SESAR Program Injects €1.9B into Europe's Air Traffic Management Research

June 13, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS

The contracts, signed on June 12, mark the beginning of the execution of the SESAR program. As the SJU serves its vital long-term objective - ensuring the sustainability of European air transport - it is also providing continued support for the ATM sector in the short term.

"In the context of a global recession, the financing and timely development of SESAR has become literally vital," said Antonio Tajani, EC vice president in charge of transport.

"Public-private funding kicks in to support ATM research and development at a time when global economic uncertainty is prompting businesses to manage their cash with extreme caution. On top of green and safety objectives, SESAR will also contribute to the viability of the entire sector, as it will cut air transport operating costs in the longer term."

Based on the Single European Sky legislative package, the SJU aims to ensure the modernization of the European air traffic management system by coordinating and concentrating all relevant research and development efforts in Europe.

Unless these efforts deliver their results on time, the European ATM system will be unable to face the projected growth of air traffic.

By 2020, SESAR aims to create the capability to handle a threefold increase in traffic in Europe, while improving safety by a factor of ten. The program also seeks to reduce by 10% the environmental impact per flight, thanks to significant fuel reduction. The modernized air traffic management system in Europe should cut ATM-related expenses by half.

Kick-off of the SESAR Program
To kick off the SESAR program, the SJU signed agreements for a period of seven years with the following 16 partners:

• Air navigation service providers: DSNA (France), DFS (Germany), ENAV (Italy), NORACON (Northern Europe and Austria), AENA (Spain), and NATS (En Route) Limited (United Kingdom).
• Ground and aerospace manufacturing industry: Frequentis, Indra, Natmig, SELEX Sistemi Integrati and Thales.
• Aircraft manufacturers: Airbus and Alenia Aeronautica.
• Airports: SEAC (a consortium of six airport operators: ADP, BAA, Fraport, Munich, Schipol & Unique), AENA and NORACON.
• Airborne equipment manufacturers: Honeywell and Thales.

The SESAR program comprises 16 work packages and 295 projects to be undertaken in the 2009-2016 timeframe under the supervision of the SJU. These packages will develop and deliver the necessary operational and technical materials (such as specifications, procedures, prototypes and validation activities) for the progressive deployment of the new European air traffic management system.

Marking the occasion, EUROCONTROL's Director General David McMillan said, "As a founding member of the SESAR Joint Undertaking, EUROCONTROL has a particular responsibility to work with the 16 partners with which agreements were signed today and ensure the programme's successful development. SESAR's innovative work to build the future European air traffic management system and to fit it within a global context is well underway and will deliver important benefits to society and airspace users alike."

The Business Trajectory
Taking full advantage of existing and newly developed technologies, SESAR's target concept relies on a number of key features:

• The notion of "trajectory-based operations," which will dramatically improve the predictability and precision of operations.
• A rolling network operation plan that takes into account real-time situations, including weather and traffic evolution.
• The introduction of an air traffic management intranet, including aircraft, that will enable all actors to have full access to the right information at the right time.
• The full integration of airport ground activities into ATM processes.
• Increased automation support for air traffic controllers and pilots, enabling them to concentrate on high added-value activities.
• Increased environmentally friendly operations at airports, allowing greener trajectories while maximizing the use of existing runways.

SESAR's new components and operational procedures will be gradually implemented from 2012 to 2020. "But it is essential that we can also identify and develop quick wins for implementation from 2010," said Patrick Ky, SJU executive director.

Source: European Commission (EC).