execution is handled in different ways. For instance, DSNA is very busy on pre-tactical mea-

The FABEC ATFCM/ASM function

Peter van Hoogstraten


VIEWPOINT

sures; DFS focuses mainly on tactical aspects. Bearing in mind that both ways of working are successful, FABEC ANSPs question whether both experi-ences can be combined to develop a common flow management which would fulfil future requirements. There is no question of replacing practices, but rather a question of how to com-bine and tailor the practices currently in place.

The civil-military dimensionTalking about FABEC means also talk-ing about civil-military cooperation. In fact, that is the reason why the FABEC Treaty was signed by representatives from both the Ministries of Transport and the Ministries of Defence. And again, the reasoning is quite simple: as long as we are not able to find com-

mon civil-military solutions, we will be working on quite limited optimi-sations only. The need to progress in this area has again been proven by several requests during the live trial. Therefore it was the right decision that both parties – civil and military – would be involved in the trial from the very beginning. FABEC-wide coordina-tion between civil ATFCM and military AMC units will be a key enabler for the future – although we are not able to maximise potential to the full during the live trial.

In terms of civil-military airspace use we have to find ways to coordinate better, to communicate more precisely and in a common way. Once again, to-day the structures within the different countries are quite different. The civil-military set-up is as broad as possible reaching from an integrated function to a system of splintered functions co-ordinating mainly by phone.

De-fragmentation in practiceAlthough Europe has been struggling for decades on the harmonisation of rules and procedures, the application is often different – leading at the ex-pert level to sometimes simple but of-ten basic issues like the limitations of a portion of airspace. In addition, the

Anders Hallgren

procedures used are different. Based on this initial finding, experts had to agree at the beginning on a common “language” and a common “tool box” to be used during the live trial. The re-sults of this “harmonisation” phase are now the basis for the trial, bringing to-gether experts from the different civil area control centres (ACCs) and upper airspace control centres (UACs), the military AMCs as well as those from the network function. All are now working on a day-to-day basis in one room. Staffed with four civil experts and one military expert, FABEC has started its first integrated operational function in the facilities of the CFMU, using common tools like PREDICT1/SIMEX2, LARA3, NOP4 and STANLY/ACOS5. Initial results are becoming available, but conclusions and deci-sions on follow-up actions need to be well-founded and based on detailed evaluation.

Bearing in mind all the aspects men-tioned, it becomes obvious that the FABEC ATFCM/ASM live trial is an am-bitious initiative, trying to address – on a very concrete level – issues which have increased in severity over de-cades. To overcome these hurdles will be one of the major challenges in the quest to provide the capacity needed in the coming years – for FABEC as well as for ATC in Europe. n

FABEC Treaty Article 9 – Flexible use of airspace

9.1 The Contracting States shall cooperate at legal, operational and tech-nical level for the efficient and consistent application of the concept of flexible use of airspace taking into account both civil and military requirements.

9.2 The Contracting States shall ensure that common agreements and procedures are set up between civil and military air traffic service providers.

9.3 The Contracting States shall ensure that civil and military authorities coordinate at the strategic level of airspace management.

9.4 The Contracting States shall ensure that a common airspace manage-ment function is established between civil and military air traffic ser-vice providers at pre-tactical level.

9.5 The Contracting States shall ensure that coordination is made between air traffic services units and controlling military units at tactical level.

1- Pre-tactical system2- Simulation tool3- Local and regional ASM application4- Network operation portal

46

REVIEW

Of EUROCONTROL’s 39 Member States, 38 cur-rently participate in the

Multilateral Route Charges System. In the last ten years – since 2001 – eleven States1 have joined EUROCONTROL and all but one, the Ukraine, have been fully integrated into the system.

In the last decade, nine bilateral agree-ments for providing billing, collection and accounting services have been signed with Croatia, Hungary, Moldova, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Greece, Sweden and Latvia, bringing the number of such agreements to twelve. The billing of terminal charges is a natural extension of the CRCO’s services, as most flight data is already available in the system and so the CRCO

Overthelastdecade,theCentralRouteChargesOffice(CRCO)hasexpandedconsiderably-bothinsizeandinareasofactivity.Notonlydoesthe

CRCOrunthemultilateralchargessystem,italsoprovidesservicesfor

terminalcharges,airnavigationchargesandcommunication

chargesunderbilateralagreementssignedwithavarietyofStates.

S. Kumar Basu, Head of the Collection, Accounting and Treasury Unit, CRCO,

explains.

Efficiency,continuity,recovery

The Central Route Charges Office, 2001 - 2011

can provide this service at a competi-tive cost.

There are four bilateral agreements with non-Member States for the col-lection of air navigation charges: Egypt, Morocco, Belarus and Uzbekistan, as well as one with the Ukraine, which is in the process of being integrated into the multilateral system.

The CRCO also provides billing, collec-tion and accounting services for com-munication charges on behalf of Ire-land.

Extra added value

The CRCO carries out an extensive amount of work to integrate new States into the charging systems: their cost bases have to be aligned with EURO-CONTROL’s principles and all the proper consultations have to be held with indi-

vidual airspace users or their represen-tative associations.

The CRCO makes sure that all the legal requirements are met and that, when necessary, national laws can be amend-ed so that the multilateral and bilateral agreements can safely be signed.

In all, the various air navigation charges systems bring a great deal of value to the European ATM system. For more than forty years, the route charges sys-tem has been giving States and their air navigation service providers (ANSPs) a stable, transparent and efficient fund-ing mechanism. The funds from route charges are used to underpin the pan-European ATM system: regular, reli-able revenue flows make it possible for ANSPs to plan ahead and to invest. The rules used in the charging system are sound, universally accepted, transpar-ent, accessible and simple.

1- Moldova, Finland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Lithuania, Poland, Armenia, the Ukraine and Latvia

S. Kumar Basu


REVIEW

As for airlines and other airspace users, the charging system makes good com-mercial sense: they receive just one bill for all the States they overfly; they have access to all their flight information in complete transparency and they are regularly involved in the detailed discus-sions and consultations which the CRCO arranges for users and service providers.

On top of this, the CRCO also offers im-partial advice on charging matters, mak-ing available its expertise in simulations, forecasts, system design analysis and business evaluations.

A decade of growthThe amounts invoiced in the last de-cade have increased in absolute terms by 48% (between 2001 and 2010). This increase is due to the fact that ten States have been integrated into the multilat-eral system and also to the overall traffic growth.

External indicators

Traffic subject to charges12.000

Million flights

Distances billed (km) Number of flight messages processed

Billion km’s1.200

10.000 1.000

8.000 800

6.000 600

4.000 400

2.000

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

200

0 0

Year Distances growth Number of flight growth total service growth billed (km) rate messages processed rate units rate

2001 6,448,293,168 0.2% 8,128,435 -1.2% 84,156,255 0.5%

2002 6,415,035,971 -0.5% 8,017,545 -1.4% 83,711,484 -0.5%

2003 6,713,622,592 4.7% 8,216,317 2.5% 87,905,302 5.0%

2004 7,186,352,407 7.0% 8,614,210 4.8% 94,317,900 7.3%

2005 7,616,558,683 6.0% 8,977,395 4.2% 99,933,531 6.0%

2006 7,975,394,154 4.7% 9,337,456 4.0% 104,463,258 4.5%

2007 8,550,984,620 7.2% 9,868,409 5.7% 112,047,816 7.2%

2008 9,017,738,778 5.5% 9,992,864 1.3% 118,865,485 6.1%

2009 8,467,732,360 -6.1% 9,375,943 -6.2% 112,838,198 -5.1%

2010 8,713,158,670 2.9% 9,456,071 0.9% 116,759,383 3.5%

2001 to 2010 +35% +16% + 39%

Amounts billed (€)

20012.2%

20026.3%

200313.3%

20047.4%

2005-1.1%

20061.0%

20078.3%

20083.3%

2009-5.3%

20107.7%

0,0

8,0Billion

7,0

6,0

5,0

4,0

3,0

2,0

1,0

Growth rate

48

REVIEW

Year Recovery rate Recovery rate at due Recovery rate at at due date date +30 days due date +1 year

2001 85.74% 96.70% 98.64%

2002 86.62% 98.08% 99.30%

2003 87.56% 97.55% 99.20%

2004 88.96% 97.60% 99.43%

2005 88.67% 98.47% 99.71%

2006 89.03% 98.60% 99.76%

2007 88.59% 98.71% 99.82%

2008 87.10% 98.05% 99.20%

2009 88.77% 98.58% 99.53%

2010 90.62% 98.86% N/A

Performance indicators

Apart from just one year – 2001 – the recovery rates for amounts billed at due date + one year are consistently above 99.0%.

The recovery rate at due date has im-proved from 86% in 2001 to 91% in 2010. Similarly, the recovery rate 30 days after the due date has increased from 97% in 2001 to 99% in 2010 – and this despite the collapse in traffic and the associated effects of the economic crisis, which ran from the second half of 2008 to the end of 2009.

The trend in CRCO costs and the result-ing administrative unit rates has been downward since 2004.

The increase in the 2002 to 2004 period was made necessary by the under-recovery of costs as a result of the collapse in traffic, caused by the events of 11 September 2001 and the SARS epidemic. There was also a slight increase in 2009, to recover from the collapse in traffic in the recession be-tween the second half of 2008 and the end of 2009.

For an evaluation of costs, it is im-portant to look at the ratios be-tween the CRCO’s actual costs and service units and amounts billed.

The graph below clearly shows that in absolute terms the administrative unit

rate for CRCO costs has come down from 0.23 to 0.15, or by 34%.

Comparison of CRCO costs and unit rates for 10 years 2001-2010

19,50Cost in million Unit rates in € cents

0,25

19,00 0,2

18,50 0,15

18,00 0,1

17,50 0,05

17,002001

84,16

4.436

0,43%

2002

83,71

4.715

0,40%

2003

87,91

5.342

0,35%

2004

94,32

5.736

0,32%

2005

99,93

5.674

0,31%

2006

104,46

5.730

0,32%

2007

112,05

6.235

0,29%

2008

118,87

6.438

0,28%

2009

112,84

6.094

0,31%

2010

116,76

6.586

0,27%

0

Costs Unit rate

In short, the CRCO’s overall perfor-mance in the past decade can be summed up as follows:

n ten States were integrated intothe system

n there was a 48% increase in amounts billed

n there was a 35% increase indistances flown within the system

n 16% more flight messages were treated

n 39% more service units wereprocessed

n and all this was achieved witha 34% reduction in unit costs.

In the same period the percentage of charges collected at due date in-creased from 86% to 91% and overall recovery after one year increased from 97% to 99%.

Services units (million)

Amounts billed M€

Ratio

49

REVIEW


Terminal charges

To date, EUROCONTROL has signed twelve agreements with its Member States relating to terminal charges, one of which – with France – is only for billing, as collection and account-ing are carried out by that State. For the remaining eleven States, the full service is provided.

ANC billing

EUROCONTROL currently has six bi-lateral agreements with non-Member States for the billing of air navigation charges (ANCs): Belarus, Egypt, Latvia, Morocco, the Ukraine and Uzbekistan. For three of these States – Belarus, Egypt, and the Ukraine – both en route

and terminal charges are covered by the billing, collection and accounting services.

Shanwick communication charges

The CRCO assumed responsibility for Shanwick’s communication charges on 1 November 2004. € 16.10 million was billed for 383,705 flights in 2010 and € 15.70 million for 385,251 flights in 2009.

All these activities (en route, terminal and communication) were achieved within an overall budget of € 17.5 mil-lion in 2010, which compares favour-ably with the amount of € 19.1 million in 2001.

In conclusion

The aviation industry as a whole was affected by the September 11 events in 2001, the SARS epidemic in 2002/3 and the economic crisis in 2008/9. But in spite of these setbacks, the CRCO’s progress over the last decade has been exemplary, as the table below indicates:

From 2001 to 2010, unit costs were re-duced by 34% and the rate of recovery increased from 98.6% to over 99.6%.

How did the CRCO manage to achieve such excellent results over the last de-cade? This outstanding performance is primarily due to the superb coopera-tion with ANSPs and users, as well as the highly motivated and expert CRCO staff, who are constantly improving their working methods, processes and tools. n

Year Number of flights Amounts billed in (million) € million

2001 2.05 253.15

2002 1.99 267.97

2003 1.99 292.18

2004 2.00 308.50

2005 2.00 320.54

2006 2.20 303.62

2007 2.30 323.70

2008 2.60 392.60

2009 2.40 386.90

2010 2.60 428.60

Year Number of flights Amounts billed in (million) € million

2001 0.58 166.18

2002 0.61 156.49

2003 0.67 196.25

2004 0.95 220.00

2005 1.00 245.00

2006 1.10 295.00

2007 1.24 322.70

2008 1.20 372.30

2009 1.15 329.00

2010 1.31 372.60

From 2001 to 2010, unit costs were reduced by 34% and the rate of recovery increased from 98.6% to over 99.6%.

Operational measures Absolute growth

Distances flown 35% Flight messages processed 16% Total service units 39%

teRMINAL chARgeS ANc BILLINg

50

VISITS

From 21 to 23 March 2011, EUROCONTROL hosted the Eu-ropean Schools Science Symposium. The Director General received Máire geoghegan-Quinn, the european com-missioner for Research, Innovation and Science and welcomed the students during the opening of the event.

On 5 May 2011, Ms emmanuelle Maire, the head of Dg MOVe Airport unit and a Dg MOVe delegation, vis-ited EUROCONTROL. Presentations on the role of EURO- CONTROL, the challenges ahead and the role of the Net-work Management Directorate featured in the programme.

Keen to offer its partners and the aviation community at large the opportunity to learn more about what it is and what it does, EUROCONTROL welcomes visitors to its premises, both individuals and organised groups. These are just a few recent visits:

On 27 June 2011, the Director General received DameDeirdre hutton, chair of the uK civil Aviation Authority, accompanied by Iain Osborne, Director of Regulatory Policy and Daniel edwards, head of economic Policy and International Aviation.

On 8 July 2011, members of the IcAO Air Navigation commission and Ms Nancy graham, the Director of IcAO’s Air Navigation Bureau, were received at EURO-CONTROL and met the Director General. They were briefed on the Organisation’s institutional structure, the role of EUROCONTROL, the key challenges ahead and the route charges system. The visit concluded with a tour of the CFMU operations room.

On 13 July 2011, Dg MOVe trainees were received atEUROCONTROL. The trainees were briefed on the Single European Sky and on the role of EUROCONTROL in the European air traffic network.


CALENDAR

2011 events

Forthcomingevents13-14 September 2011Second unmanned aircraft systems (uAS) eu workshop:insertion into airspace and radio frequenciesEUROCONTROL, Brussels, Belgium

14-15 September 2011Altimetry system error - managing the riskEUROCONTROL, Brussels, Belgium

This workshop, jointly organised by EUROCONTROL and the Federal Aviation Administration, is intended to focus on actions that are being taken to minimise the risk caused by altimetry system error (ASE).

To keep up to date on our presence at key international events,visit www.eurocontrol.int, To join our mailing list, send a request to [email protected]

28-30 September 2011eRA general Assembly 2011 Rome, Italy

EUROCONTROL will be an active player at the General Assembly, ERA’s premier annual event. It incorpo-rates the members’ AGM and is typically attended by around 500 senior-level executives from throughout European air transport.

10-11 October 2011Seminar on laser interference in aviationEUROCONTROL, Brussels, Belgium

2-3 November 2011 5th Annual future of Business JetsLondon, United Kingdom

6-7 December 2011Provisional council (Pc 36)EUROCONTROL, Brussels, Belgium

20-23 September 2011 IcAO global Air Navigation Industry Symposium (gANIS) Montreal, Canada

The International Civil Aviation Organization’s event will bring together the aviation industry, air navigation service providers and States. The Symposium will provide a platform for global and regional industry partners to share their latest developments, thus identifying commonalities/differences between the systems with a view to ensuring interoperability and facilitating the harmonisation of air navigation systems.

EUROCONTROL will have a joint stand with EASA, the European Commission and the SESAR Joint Undertaking in order to promote Europe’s partnership towards global interoperability and to demonstrate that ATM performance improvements are at the heart of European efforts towards global interoperability.

54

VIEWPOINT

skyway - eurocontrol · by david mcmillan, director general 5 ... skyway 55 summer - autumn 2011 44...

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