Eurocontrol to Begin Implementing SESAR ATM Plan This Year

Eurocontrol has accepted a planning document for implementing three ATM (air traffic management) packages, designed to increase European airspace capacity and efficiency starting this year.

The SESAR (single European sky ATM research) program uses aviation experts from all of Europe's government and industry entities that are involved in defining, committing to and implementing Europe's new ATM system) to synchronize their plans and actions.

The SESAR planning document, known as D4, covers the period starting this year and extending beyond 2020.

D4's first implementation package (IP1), covers the period 2008 to 2012 and lays the foundations for what is called the ATM Target Concept.  Its objective is to implement short term initiatives and to disseminate best practices to release latent network capacity, and expand information-sharing that can enable performance-based operation both in en-route and terminal airspace, and on airport surfaces.

The second package (IP2), which will run from 2013 to 2020, will mainly focus on increasing network efficiency by improving the management of flight trajectories, and sharing information more widely and dynamically. More precise aircraft-based meteorological data also will be made available, and more automation will be introduced in all flight domains to increase capacity.

IP3, which extends beyond 2020, aims to ensure that the long-term goals of SESAR will be met by introducing the most advanced features of the SESAR Concept of Operations, such as the full use of sell-separation using ASAS (airborne separation assistance system) and 4D trajectory contracts.

Beyond these packages, both the European ATM Master Plan (D5) and the Work Program for 2008 - 2013 (D6) will be delivered to Eurocontrol in March.  02-05-2008.

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