Air traffic control (ATC) - Articles and news items

ATC / ATM supplement 2012 (free to view)

Issue 6, 2012, Supplements / 7 December 2012 /

This free to view ATC / ATM supplement is sponsored by ERA and SkySoft-ATM:

• NextGen is now – why the future is already here
  Victoria Cox, Assistant Administrator for NextGen, Federal Aviation Administration
• Precision landing – improving safe airport access in low visibility
  Andreas Lipp, Satellite Navigation Expert, Navigation and CNS Research Unit, EUROCONTROL
• SESAR: Heading in the right direction
  Tim Quilter, Director, Corporate Strategy at ERA; Morten Dambæk, CEO, Naviair; Thomas Buchanan, Head of International Affairs and Corporate Strategy, Skyguide and Gerhard Tauss, Head of SESAR Programme at DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung
• Show preview
  World ATM Congress: Bringing the world’s aviation leaders together

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The evolution of ATC

Issue 5 2012 / 3 October 2012 /

From the simple, yet antiquated Air Traffic Control system of the 1930s to today’s new multi-billion dollar NEXT GEN satellite programme which is currently being developed, the progress of worldwide ATC has been pushing forward at an astonishing rate.

Over the years, the world’s ATC systems have experienced dramatic success. As a pilot, I’ve observed and flown this great ATC programme. Credit should be given to national governments, research personnel, engineers, equipment manufacturers, airports, airlines, navigation experts as well as private and government ATC entities. But perhaps, most importantly, credit should be given to the pilots and controllers who are so dedicated to making the system work safely and efficiently.

I recall, vividly, flying the old low frequency airways and airport approaches with the old Automation Direction Finding Equipment (AFD). After this came the Visual Omni Range (VOR), and Instrument Landing System (ILS) and the Ground Control Approach (GCA), where the controller handled both approach azimuths and verbally directed pilots to a safe landing. (more…)

Playing it cool in Munich

Issue 5 2012 / 2 October 2012 /

The process of winter operations remains an important part of an airport’s armoury. Since 2010, when arctic conditions covered the majority of Europe and North America’s airports in a blanket of ice and snow, many have come underpressure to clear runways, taxiways and aprons as swiftly as possible to maintain normal flight movements.

Planning and preparation are two of the key factors involved with successful winter operations, as well as a strong execution of clearing procedures. Munich, the sixth busiest airport in Europe, relies heavily on keeping planes airborne, so implementing a sound winter operations plan is essential.

Mark Glover from International Airport Review spoke to Alfons Breiteneicher, Head of Surface and Winter Services at Munich Airport, about the types of equipment the airport uses, the environmental affect, and the importance of keeping the airport open, no matter what the weather. (more…)

Ten years of RVSM

Issue 2 2012 / 29 March 2012 /

On 24 January 2002 at 01.00 UTC, the Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) programme went live. At one stroke past, 6,000 air traffic controllers in 41 European states allocated aircraft to six new flight levels. Capacity gains of 25 per cent were made between 2002 and 2007.

It was the biggest, most important project Europe had ever seen – and the first one to be implemented right across the continent, from North Africa to the Arctic. The programme increased capacity in the airspace of 41 states by providing six extra flight levels between 29,000 and 41,000 feet, bringing the total number of flight levels to 13.

By reducing the number of aircraft sharing a given flight level, this change not only enhanced safety by allowing more aircraft to operate at their preferred flight levels, it also underpinned better en-route performance, reduced delays, lowered fuel consumption and boosted capacity. The average yearly cost benefits for aircraft operators were estimated at around €3.9 billion; savings derived from reductions in delay and fuel consumption. Europe’s upper airspace capacity grew by up to 25 per cent, helping airlines and other airspace users meet rising demand more effectively and simultaneously make substantial fuel savings. (more…)

SITA and Egis bring NATS closer to single European sky with data link solution

Airport news / 6 March 2012 /

Air transport communications specialist SITA, and Egis – through its subsidiary Egis Avia, today announced that they have been selected by NATS to provide the air traffic control service provider with a state-of-the-art data link front end processor (DL-FEP) and Pro-ATN routers. This will enable NATS, which services aircraft flying in UK airspace and the eastern part of the North Atlantic, to meet the European Commission’s 2013 deadline for the implementation of controller pilot data link communications (CPDLC) across Europe.

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Defining the future of global ATM

Issue 6 2011 / 8 December 2011 /

In 2012, ICAO will convene a landmark air navigation conference that will seek agreement on the strategic plan to set the stage for globally interoperable Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems. These systems will be implemented based on the Aviation System Block Upgrade (ASBU) concept. The ASBU approach calls for a flexible, tailored upgrade path based on a series of blocks and modules designed to enhance safety, address future air transport growth and reduce emissions.

ICAO estimates that over $120 billion will be spent on the transformation of air transportation systems in the next 10 years. While NextGen and SESAR in the United States and Europe account for a large share of this spending, parallel initiatives are underway in many other States, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan and the Russian federation.

Modernisation is an enormously complex task but one which the industry absolutely requires. It is clear that to safely and efficiently accommodate projected increases in air traffic demand – as well as respond to the diversified needs of operators, the environment and other inherent issues -it is necessary to evolve Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems in order to provide greater operational benefits. (more…)

Airport’s control tower breaks new ground

Airport news / 1 December 2011 /

The first section of ground has been broken in preparation for Manchester Airport’s new Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower. To capture the construction from start to finish a time lapse camera has been installed to show every moment that goes on during the build, which will be made available for the public to view.

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Controlling Sydney – Every movement matters, every second counts

Issue 5 2011 / 5 October 2011 /

The Australian Government’s 2009 National Aviation Policy White Paper, ‘Flight Path to the Future’, outlined Australian aviation’s contribution of more than half a million jobs and $6.3 billion to the national economy. But constraints at busy gateway airports such as Sydney, particularly during peak traffic periods, have the potential to adversely affect this community benefit and limit industry growth.

As the country’s air navigation service provider, Airservices Australia is working closely with the airport, airlines, operators and the community to achieve operational and environmental efficiencies using the existing infrastructure. We are also introducing new airborne and ground-based systems to handle rapid predicted future growth.

Considered as the gateway to Australia, Sydney Airport is the country’s busiest in terms of total passenger numbers and aircraft movements. Use of the three runways at Sydney Airport is restricted by a curfew between 11pm and 6am designed to provide noise amelioration to a population of four million in the greater Sydney area. (more…)

The Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM)

Issue 5 2011 / 5 October 2011 /

The future Air Traffic Management (ATM) system will rely on advanced data exchange and data sharing services that communicate aeronautical information (infrastructure, route network, aerodrome, terrain, obstacle data) into the operational activities on the ground and in the air.

The Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM) is a specification that enables the encoding and the distribution in digital format of the aeronautical information. Although the term ‘aeronautical information’ might sound relatively generic, it clearly links AIXM to the ICAO Annex 15 – Aeronautical Information Services, which defines the information that ICAO contracting states have to provide internationally. This is also the primary scope of AIXM, which aims to support the transition from what is frequently referred to as ‘the current paper-based AIS system’ towards a more efficient and more capable Aeronautical Information Management (AIM) system, based on digital data exchange. (more…)

ATA calls for accelerated implementation of new air traffic procedures

Airport news / 31 August 2011 /

The Air Transport Association of America, Inc. (ATA), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, today called on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to accelerate its timetable for implementing new and more efficient air traffic procedures, a key pillar of a needed National Airline Policy.  (more…)

New air traffic control centre opens in Lima

Airport news / 14 July 2011 /

Indra has concluded the implementation of the new air traffic control centre at José Chavez International Airport, Lima. The centre will manage the air traffic of the whole country and will facilitate the management of a larger amount of flights in a more efficient way. (more…)

Performance based navigation and a harmonised sky

Issue 3 2011 / 10 June 2011 /

Air traffic is expected to nearly double during the next two decades, raising public concern over not only the environmental impact but also how airspace capacity around airports will need to increase. This latter aspect also raises concerns over increased noise pollution and emissions around airports. In addition, industry has its concerns too – in that current ATC systems will not be able to accommodate the projected increase in air traffic.

Thankfully, all of the above issues are being addressed by two programmes that are in the process of revamping ATM (or ‘modernising the skies’). These programmes are, in the U.S., the FAA’s Next Generation (NextGen) Air Transport System and, in Europe, the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) programme. (more…)

CASSIDIAN improves performance of air traffic control radars in eliminating wind turbine interference

Airport news / 8 June 2011 /

Cassidian, the defence and security division of EADS, has developed a technical solution to largely eliminate interference to air traffic control radars caused by wind turbines. This means that the guidance of aircraft in the vicinity of wind parks can be significantly improved, while at the same time making the approval of wind parks easier.

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SITA Enables India’s Air Traffic Control to Move to Safer Digital Data Communications

Airport news / 11 March 2011 /

SITA announced its selection by the Airports Authority of India to deliver enhanced systems that will enable the exchange of air traffic control (ATC) messages with data link-equipped airlines. Deployed in response to regional ICAO recommendations, and airspace user demands, SITA’s data link service will increase both the safety and efficiency of the Indian air traffic management service which manages more than 51 million domestic flights per year.

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FAA and Europe sign nextgen research agreement

Airport news / 3 March 2011 /

The FAA and the European Union formally signed an agreement today to work together on research aimed at providing seamless air traffic service to aircraft flying between the United States and Europe.

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