ISSUE 43 QUARTER 4 2018
journal of the civil air navigation services organisation
CELEBRATING SUCCESS IN ATM
SPOTLIGHT
ICAO 13th Air Navigation Conference Remote tower technology Indra CEO on innovation Cybersecurity
AIRSPACE 43
IN THIS ISSUE 5 DIRECTOR GENERAL
22 THE FUTURE IS DIGITAL
Jeff Poole looks back at ATM’s achievements over the past 12 months, highlighting new concepts, partnerships and technologies.
Klaus-Dieter Scheurle, CEO, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung, explains how and why the German ANSP chose to implement digital tower technology.
6 CELEBRATING ATM SUCCESS IN 2018 Loon
6 Avinor
Air traffic management has achieved numerous successes in 2018 that are further enhancing safe, efficient and environmentallyfriendly use of airspace.
25 ASSOCIATE MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
29 ICAO AIR NAVIGATION CONFERENCE
18
22
Indra Navia AS
Remote and digital towers can be a win-win solution, boosting air connectivity and the benefits of aviation even as they help to streamline ATM operations and costs.
DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH
18 REMOTE TOWER TECHNOLOGY
Eldar Hauge, CEO, Indra Navia AS, is a firm believer in properly assessing the risk of new technologies but says that it cannot be an excuse for delaying ideas that could bring considerable benefits.
The outcomes of the ICAO 13th Air Navigation Conference – where CANSO presented nine working papers – will play a vital role in determining the future shape of air traffic management.
25 Airspace No. 43 ISSN number 1877 2196 Published by CANSO, the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation Transpolis Schiphol Airport Polaris Avenue 85e 2132 JH Hoofddorp The Netherlands Telephone: +31 (0)23 568 5380 Fax: +31 (0)23 568 5389
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32 stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any other means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. The views and opinions in this publication are expressed by the authors in their personal capacity and are their sole responsibility. Their publication does not imply that they represent the views or opinions of CANSO and must not be interpreted as such. The reproduction of advertisements in this publication does not in any way imply endorsement by CANSO of the products and services referred to herein.
Cybersecurity is not just an issue for technical gurus but can instead be promoted in the boardroom using the same processes and culture that have served the ATM industry so well in advancing safety excellence.
ISSUE 43 QUARTER 4 2018
journal of the civil air navigation services organisation
CELEBRATING SUCCESS IN ATM
SPOTLIGHT
ICAO 13th Air Navigation Conference Remote tower technology Indra CEO on innovation Cybersecurity
Front Cover Image: iStock.com/NicoElNino Additional effects: CANSO
iStock.com/solarseven
32 CYBERSECURITY
© Copyright CANSO 2018
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The key to overcome challenges: safety, efficiency and Single European Sky.
FROM THE DIRECTOR GENERAL
civil air navigation services organisation
This edition of Airspace, the last in the tenth anniversary year of the magazine, celebrates success. We asked CANSO Members to send us their success stories from 2018. What we received represents just a small proportion of what CANSO Members are achieving but the submissions illustrate the extraordinary energy and dedication across the ATM industry to constantly analyse and improve ATM performance. The success stories highlight not just innovation and cutting edge technologies but the power of partnership and managing change. Above all they are about delivering results. There are great examples of innovation and cutting edge technology. For example, Loon’s high-altitude balloons, which will provide Internet access to Africa in 2019, have been successful in 2018 in using advanced predictive models and algorithms to determine the optimal altitude to take advantage of winds in the stratosphere. Many of the air traffic management techniques and technologies Loon is developing are likely to have wider applications across the industry. Drones are another recent entrant to airspace. Swiss ANSP, skyguide, and AirMap have partnered to develop and deploy Europe’s first national drone management system in Switzerland. ENAIRE is deploying U-space in Spain. Technology is helping controllers manage increasing air traffic demand. NATS’ electronic flight strip system, EXCDS, became fully operational in 2018 and helps controllers safely manage some of the busiest and most complex airspace in the world. Entry Point North opened its new academy in September to train Belgocontrol staff using state of the art simulators and other training aids. Frequentis has recently upgraded the Caribbean satellite telecommunications network to provide faster and more secure voice transmissions. Rohde & Shwarz is implementing IP-based voice systems for controllers to communicate more reliably and flexibly in New Zealand. And IATAS is focusing on improving aircraft clearance delivery over controller-pilot datalink communications (CPDLC). There are excellent examples of effective partnership. Six functional airspace blocks (FABs) worked together in 2018 to understand and mitigate the impact of air traffic volatility through case studies, data analysis, sharing best practice and workshops. One result was three FABs coming together in the third quarter of 2018 to introduce a set of procedures to deal with adverse weather conditions in the Alps, using an automated data exchange to distribute traffic more evenly. Another effective partnership was five ANSPs which launched the South East Common Sky Initiative Free Route Airspace (SECSI FRA) in February. It will reduce flight distances 600,000-700,000 nautical miles a year. The success stories are not just about technological achievement. They are also about how the industry successfully manages technological changes for its work force. In 2018 HungaroControl not only installed the world’s largest fully-capable and certified digital tower, but ensured that it incorporated the end users in the design and implementation process. I hope you enjoy the success stories. Celebrating success will also be the theme of the CANSO Global ATM Summit that takes place alongside the CANSO Annual General Meeting, in Geneva, Switzerland in June 2019. I look forward to hearing many more stories of success from CANSO Members between now and then. In the meantime, in this last edition of Airspace in 2018, I wish you all a successful 2019. Jeff Poole CANSO Director General
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ATM PROGRESS 2018
Celebrating a year of success Air traffic management achieved numerous successes in 2018 that are further enhancing safe, efficient and environmentally-friendly use of airspace.
New technologies are helping to improve the safety and efficiency of the skies and will help air navigation service providers (ANSPs) manage growing air traffic demand, new entrants to airspace and the cyber threat. One of the most exciting developments is digital and remote tower technology, which is enhancing safety and efficiency at medium and small size airports and improving services at smaller or remote airports, promoting business and social opportunities in surrounding communities. Also with the proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, safely integrating this new industry sector into airspace is a challenge that is being met through the creation of concepts such as U-space. Several demonstrations in 2018 proved that U-space can be made to work. Another positive development in 2018 was increasing collaboration at all levels of the industry. New models of cooperation extend from training initiatives to complex interactions in airspace design. ANSPs have come together to ensure free route airspace over sizeable areas, for example, while European functional airspace blocks have cooperated to lessen the impact of air traffic volatility caused by adverse weather conditions. All these trends look set to deliver further advances in 2019. The success stories from CANSO Members in the following pages – although just a small share of ATM’s global achievements in the past 12 months – highlight the professionalism and commitment to excellence throughout air traffic management. Most importantly, they deliver desirable, verifiable results and hold the promise of even greater developments ahead.
2018 success stories PAGE 7 Loon PAGE 7
Entry Point North
PAGE 9 ANS Finland PAGE 9 Enaire PAGE 10 Leonardo PAGE 11 AirMap PAGE 11 NATS PAGE 13 Frequentis PAGE 13 HungaroControl PAGE 14 Irish Aviation Authority PAGE 15 Rohde & Schwarz PAGE 15 IATAS PAGE 16 FABEC PAGE 17 Administration de la Navigation Aérienne PAGE 17 AustroControl Keep up to date with the latest developments. Subscribe to the weekly CANSO ATM News emailer canso.org/subscribe
Credit: iStock.com/NicoElNino Additional effects: CANSO
Airspace asked CANSO Members to send us stories of their successes in 2018 and what we received gives a fascinating snapshot of innovation and partnership across the industry.
ATM PROGRESS 2018
LOON: Sailing the winds at 60,000 feet Loon is working to expand Internet connectivity to communities around the world via a network of high-altitude balloons. Operating at 60,000 feet, Loon’s balloons act as floating cell towers, beaming Internet access directly to users’ phones on the ground. To ensure the balloons get to where they need to go, Loon has combined advances in engineering, machine learning, and weather forecasting to develop an autonomous navigation system that makes balloonpowered Internet a reality. In the stratosphere, winds travel in different directions at different altitudes. While one layer may cause the balloon to drift from its target location, another layer might take the balloon in the right direction. Rather than trying to fly against the wind, Loon’s balloons move up or down to capture a favourable current.
With the aid of these algorithms, the balloons can accurately sail the winds over thousands of kilometers to get where they need to go. Once over the service region, the operation of the fleet is choreographed to allow for continued service below. The entire navigation system functions autonomously, with operators providing continuous human oversight. After 30 million kilometers of real-world flight, Loon is preparing to take its floating cell towers to Africa to begin providing Internet
Credit: Loon
To identify helpful wind patterns, Loon uses advanced predictive models to determine wind speed and direction at each altitude. Custom-designed algorithms help determine the most effective combination of paths.
access unserved communities in 2019. None of it would be possible without these advances that allow the balloons to sail the wind at 60,000 feet. And Loon is hopeful that many of the traffic management techniques and technologies that it is developing will have a wider application to aviation in general.
ENTRY POINT NORTH: High quality training to meet industry needs Entry Point North has equipped the site with new simulators and will deliver ATC initial, unit, continuation and development training for air traffic controllers at Belgocontrol, as well as many other ATS/ Aviation courses. Third party customers are also welcome.
The new academy welcomed its first students in September 2018 with an official opening by the Belgium Federal Minister of Mobility, François Bellot.
The new Belgium site is part of an Entry Point North strategy for global growth and offering high quality ATS/ATSEP aviation training for customers. It is Belgocontrol’s first foray into a joint venture.
Credit: Entry Point North
In March 2018, Entry Point North, one of the largest global ATS academies, and the Belgian ANSP, Belgocontrol, signed a longterm agreement to provide Belgocontrol with high quality training through a new academy.
A new training academy will provide the perfect platform for a successful career in ATM.
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safety and flight efficiency are paramount to us
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ATM PROGRESS 2018
ANS FINLAND: Efficiency and cost savings in area control services On 1 June 2018, in Finland, all area control-related services were transferred from Tampere to the Helsinki Airport air traffic control centre. The move resulted in significant operational efficiency gains and cost savings.
He adds that the area control services of a small country like Finland can easily be provided in a single location. If something were to happen, a natural disaster or a cyberattack, plans call for a speedy move to ANS Finland’s temporary underground premises. They have full operational availability and are used regularly for practice sessions. Following the move, Luojus is pleased with the improved atmosphere at work. “We’re clearly heading towards a more open and more communicative culture,” he says. “Now that we work in single premises, everything we do is about communicating openly and listening to others.” Operational streamlining will also help ANS Finland to meet ambitious EU targets. The aim is to improve cost efficiency for
Credit: iStock.com/Terroa
ANS Finland’s CEO Raine Luojus estimates that €2–3 million was saved by streamlining the operations. In addition to personnel savings, there are savings in facility costs. In Tampere, there was 5,000 square metres of office space, with an annual maintenance cost of €500,000. When the services were moved to Helsinki, only 150 square metres of office space was needed thanks to new technologies and better design. All overlaps and data transfer costs were eliminated, Luojus says.
Consolidation of services has helped to streamline ATM operations.
en route services 24% by 2024 compared with 2017. A joint crossover service solution with EANS Estonia will most probably be operational in 2021. It means that one country’s authority may provide services to the other one in quiet times. A similar cooperation may be developed with Western neighbours as well, Luojus envisages.
ENAIRE: A successful demonstration of tactical geofencing for drones ENAIRE had a milestone year in 2018 with the creation of its Drone Unit and the first successful steps in deploying U-space in Spain. The initiative is based on the Spanish Ministerial Drone Strategy launched in 2018, which aims to boost business development, innovation and dissemination in the area of drones. ENAIRE is responsible or jointly responsible for initiatives, such as supporting the definition of U-space standards; smart cities drone integration; and developing a plan for U-space deployment in Spain. ENAIRE led one of the projects selected for funding by the SESAR Joint Undertaking, the research arm of the Single European Sky initiative. DOMUS (demonstration of multiple U-space suppliers), formed by 17 members supported by Spanish authorities, devised a concept for a federation of U-space services providers, performing under the coordination of an Ecosystem Manager.
Credit: iStock.com/NatureNow
As a test bed for DOMUS, ENAIRE co-organised a live drone demonstration during the Annual Conference of the Global UTM Association in June 2018 in Madrid. In front of more than 100 attendees, including authorities and media, and live-streamed, U-space tactical geofencing was successfully demonstrated in an operational environment in Europe for the first time.
ENAIRE is supporting the definition of U-space standards.
The highly complex and innovative exercise both in terms of technical development and live execution, has paved the way for further ENAIRE U-space initiatives. Project DEMORPAS, for example, demonstrates technical and operational feasibility in a mixed environment where drones and manned aircraft coexist in non-segregated airspace.
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ATM PROGRESS 2018
Credit: Leonardo
LEONARDO: Ensuring UTM is a turning point for business
The ENAV Leonardo UTM system will integrate multiple technologies for the safe handling of remotely-controlled air vehicles in civil airspace.
In 2018, Leonardo was selected by ENAV, the Italian ANSP, as its industrial partner for the development of an air traffic control system for unmanned aircraft (UTM) and for the provision of related services. Leonardo will lead the industrial team that includes subsidiary Telespazio and Ingegneria Dei Sistemi. ENAV will set up a new company for the venture, taking 60% of the share capital of the new company with the remaining 40% to be held by the industrial team led by Leonardo. The UTM system will integrate multiple technologies for the safe handling of remotely-controlled air vehicles in civil 10 QUARTER 4 2018
AIRSPACE
airspace. This includes the registration, authentication and identification of the air vehicles. The system will also support pre-flight planning, flight surveillance, emergency management and flight data recording. The UTM service is a prerequisite for the security of unmanned aerial vehicle flights beyond line of sight and represents a turning point in business as well as air navigation. The safe use of drones will open up new markets based on their use. The sector is destined to grow rapidly in the coming years, with estimates suggesting that by 2035, Europe will witness 7 million drones
in use for recreational purposes and another 400,000 in use for commercial purposes. Leonardo will use its extensive experience in radar systems and air traffic control centres in the continuing development of drone-based capabilities, proprietary technologies and services. The company is also actively participating in the main national and European programmes. In the ENAV UTM project, Leonardo will be responsible for coordinating the industrial team, for the system design as a system integrator and for the development of most of the software, while additionally ensuring adequate levels of cyber protection.
ATM PROGRESS 2018
AIRMAP: Opening up the Swiss skies for drones In 2018, skyguide, the Swiss ANSP, selected AirMap to develop and deploy Europe’s first national drone traffic management system in Switzerland to safely open the skies for drones and drone commerce.
including medical supply delivery and weather monitoring, across the whole of Switzerland.
The Swiss U-space system includes a multitude of services for aircraft operating in the low-altitude airspace, such as dynamic geofencing, instant digital airspace authorisation and solutions for situational awareness.
Each drone was connected to the AirMap UTM platform to receive real-time airspace information and traffic awareness. Simultaneously, these drones published live positioning and flight path information to an air traffic management dashboard for live deconfliction. The dashboard visualised fully integrated traffic streams for manned and unmanned aircraft.
While AirMap provides the unmanned aerial system traffic management (UTM) platform, skyguide provides the interfaces into ATC and also enables additional providers to offer services in an open market.
More than 26 drone industry partners participated in the demonstration, including Matternet, Parrot, senseFly, Swiss Post, and Swisscom, which are already operational in a variety of businesses applications today.
The system was demonstrated on 26 June 2018, in Zurich at the Drone Innovators Network event, hosted by the World Economic Forum and the Swiss Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication. In the demonstration, dozens of drones performed a variety of commercial tasks,
AirMap’s and skyguide’s partnership and progress is a model for UTM worldwide, proving that with industry and regulators collaborating on an open technology platform, U-space is available sooner than expected. Swiss U-space deploys nationwide beginning June 2019.
NATS: The benefits of electronic flight strips Towards the end of 2017, NATS began gradually introducing a new electronic flight strip system called EXCDS in to its London Terminal Control Centre, which manages the airspace over London and the South East of the UK. This system is now fully operational and helping to safely manage the growing volume of air traffic in what is some of the busiest and most complex airspace in the world.
to call each other to pass aircraft between sectors. This is time consuming and adds to controller workload in what is already a complex operation. Introducing electronic coordination reduces the time spent on the phone, freeing up controllers to manage the growing volumes of traffic being seen and laying the foundations for future growth. Second, EXCDS introduces a conformance monitoring tool in to the London Terminal Control operation for the first time. This will automatically alert controllers if an aircraft takes actions different to those instructed.
EXCDS offers two main benefits compared with paper strips. First, it simplifies coordination between air traffic controllers, thereby reducing controller workload. Currently, air traffic controllers have
This will enable the controller to take remedial action swiftly and is expected to help reduce level-busts, when pilots mistakenly enter a different flight level to that which has been instructed.
Credit: NATS
With demand for UK airspace growing, it is essential that NATS modernises the tools and technologies it uses to manage airspace to increase capacity and ensure safety.
Electronic flight strips improve the safety and efficiency of airspace.
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ATM PROGRESS 2018
FREQUENTIS: Intelligent networking for future ATM A consistent and reliable network performance, without service interruption, is essential to maintaining air traffic management’s safety-critical environment. In 2018, Frequentis responded to this need with software defined network technology. Its vitalsphere NetBroker ensures the service continuity and performance required of an ATM-grade network through the use of real-time network performance information and a set of application-specific performance targets with the ability to switch single voice and data flows between networks when performance is reduced.
It has completed the upgrade of the Caribbean satellite telecommunications network, MEVA-III, to support IP-based applications for faster and more secure voice transmissions, as well as more reliable transmission of AFTN/AMHS (aeronautical fixed telecommunication network/aeronautical message handling system) and surveillance data. The network of 18 nodes for 15 ANSPs at sites in the Caribbean, Latin, Central and North America is an important part of ICAO’s work to create a phased transition from legacy communication technology in the Caribbean, increasing the efficiency of local ANSPs.
Credit: Frequentis
Previously, the MEVA network, which provides interactive voice and data telecommunications services between international air traffic control facilities and other regional telecommunication networks in the region, was restricted by coverage limitations and quality. The service now offers the highest efficiency and 99.9% availability, as well as a reduction in operating costs by allowing payment only for the received network service.
Efficient networking is essential in ATM.
The implementation of intelligent networking in ATM also adds a valuable performance layer to support remote and digital technology towers, system-wide information management and modern surveillance technologies, which require more network bandwidth, more data sharing and more flexibility in communication flows. NetBroker monitors network performance, and proactively re-routes traffic flows based on the importance of the application or priority of the communication, ensuring customer specific air traffic and safety demands are met.
HUNGAROCONTROL: Building digital towers for the future In 2018, HungaroControl won Jane’s Air Traffic Control Award in the runway category for the remote tower solution at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD).
HungaroControl’s installation is the largest fully-capable and certified digital tower in the world. The journey of turning concept into reality goes far beyond just technological innovation, however. Underpinning the successful delivery of the world’s largest digital
Credit: HungaroControl
The remote tower is the first of its kind to be approved for operations without capacity restrictions at a medium-sized airport, with no shadow operation needed from the existing air traffic control tower. This 21st century innovation not only answers existing challenges in the air navigation systems but also builds a platform for future pioneering efforts in the sector.
HungaroControl’s installation is the largest digital tower in the world.
tower was an unwavering focus on both change management and safety to build user-acceptance and ensure a smooth and seamless operational transition.
Credit: HungaroControl
Digital towers, as with other emerging and innovative technologies, fundamentally alter the working environments or ways of working for end-users. These changes need to be managed carefully. In HungaroControl’s case, a user-centric approach was applied, incorporating end-users in the design and implementation process, which ultimately built trust and confidence through change ownership.
Change management was crucial to the success of the digital tower.
As the digital transformation of air traffic management continues, the focus must be on the human aspects of change. It is the end-user who will serve as the critical facilitator of successful technological change in air traffic management. AIRSPACE
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ATM PROGRESS 2018
IRISH AVIATION AUTHORITY: An Irish success story 26000 24000 22000
In 2017, there were 223,190 commercial movements and 2018 traffic so far shows a traffic increase of 4.2%, meaning the year will end with an estimated 232,563 commercial movements.
20000
Dublin Airport remains a single runway operation. Furthermore, the existing runway and taxiway infrastructure at Dublin airport is sub-optimal, with a severe bottleneck at the threshold of runway 28 and a lack of rapid exit taxiways.
14000
This results in an operational runway capacity at Dublin airport of between 45 and 49 movements per hour. However, this is for optimal, efficient operations for the existing infrastructure and depends very much on traffic circumstances, such as a balanced mix of arrivals and departures and weather conditions. The Irish ANSP introduced the Point Merge system for arriving traffic in late 2012. Since then movements have increased some 50% but the Point Merge System has allowed the IAA ANSP to successfullly accommodate the volume of traffic with minimal traditional stack holding. This significantly reduces delay and fuel burn (up to 20% less fuel used), increases operating predictability and enables Continuous Descent Operations (CDO). The CDO at Dublin is either the ideal variant – from cruising level to final approach – or a two-stage CDO from cruising level to, firstly,
21464
18000
17219 16555 14957
16000
12000 10000
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2015 2016 2017 2018
Dublin Airport monthly air traffic (2015 to date).
the Point Merge sequence leg (FL70/80) and, secondly, when turned direct to the final approach. Both of these CDO options provide substantial benefits. The IAA ANSP has also continued to implement and operate High Intensity Runway Operations (HIRO) at Dublin Airport since 2016. This has allowed an increase in normal movements per hour to be achieved at certain times – and indeed 51 movements per hour have been achieved this summer. Even so, the planned demand for services into/out of Dublin Airport continues to grow and the hourly capacity is not able to accommodate this demand. In 2019, demand is expected to exceed capacity for most hours of the day. This may result in valuable business opportunities being declined as airlines may not be able to
Source: IAA
48 46 44 42 40 38 36 34 32 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 2018 Capacity
Hourly Capacity vs Demand 2019.
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22536
19557
50
30
21765
Source: IAA
Dublin Airport has achieved record levels of air traffic movements and passengers and is rapidly reaching its capacity to accommodate further increases, even in the short-term.
2019 Capacity
operate new services during these periods. Spare capacity is only available between 20:00 and 04:00 (local time) when the vast majority of movements are inbound aircraft that will overnight in Dublin. Due to this predominantly inbound flow and the difficulty that airlines have in persuading passengers to take very early morning flights, this minimal spare capacity is more theoretical than realistically achievable. The full implementation of Airport Collaborative Decision Making in 2019 may facilitate some minor additional capacity. But in the longer term, the only solution is a second runway. Dublin Airport has reached maximum capacity and this situation is unsustainable in the longer term. The IAA ANSP is working with the relevant airport authorities to introduce a new North (Parallel) Runway to provide extra capacity in late 2021. And because the IAA ANSP complies fully with international standards, which dictate that the whole of the airport manoeuvring area must be visible to air traffic controllers, it has invested some €55 million in a new visual control tower at Dublin Airport, which will be ready to provide services from Q1 2020. At present therefore, it is the IAA ANSP, the professionalism of its staff and its innovative and effective procedures, which are largely responsible for sustaining the levels of traffic demand for Dublin Airport by continuing to provide the most efficient ATS, while maintaining the very high levels of safety achieved in its operations.
ATM PROGRESS 2018
ROHDE & SCHWARZ: A nationwide air traffic control voice communications system Rohde & Schwarz is supplying Airways – New Zealand’s ANSP – with an IP-based voice system for air traffic control communications in New Zealand airspace. Reliability, innovation and flexibility were the key words behind the selection. It is a key component of Airways’ move towards a new
one-centre, two-location operational model across its important Auckland and Christchurch locations. The design phase will be completed in 2018, with the installation and commissioning of the ATC centers in Auckland and Christchurch conducted in a phased deployment to be completed by 2020. A second phase, anticipated to start in 2021, will deliver the towerbased equipment across 22 tower locations nationwide. The IP-based voice system project includes the delivery, implementation and through-life support for over 200 controller working positions, with interfacing to the new ATM system, new ATC radios and various ground-ground communication lines. The multi-redundant, distributed architecture offered for the control centres in Auckland and Christchurch will help Airways significantly increase resilience and provide a unique geographic flexibility to manage their operations in a single trusted environment in the future.
Credit: Rohde & Schwarz
IP-based system architecture enables best practice operational concepts, such as virtual control centres where multiple locations are combined to a larger airspace. This helps ANSPs to mitigate short-term airspace volatility and to reduce staffing on nightshifts, achieving better workforce utilisation and higher staff satisfaction.
IATAS (International Air Traffic Automation Systems): An affordable clearance delivery solution In 2018, CANSO held a vendor information day in Bogota, Colombia, on available and emerging solutions for consideration by the local regulator and ANSP. Both parties had raised concerns about some of the challenges and restrictions that the aviation sector is facing. A particular issue was aircraft clearance delivery over controller-pilot datalink communications (CPDLC), which can be expensive for ANSPs and airlines. As a result of this event, IATAS (International Air Traffic Automation Systems) has filed for a patent providing a similar service with a completely different mindset.
Like all IATAS solutions, the clearance delivery product is installed for free, without any upfront or annual maintenance costs. Once commissioned, IATAS receives a small transaction fee for each clearance. Ori Shloosh, IATAS’s CEO and Chief Systems Architect stresses: “CANSO events provide a superb environment to freely discuss and ignite possible collaborations. “This is a prime example of a new solution that can be implemented by all ANSPs in virtually all airports on a global scale, for safer, more cost-effective operations, without upfront investment.”
Credit: iStock.com/Ernesto Tereñes
The idea is simple, saves clearance delivery resources, can be completed autonomously without controller intervention in many cases, and is very simple for the pilot to use. It can be provided up to six hours before flight time depending on weather and
helps reduce errors. In addition, the solution works with current infrastructure without the need for heavy investments in hardware, communications or systems.
A clearance delivery solution is on offer without upfront investment.
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FABEC: Inter-FAB cooperation European air traffic has returned to prerecession levels and demand growth is firmly at the top end of EUROCONTROL’s 2-4% annual forecast.
on case studies and mitigation efforts. This initial call was followed by an academic workshop in Warsaw a few months later to investigate the subject in more depth.
There was a new record set on 7 September 2018 when air navigation service providers (ANSPs) handled more than 37,000 flights, according to figures released by EUROCONTROL Network Manager.
The evidence shared found strong interdependencies between all the stakeholders in the aviation chain, driven by tight operating margins in an increasingly competitive market. Air traffic controller staffing levels lacked sufficient capacity to respond adequately to unexpected changes in demand.
However, passengers are experiencing double the average delay recorded in 2017, leading to missed connections, long waiting times and extra cost. The reasons for delay and cancellations are varied and include events that occur across the entire aviation chain, such as airport congestion. But there are also external factors, like the impact of climate change which is leading to more severe weather events, which are affecting European traffic in a totally new way. Recognising a change in traffic patterns, operational experts from six functional airspace blocks (FABs) in Europe began to work together in early 2017 to identify the different types of traffic volatility, analyse its impact, share best practice and develop new solutions to mitigate its effect.
The Warsaw workshop also highlighted a need for closer collaboration, enhanced communication and greater awareness of operational requirements among all the relevant players. There are many factors behind the capacity squeeze, some of which are hard to predict, such as the sudden closure of airspace for security reasons, diversions to avoid conflict areas, or unexpected weather events. Others are structural, where the root cause lies with under-investment in staff and technology and is founded on imprecise traffic forecasts.
Additional routings to Munich airports In March 2018, experts from all continental FABs participated in an Inter-FAB panel to provide the first substantial evidence based
Furthermore, the impact of changes in traffic flow is often in areas where demand growth has accelerated in recent years
and resources are already stretched. The Performance Review Scheme introduced as part of the Single European Sky initiative may have helped to reduce airspace user charges, but it has also put pressure future ANSP financing. In addition to studying traffic volatility, the experts examined the impact of climate change on aviation. A World Meteorological Organization expert described how severe weather events will become more frequent and identified a need for more cooperation between stakeholders. In one example, in the third quarter 2018, members of three separate FABs came together to introduce a set of procedures to deal with adverse weather conditions in the Alps, which impact Munich airport. Controllers working in four different centres and three different countries now collaborate to distribute the traffic more evenly to stabilise the network using an automated data exchange. Teamwork activity, related to traffic volatility and adverse weather, secured an outstanding achievement award at the US ATCA Annual in October 2018, indicative of the start of wider collaboration involving more players and improved data sharing across the aviation transport chain.
Karlsruhe
EDUU High FL315+ KPT - OLASO
Zurich
Munich
Standard FL315
Credit: FABEC
LSAZ routing SUXAN - NUNRI
Padua
SchematicAdditional drawing routings to Munich Airports.
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LOVV routing via LAMSI - LALIN - BAMTA
LOVV routing via REDBU/AMADI - NAPSA
Vienna
ATM PROGRESS 2018
ADMINISTRATION DE LA NAVIGATION AÉRIENNE: Local residents at the heart of the process Under the new management of its Director, Claudio Clori, the Luxembourg Air Navigation Administration (ANA) is undergoing major organisational changes affecting its values, ambitions, strategies and culture.
ANA is now working on the European Eco-Management and Audit Scheme certification (EMAS), dealing with environmental issues. Among the priority actions, flight paths and airspace will be adapted for greater efficiency.
“By 2025, I see ANA as a centre of expertise, as an important actor and partner of the airport platform and as a source of valuable proposals,” he says. “I intend to give this administration a new dimension,” says the ANA Director.
ANA advocates open communication using new models of cooperation where partners with different approaches come together around shared purposes. This is the best recipe to keep up with the rapid pace of change in aviation management.
ANA obtained its ISO 14001 environmental certificate in February 2018. The environmental approach is long-term, however, and is not just about certification. At the heart of the process is a dialogue with local residents’ associations to better understand each other’s expectations and constraints.
In July 2018, ANA and Cargolux signed a charter to reduce aircraft noise that applies best practices in this area and limits the number of night flights and engine tests. Furthermore, continuous descent procedures have substantially reduced fuel consumption and noise throughout 2018. Recently, all operators were reminded of their obligations during a meeting of airspace users with the Ministry for Sustainable Development and Infrastructures.
Credit: ANA
In addition, collaboration with the airlines, in particular Cargolux and Luxair, has resulted in several initiatives to reduce aircraft noise pollution. For example, a change in the modified southern circuit has moved aircraft away from Sandweiler, a densely populated area.
ANA is working with Cargolux to reduce noise.
AUSTROCONTROL: Uniting European skies The South East Common Sky Initiative Free Route Airspace (SECSI FRA) was successfully implemented in 2018 with the support of EUROCONTROL’s Network Manager. SECSI FRA merges two existing free route airspaces – SAXFRA (Austro Control and Slovenia Control) and SEAFRA (BHANSA from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia Control, and SMATSA from Serbia and Montenegro). The project took less than a year from the signing of the agreement to full implementation. SECSI FRA went operational on 1 February 2018, offering airspace users significant benefits along the southeast axis by delivering the shortest route options from central Europe. SECSI FRA is expected to deliver potential savings of 600,000-700,000 nautical miles in flight distances per year. One of the most important aspects of the initiative was the collaboration between multiple ANSPs. Establishing a functional and operational 24/7 cross-border free route airspace is a very complex business. Challenges included the simulation of flow changes and taking into account existing agreements and established procedures. This meant revision to route availability document (RAD) rules where needed, changes to radar handover procedures and the adaptation of remaining fixed routes, including arrivals and departures. Central to discussions was an awareness of the capabilities of the various air traffic management systems. Communication between
different systems is essential, as data exchange has to be seamless. Fortunately, there were no major obstacles. The intensive work continued with aeronautical information publications and circulars, where the synchronisation of the FRA chapters was a challenging task but very much appreciated by airspace users. In SECSI FRA, the States and ANSPs reached a unique agreement and the FRA text is for the most part unified. Looking at the operational aspects, the major change was separation methods and procedures. Those based on fixed network and coordination points had to be updated for the FRA environment. The partners in SECSI FRA successfully integrated two models – areas of common interest and time/distance-based procedures, initially developed for SAXFRA and SEAFRA respectfully. SECSI FRA partners included EUROCONTROL in the process from the outset. EUROCONTROL had an essential supporting role, providing experience, simulations and verifications. It also managed the Integrated Initial Flight Plan System (IFPS) and the correct coding of the airspace changes, which was crucial for the project. Airspace users were also involved from the beginning and briefed regularly on all aspects of the upcoming FRA. Five ANSPs closely working together to implement SECSI FRA in less than a year is a remarkable achievement. This project will not only make the flow of air traffic through Europe more efficient but also is a clear sign that significant progress is being made towards achieving a common European free route airspace by 2022.
CANSO invited all CANSO Members to submit success stories. All the entries received are being published. They have only been edited for style and they are not presented in any particular order.
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Credit: Catchlight Photography
REMOTE TOWER TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT
Superior service from a distance Remote and digital towers can be a win-win solution, boosting air connectivity and the benefits of aviation even as they streamline ATM operations and costs. Providing safe, cost-effective service to every airport in the world, no matter how remote or how thin the traffic, will be a huge boost to air connectivity and the benefits that connectivity delivers. Remote towers afford that opportunity. Norway, for example, relies on aviation to feed remote communities, supporting local economies, education, sport, culture and even the health system. More than 30,000 air ambulance journeys are made every year in the country. Indeed, the hospital structure in Northern Norway is largely based on the frequency of air transport. Aviation’s role in Norwegian tourism is also increasing. The number of tourists flying to Norway increased from 2.4 million to 4.4 million visitors between 2011 and 2016. Air transport is particularly important for the seasonal visits to Northern Norway with tourists keen to enjoy a taste of a traditional Christmas. To cope with increasing demand in an efficient manner, Avinor – which operates civil aviation infrastructure in the country – is introducing remote tower services for 15 airports in partnership with its suppliers, Kongsberg and Indra. The airports will be operated from a tower centre in Bodø with the first airport – Røst – on schedule to be operational in the autumn of 2019. By the end of 2021, all 15 airports will be remotely controlled from the tower centre in Bodø. 18 QUARTER 4 2018
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The move to service provision to multiple airports from one workstation requires thorough assessments and validations, which will take time after the initial operations have started. Sequential step In the beginning, the individual airports will be controlled from separate workstations. “The move to service provision to multiple airports from one workstation requires thorough assessments and validations, which will take time after the initial operations have started,” says Jan Østby, Programme Manager in the Ninox Remote Towers / Avinor Air Navigation Services. No date has been set for the commencement of multiple operations, but, in any case, there will be an interim step. A sequential mode will be implemented that allows service to be provided to one airport at a time from the same workstation. Østby says this is less complex to achieve.
REMOTE TOWER TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT
“Plans for these processes are being developed and the multiple concept is considered an important enabler in our programme,” Østby notes. The benefits of remote towers to both the operator and the local economies could be significant. For the Avinor Group, remote towers will save significant maintenance costs on existing structures. Many of the control towers in Norway are due for refurbishment or total replacement. Remote towers will circumvent heavy investment in new tower buildings in the future. “It is still too early pinpoint a specific figure, but we are confident that the return on investment will be positive,” says Østby. “It is a tremendous opportunity to improve efficiency and reduce costs and will enable us to continue providing the excellent air traffic service currently enjoyed in Norway.” Meanwhile, remote towers will ensure the airports served are accessible throughout the day and night. The centralised service
While the rewards are great, there are challenges to be addressed before the full potential of remote towers can be realised. The nature of the remote tower project is such that maintenance takes on even greater importance ... human resource, training, and regulatory issues also have to be tackled. delivery will cover current opening hours and ensure on-call services to handle ambulance flights and search and rescue missions outside opening hours. The improved flexibility and safety provision will build a platform for business growth in
A camera at the airport takes a 360° view of the airfield, with more details than the human eye can perceive. The cameras can zoom in on small details, show motion in pictures (eg. birds), and also have infrared capability that makes it possible to see in the dark. Each airport is connected to the tower centre through two networks which are independent of each other. If one network breaks down, there is still access to the tower centre the other way. This network is independent of the civilian broadband network, consisting of both cables and radio transmission.
For pilots, there will be no practical day-to-day difference – they will continue talking with tower staff over the radio like today.
From the tower centre in Bodø, the tower service is operated at several airports, using the same personnel previously located at each airport. With large screens, they have oversight of everything at the remote airports, communicating directly with both pilots and crews on the ground.
Credit: Avinor
For airline passengers it is not obvious that the tower at the airport is remote controlled, other than there is a camera mast at the airport and those who were previously in the tower are now in Bodø.
The tower centre in Bodø will operate airports throughout Norway, both small and large.
How do remote towers work? ATCOs are physically located in a tower centre away from the airport they are controlling. Cameras, microphones and other equipment are installed at the airport to provide detailed information about airport conditions and activities. This information is displayed to the ATCO on large screens that give a full overview of every movement and operation at an airport. In many ways, remote towers offer superior service. The 360-degree cameras are more sensitive than the human eye, for example, and can zoom in on small details and use infra-red to see in the dark. Passengers will not notice any difference to normal operations and even for pilots there are no practical differences. They will still talk to the tower personnel on the radio and receive instructions. Remote towers have several redundant networks using both cable and radio transmissions. If one network should fail, another can be used to connect to the tower centre.
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REMOTE TOWER TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT
Remote tower regulation
Credit: Avinor
CANSO’s view is that there is no need for different regulation as remote/digital towers do the same job as traditional towers. Rather, the focus should be on performance.
Aviation’s role in Norwegian tourism is increasing.
A CANSO paper on remote tower regulation – Digitisation of Aerodrome Air Traffic Services – presented to the ICAO 13th Air Navigation Conference states that “it is important to apply a performance-based regulatory approach, allowing the technology to develop to support safety and service enhancements that overcome limitations associated with conventional concepts”. The paper further requests that:
regional communities, especially within such sectors as oil and gas, tourism and trade. It is also important to note that remote towers can be deployed at airports of any size. “As with other ATM systems, the system must be adapted to the local needs to cover the geographical area of the airport and meet the capacity demand,” Østby advises.
Human resources While the rewards are great, there are challenges to be addressed before the full potential of remote towers can be realised. The nature of the remote tower project is such that maintenance takes on even greater importance. This is especially true for Norway with its northern regions experiencing extremely harsh winter conditions. Avinor will have maintenance teams closely inspecting the various systems, both in the control centre and at the individual airports. The maintenance teams will comprise staff from Avinor, Kongsberg, and Indra. Østby is confident that Avinor’s long experience in winter operations will prove hugely beneficial when launching the remote tower service. In fact, cameras have been successfully tested at two different locations for more than a year, so their weather resilience is well proven. The challenges are not just technical, however. Human resource, training, and regulatory issues also have to be tackled. Introducing remote towers will probably involve moving air traffic controllers (ATCOs) to a new location, perhaps some distance away.
Remote towers will ensure the airports served are accessible throughout the day and night. The centralised service delivery will cover current opening hours and ensure on-call services to handle ambulance flights and search and rescue missions outside opening hours. The improved flexibility and safety provision will build a platform for business growth in regional communities.
ICAO takes advantage of provisions developed in Europe and elsewhere that support remotely provided aerodrome air traffic services (ATS) ICAO encourages other States and standard development organisations to collaborate on global provisions for digital ATS ICAO initiates the development of a common set of guidance material to ensure the availability of high quality and secured digital ATS information in a timely manner ICAO coordinates the development of guidance material with relevant industry stakeholders.
This requires a transparent, comprehensive relocation programme that is acceptable to the organisation and its staff and their families. The human element of the transformation to remote towers is complicated by the need for new training. Naturally enough, training is crucial to the implementation of any new technology. Østby says that precise plans for training processes for remote tower services are still being formulated. “Generally, ATCOs are being introduced to a range of new technologies as well as new operational concepts and operational procedures,” he says. “This will require new training plans and the revision of existing plans. Multiple airport training is a very important issue and needs to be defined in detail as we progress with the concept description, safety assessments and human factors assessments.”
Regulatory collaboration Clearly, remote towers are required to provide a service which is at least as safe as the present service – and preferably even safer. Avinor is working closely with the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ensure regulatory approval keeps pace with the organisation’s remote tower strategy. The NCAA has a dedicated team of experts working with Avinor, which, in turn, has appointed specific individuals to be responsible for the regulatory dialogue. Avinor performs extensive safety analyses for every modification to systems or methods, in accordance with internal processes approved by the NCAA. Before remote towers are introduced, therefore, their services must be accepted by the NCAA and there must be documentation to demonstrate that they offer a level of safety that is equal to or better than traditional towers. “We are confident that remote towers offer a safe and sustainable way forward for Norwegian ATM,” concludes Østby. AIRSPACE
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RTC in Germany: first international airport to be operational soon Klaus-Dieter Scheurle, CEO, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung, explains how and why DFS chose to implement digital tower technology. Remote tower controls will become reality in Germany in late 2018. The tower at Saarbrücken International Airport will soon be unstaffed. Air traffic controllers will handle traffic from the Remote Tower Centre in Leipzig, over 400 kilometres away. With around 15,300 aircraft movements per year, Saarbrücken will be by far the largest airport in the world to be controlled remotely in regular operations. DFS chose Saarbrücken to start with because of the manageable number of flight movements and because the old tower cab had to be replaced soon, which would have cost many millions of euros. Instead of replacing it, we decided on remote tower control (RTC). The complete project comprises the airports of Saarbrücken, Erfurt and Dresden. Erfurt, which has a similar number of aircraft movements as Saarbrücken, will be the second airport to be added to the Remote Tower Centre. This will take place approximately one year after Saarbrücken. Dresden has more than twice as many flights as the other two airports – in 2017 there were 36,480 movements – and operates a lot of mixed traffic. It is planned to be the third airport to be remotely operated. An extension of the project to other single-runway airports may be conceivable in the future. These are some of the smaller airports among the 16 international airports controlled by DFS, which have a similar layout.
The RTC controllers will work with the advanced ATS systems, developed by DFS, for situational awareness (radar), flight data processing, weather and information display and others. Completely new is the Frequentis system, which reproduces the out-of-thewindow view; instead of looking through the tower window, the controller looks at a panoramic view on five screens. Whereas in the tower the controller turns his head to right or left to get an overview, in the RTC the controller pans the camera with a mouse in the desired direction. The controller can switch the image between normal (full HD) and infrared vision. The image is reproduced by a 360-degree colour video camera system and a 360-degree infrared camera. The automatic object recognition and tracking in the panorama display is very accurate. The system provides the controllers with additional optical information, which is superior to the conventional look-out of the tower. In addition, there are two pan-tilt-zoom cameras. The zoom function replaces the previous option of using binoculars. It provides thirty times magnification in colour and twenty-four times magnification in infrared. The entire camera system is heated and equipped with an automatic cleaning system, so the cameras will not fog up, get dirty or iced up. For data transmission, we use redundant, exclusive data networks that we had already. So we only had to expand the bandwidth.
A great view
The benefits of RTC
Our system is characterised by the fact that the working position in the Remote Tower Centre has been developed according to the needs of out-of-the-window view. On the other hand, we did not change the operational concept and procedures so our customers will not see any difference at RTC-operated airports.
RTC increases efficiency and reduces costs – decisive factors in air traffic management. Our remote tower controllers will be cross-trained and authorised for the three designated airports. Maintenance and repair costs are reduced because the systems are bundled at one location. In this way, we can reduce the number of staff and increase the flexibility and efficiency of shift scheduling.
Credit: DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH
For the controllers, the job will become more attractive, digital and modern. And it offers greater variety than is the case today at similar medium-sized single-runway locations. Of course, there are challenges. One was to find a system for the out-of-the-window view that met our requirements in terms of performance, flexibility, quality and safety. The main challenge, however, was a new working environment. Even though the feasibility of the RTC project had already been demonstrated in 2012, we still had to deal with the change process. Saarbrücken traffic will be handled by controllers in Leipzig.
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Remote technology is a paradigm shift in ATC. It is the first step into the digital future.
Credit: DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH
REMOTE TOWER TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT
REMOTE TOWER TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT
Tower services from afar
The Remote Tower Centre
Does every airport still need a control tower? What was once taken as a given will be different in the future. Air navigation service providers around the world are increasingly backing the remote tower control (RTC) concept. With RTC, air traffic controllers handle traffic at the airport not from a tower on site but from a distant control centre. DFS and the Austrian high-tech company Frequentis have together developed a particularly advanced solution. The view from the tower cab is replaced by one delivered from a camera tower equipped with both static and pan-tilt-zoom video and infrared cameras. The system supports air traffic controllers in doing their work by automatically detecting and tracking aircraft and other targets. The system has already been put through numerous live operations tests at Saarbrücken Airport over a four-month period in 2018.
The air traffic controllers who will handle traffic at Saarbrücken Airport will sit in the Remote Tower Centre in Leipzig, more than 400 kilometres away to the east.
Cleared for take-off
Transmission of images Control of cameras
The future with Remote Tower Control Camera tower
RTC-Centre
Remote tower control for Saarbrücken Airport is just the start. Step by step the airports of Erfurt and Dresden will be equipped with camera systems and will be integrated into the Remote Tower Centre in Leipzig. DFS will then control three airports in Germany from one location.
RTC RTC
LEIPZIG DRESDEN ERFURT RTC
SAARBRÜCKEN
360-degree infrared camera
Pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) infrared camera Pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) video camera Cleared for take-off
Credit: DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH
360-degree video camera
RTC
DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung Remote Tower Control schematic.
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Innovate and implement
Safety always comes first, according to Eldar Hauge, CEO, Indra Navia AS. So, when it comes to introducing innovative ideas into air traffic management, he believes that, from a passenger point of view, “it is good to know that the industry is somewhat conservative when it comes to applying new technologies.” But he insists that this state of affairs cannot mean a reluctance to introduce new concepts of operations, especially when they can make flights safer, more efficient and more environmentally friendly. Air traffic management has to continue its progress and even increase the speed of implementation of innovative solutions, suggests Hauge.
Artificial intelligence will become more important, making it easier for air traffic controllers to predict and avoid situations that could become critical. Consequently, airports can run at a higher capacity without compromising safety.
The Indra CEO is also excited by ground-based augmentation systems (GBAS). He believes the development of these systems has been one of the major highlights of ATM progress in 2018. Hauge says GBAS is here to stay, and it is just a matter of time before it becomes a new industry standard. “Satellite-based landings lead to significant benefits to airports’ capacity, cost efficiency and environmental impact,” he adds.
Credit: Indra Navia AS
Remote tower technology is a perfect example of a ground-breaking idea that has been brought to market quickly and safely. Indra is working with Avinor and Kongsberg on a project to supply 15 Norwegian airports with this cutting-edge expertise (see article, page 18). “Projects like these make the industry move forward,” says Hauge.
Credit: Indra Navia AS
Eldar Hauge, CEO, Indra Navia AS, is a firm believer in properly assessing the risk of new technologies but says that it cannot be an excuse for delaying ideas that could bring considerable benefits.
Flight safety and efficiency are crucial and will be the focus of new ATM solutions including artificial intelligence.
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“One of the busiest airports in the world, Hong Kong International, is running flight trials with GBAS in the fourth quarter of 2018.” But satellite-based landing systems also typify the need for speed in the implementation of cutting-edge systems. Norway actually started using satellite-based landing systems back in 2007, the first country in the world to do so. Indra developed the first generation, called SCAT-1, which is still in use at several Norwegian airports. “It is exciting to see that large airports hubs are now ready to test the technology,” Hauge says.
Credit: Indra Navia AS
Indra is working on GBAS within SESAR 2020 – which is researching technologies for use in the future European ATM system – and EUROCAE Working Group 28 – which is specifically concerned with GBAS. It has also initiated a dialogue with the US Federal Aviation Administration to identify a path to CAT III certification concerning a precision approach.
Mixed reality Looking further ahead, Hauge identifies artificial intelligence as a potential game changer. “Artificial intelligence will become more important, making it easier for air traffic controllers to predict and avoid situations that could become critical,” he suggests. “Consequently, airports can run at a higher capacity without compromising safety.” Among its many attributes, artificial intelligence makes it possible to process large amounts of data faster and more accurately than existing systems. And with that speed and accuracy comes enormous benefits for the aviation value chain. “We use artificial intelligence in our InNOVA suite of air traffic control systems,” Hauge reveals. “For our customers this means they get safer operations on ground and in air, and they can increase capacity and throughput at their airports.” Aligned with the development of artificial intelligence is mixed reality, where the real world and a virtual world are merged and interacting in real-time. The concept is beginning to have an impact on potential air traffic management solutions. Indra’s contribution is called the Looking Glass project, which is based on Microsoft’s HoloLens. Hauge says that Indra’s ambition is to use mixed reality to improve the design of air routes in the approach stage, and thereby reduce fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and airline costs.
Environmental focus With the recent climate report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change fresh in mind, Eldar Hauge, CEO, Indra Navia AS, believes that cutting CO2 emissions is likely to become the number one focus of air traffic management in future. “Making flights more environmentally friendly may be the biggest challenge we have ever faced as an industry, but it also involves massive opportunities for those who manage to develop sustainable solutions,” he stresses.
Mixed-reality ATM solutions have the potential to boost capacity.
It has demonstrated the technology using the potential third runway at London Heathrow Airport as a test case. When wearing the Microsoft HoloLens, the user can see three-dimensional take-offs and landings at the future Heathrow runway. Tests have revealed mixed reality makes it easier to analyse and optimise an aircraft’s final approach, reducing noise for the nearby population.
Basic regulations Beyond technology, ANSP business models and regulations are two areas that will doubtless affect the future of air traffic management, says Hauge. “As ANSPs are privatised and the market is deregulated, there is an increasing awareness about competition between ANSPs,” he says. “Home markets are no longer protected to the same extent as they used to be. If you compare air traffic management with what has happened in other markets, we may in the long run face consolidation, with fewer and larger ANSPs. If this happens, it may also affect the supplier side.” But even if ANSP consolidation also squeezes the supplier side, Hauge insists that flight safety and efficiency will remain crucial, and the focus of new solutions. New business models are also emerging to deal with the proliferation of drones. Hauge believes this is a topic that will see plenty of activity in the near future, including new regulations. “Drone technology provides major benefits and opportunities, but also safety risks and potential conflicts when operated near airports or in urban areas,” Hauge sums up. “I think many ANSPs have experienced some dangerous situations, and yet we have merely seen the start of the application of drone technology. It is not a matter of changing regulations but getting basic regulations in place. “Apart from drones, some of the existing regulations may be a bottleneck to innovation and the application of new technologies,” he adds. “The regulations were developed with safety in mind, but some of the new technology will actually improve safety.” AIRSPACE
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ICAO AIR NAVIGATION CONFERENCE
Roadmap for the future The outcomes of the ICAO 13th Air Navigation Conference will play a vital role in determining the future shape of air traffic management. The ICAO 13th Air Navigation Conference (AN-Conf/13) – with the theme of From Development to Implementation – provided a forum for detailed discussions on the future of air traffic management. Technical, operational, infrastructure and safety elements were discussed by two committees – the Air Navigation Committee and the Aviation Safety Committee. In Committee A (Air Navigation), CANSO presented nine working papers (see tables, pages 30 & 31), co-signed four working papers that were presented by industry partners and intervened on more than 40 papers from States and international organisations. Some of the interventions were detailed while others were simply providing
CANSO will play a key role in evolving and ensuring delivery of the ICAO Global Air Navigation Plan and its ICAO Aviation System Block Upgrades and the revised Global Aviation Safety Plan.
CANSO support for a presented paper. All CANSO interventions resulted in positive feedback. CANSO papers called for States and ICAO to enable investment in ATM infrastructure; harmonise the approach to standards around the world; adopt a performance-based approach to regulation; embrace new technologies and airspace users; and tackle cybersecurity to help improve the safety, efficiency and effectiveness of ATM. In Committee B (Safety), CANSO did not present any working papers but did intervene on 11 different papers. Again, there was positive feedback on CANSO interventions. CANSO also had an active presence outside the Conference itself, offering a wealth of ATM information and facilitating engagement between CANSO Members and industry acquaintances to strengthen relationships and create new ones. As CANSO’s working papers were received positively and supported by many States, action items contained in the papers have been included in the AN-Conf/13 Final Report. It means CANSO positions on key ATM priorities are included in the Conference recommendations and will be forwarded to the ICAO 40th Assembly in 2019. They will then be included in the budget and work plan from ICAO for the 2019–2022 triennium. AIRSPACE
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ICAO AIR NAVIGATION CONFERENCE
CANSO Director General, Jeff Poole, says that the decisions made at AN-Conf/13 will facilitate and provide further impetus to the tremendous improvements in air traffic management that are already happening, and which will increase in pace in the coming years.
offer and facilitate,” he continues. “CANSO will also play a key role in evolving and ensuring delivery of the ICAO Global Air Navigation Plan and its ICAO Aviation System Block Upgrades (ASBUs) and the revised Global Aviation Safety Plan.
“We will now work together with ICAO, States and industry partners to implement the decisions and fully exploit the opportunities they
“Effective implementation is crucial, so I am pleased that ICAO has accepted my suggestion to form a small group to ensure that we
CANSO Paper
Summary
Paper response at AN-Conf/13
Collaboration of UAS Traffic Management (UTM) and Air Traffic Management
The increase in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) has given rise to the development of UAS traffic management (UTM) systems or U-space in Europe. CANSO asked ICAO to ensure that UTM is interoperable with existing ATM, can be demonstrated to be at an equivalent level of safety, and comply with the rules of airspace.
The Conference urged States to ensure that approved UTM systems are interoperable with existing ATM infrastructure. Further the Conference agreed that integration of UAS into national airspace systems would be facilitated by the definition and implementation of core airspace management services.
It is important that UTM systems should not be developed in isolation from current ATM systems. The increase in unmanned aerial systems (UAS) has given rise to the development of UAS traffic management (UTM) systems or U-space in Europe. CANSO asked ICAO to ensure that UTM is interoperable with existing ATM, can be demonstrated to be at an equivalent level of safety, and comply with the rules of airspace. It is important that UTM systems should not be developed in isolation from current ATM systems.
Because of this the Conference recommended that States collect and share information regarding very low altitude operations, including on UTM systems, autonomous operations initiatives and tactical risk assessment models.
Coordination of Flights through Controlled Airspace for Space and Near Space operations
CANSO asked ICAO to develop guidelines on reducing separation distances and on minimising the temporary flight restrictions that segregate aircraft from rockets during the launch window, without decreasing safety. It also asked for guidance on equipage of vehicles and guidance to coordinate their travel through controlled airspace.
The Conference recommended that ICAO develop a performance-based global framework for higher airspace operations considering current and future work in emerging technologies. This includes the areas of information management and sharing, strategic planning, separation and environmental standards, situational awareness and security. It is important that the framework includes flights transitioning through controlled airspace and to and through airspace above FL600, as necessary.
Cyber Resilience in the SWIM Concept
Aviation systems have become more interconnected and rely on managing and sharing data through initiatives such as system wide information management (SWIM). But this increased interconnectivity is potentially vulnerable to cyber-attack. CANSO advocates including a commitment to cyber security governance for all phases of SWIM development and deployment. The paper also called for ICAO to create guidelines for States to ensure the protection layer is proactively managed and to advise States on the need to create contingency plans.
The Conference recommended that States recognise the need to share information related to cyber events with other States and international organisations through appropriately designated channels.
CANSO asked regulators to take an approach that is based on what needs to be achieved. For example, CANSO believes there is no need to change regulatory requirements to accommodate the use of remote / digitised air traffic control towers as remote towers fulfil the same performance requirements as conventional towers; performance indicators would be the same.
The Conference noted that the variety of operational requirements made it challenging to ensure a harmonised approach to all implementations of digital or remote tower operations. It further noted the importance of striking the right balance between a specificationbased and a performance-based approach, to ensure that innovation would not be stifled.
Digitisation of Aerodrome Air Traffic Services
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Additionally, ICAO should develop and promote high-level policies and management frameworks for cyber resilience to help mitigate cyber threats and risks to civil aviation based on international industry standards.
ICAO AIR NAVIGATION CONFERENCE
have a common understanding of what is required, the challenges and opportunities, and how best to speed up implementation across the globe. “The Thirteenth Air Navigation Conference delivered important decisions for improved ATM that will contribute to global connectivity and the economic and social benefits of aviation,”
Poole concluded. “With good cooperation from all stakeholders, these decisions provide a strong foundation for all levels of airspace to be managed safely, effectively and seamlessly for any airspace user and to be able to embrace new technologies and procedures now and in the years to come.” All papers can be downloaded from the CANSO website.
CANSO Paper
Summary
Paper response at AN-Conf/13
Global Interoperability
The industry is working towards a highly interoperable global data environment that supports operational concepts, such as trajectorybased operations, SWIM and the safe integration of drones. All of these require detailed technical specifications to be harmonised globally. CANSO therefore asked ICAO to advise standards organisations that their proposals ensure global interoperability.
CANSO’s paper was widely accepted by the Conference, particularly the recommendation to “continue the Standards Roundtable coordination work with recognised standards-making organisations, also tasking them to establish suitable validation and verification processes to ensure interoperability.”
Investment in ATM
CANSO encouraged States to develop robust plans to guide funding priorities and encourage long-term planning and strategic balance for investment in ATM and other infrastructure. ICAO could help by continuing to promote the separation of regulation from service provision; and by promoting the benefits of allowing ANSPs to act as normal businesses and make the longterm plans required for ATM.
It was noted by the Conference that promoting the important role of the aviation industry and the necessary investment in the ATM infrastructure on a national and regional level was an ongoing effort of ICAO and that investment in ATM was fundamental to improvements to the global air navigation system.
Progressing Global ATS Surveillance Benefits through SpaceBased ADS-B
Space-based surveillance will enable tracking of aircraft in remote and oceanic areas not currently covered. CANSO asked ICAO to support the further embedding of this ATS surveillance capability into existing Standards and Recommended Practices, the Global Air Navigation Plan and guidance materials as another means of surveillance from which to choose.
The Conference recognised the significant potential safety and operational benefits of introducing ATS surveillance services into areas where they have not previously been available. It was noted that various ATS surveillance technologies were key enablers of the Global Air Navigation Plan and were being progressed by the appropriate ICAO technical expert groups.
Safety Management Systems for Space Operators
CANSO feels the best approach to the safe integration of commercial space operations into existing airspace is to have these operators adopt robust safety management systems. This can only be achieved if ICAO includes space and nearspace operators in Annex 19 and the guidelines in Doc 9859, Safety Management Manual (SMM). This does not mean that the complete SARPS in Annex 19 would be applicable to commercial space operators.
It was felt that the commercial space sector was not yet mature enough to be considered under Annex 19. However, the Conference acknowledged that relevant safety management principles may be applicable to the transition of sub-orbital flights through airspace. To raise awareness of these principles, the Conference recognised the need to enhance efforts to bring the space and aviation communities together. Further the Conference recommended that States share guidance material related to commercial space operations.
Secondary Surveillance Code for RPAS Lost Link
There is no current ability for a remote pilot to electronically notify air traffic control that a drone is operating in Lost C2 Link mode. The use of secondary surveillance radar special purpose codes 7600 (radio failure) or 7700 (emergency) indicates a system malfunction but does not accurately describe a Lost C2 Link contingency. CANSO proposes the use of 7400 as an SSR special purpose code to indicate that a Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) is operating without a functional command and control link between the pilot and the RPA.
The need for a specific code was recognised by the Conference, but it was agreed that ICAO should review the potential ramifications of the establishment of code 7400. Some States indicated that they use the specific code 7400 for other purposes. Because of this, it was recommended that ICAO propose the best selection for the establishment of a secondary surveillance radar code for lost C2 Link events.
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CYBERSECURITY
Credit: iStock.com/ChakisAtelier
Stick with what you know
Cybersecurity is not just an issue for technical gurus but can instead be promoted in the boardroom using the processes and culture that have served the industry so well in safety excellence. Aviation cyberattacks are increasingly common. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) estimates there are 1,000 attacks every month on aviation systems worldwide. Moreover, the sophistication of these incidents is on the rise. A first generation saw attacks on the availability of systems. Now, a second generation is interfering with the integrity of data within systems – a far more insidious occurrence. Air traffic management, like every other element in the aviation value chain, is vulnerable to cyberattacks. A number of recent improvements to safety and efficiency in ATM also bring with them the need for greater cyber resilience. These improvements include the communication shift between tower and aircraft from voice to data, electronic flight strips – which support the automatic generation of clearance messages – and evolving concepts such as D-TAXI – which enables data communication during taxiing. Meanwhile, automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) on aircraft and ground vehicles depends on a signal that can be received by hackers on inexpensive equipment, providing an extremely accurate portrait of airport operations for anybody planning a physical disruption. 32 QUARTER 4 2018
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Perhaps most significantly, system-wide information management (SWIM) and remote/digital air traffic control towers carry with them not only enormous benefits but also greater exposure to cyber threats. CANSO recently issued a working paper to the ICAO 13th Air Navigation Conference on Cyber Resilience in the SWIM Concept, which called for a commitment to cybersecurity governance for all phases of SWIM development and deployment. “This has to be included in all relevant ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices,” says the paper, which was accepted by States at the Conference. The paper also advises: States and operators to promote a security culture for all actors in aviation, including publishers, internal/external users and international users ICAO to create guidelines for States that will define a clear matrix of roles and responsibilities to ensure that the protection layer is proactively managed and even weak signals of potential acts of unlawful interference can be captured, analysed and managed States to create contingency plans based on a local and international risk and threat approach to mitigate disruptions within the system as a result of cyber-attacks or cyber failures.
CYBERSECURITY
Cultural shift The industry continues to work diligently to mitigate the damage caused by hackers. But a cultural shift is required to complete cybersecurity concepts. Speaking at AVSEC World Day in October in Athens, Leen van Duijn, KLM’s Vice President, Security Services, said: “Cybersecurity is not a boardroom topic in general. It is mentioned but without sufficient knowledge. And the fact is that every day brings another new challenge.” Because there is a lack of understanding at the boardroom level, it is hard for organisations to judge how much to invest in cybersecurity and what are the main vulnerabilities. The problem is compounded by scant collaboration and an abundance of regulatory bodies. The former is frequently overlooked as companies often share information but rarely share best practice. The latter obscures global standards making cybersecurity hard to implement and even harder to benchmark.
Processes and partnerships But an effective cybersecurity culture might be within touching distance for most aviation companies, including ANSPs. The industry is already wrapped in safety and security values. Utilising these values is a must to improve cyber resilience and achieve the necessary balance between operational efficiency and good cybersecurity.
and technical measures to be successfully overcome. Fundamental to success are the processes and partnerships that the industry know well. “Different models for collaboration are possible and the work can be split in different ways,” he says. “Making sure you are aware of potential threats and can allocate available resources to continue business is key.” Much as safety is constantly checked and verified, a security health check on technical and administrative levels should be performed at regular intervals, says Galler, “together with system vendors and a knowledgeable consultant who can demonstrate experience in the fields of safety and security as well as in IT”. Similarly, technology partnerships with dedicated security technology providers should be established to focus on solving specific challenges, including mobile device security, advanced authentication and sophisticated cryptography.
Credit: iStock.com/gorodenkoff
Stefan Galler, Director ATM Networks, Frequentis, says that ANSP cybersecurity is a business challenge that requires organisational
ANSP leaders should view investment in cybersecurity in the same terms as they view investment in safety, where there is no measurable return on investment. If the investment was enough, you don’t have a measurable return, since nothing happens.
Making sure ANSPs are aware of potential threats and can allocate available resources to continue business is key.
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Credit: iStock.com/solarseven
CYBERSECURITY
Cybersecurity is a constant risk for all industries...the focus should be on situational awareness and business continuity.
“To protect against telephony denial of service attacks (TDoS), partnerships need to be established between public safety answering points and telecom operators who are responsible for delivering emergency calls and who can filter out a flood of fake calls causing denial of service,” says Galler. TDoS can affect a vital communication tool in the ATM armoury and are also often used in conjunction with another cyberattack – so that information about that other attack is harder to distribute. Galler advises that ANSP leaders should also view investment in cybersecurity in the same terms as they view investment in safety. How much an ANSP should spend on cybersecurity “is a business decision, one regarding business continuity and situational awareness,” he says. “But there is no measurable return on investment. If the investment was enough, you don’t have a measurable return since nothing happens.” Conversely, of course, invest too little, and the consequences could be catastrophic. “Cybersecurity is a constant risk for all industries that cannot be won,” concludes Galler. “Keeping technical systems secure once
Technology partnerships with dedicated security technology providers should be established to focus on solving specific challenges, including mobile device security, advanced authentication and sophisticated cryptography.
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they have been put into operation is a day-to-day management task requiring collaboration to carry out things like cyber risk management, monitoring security warnings, applying patches, managing accounts, maintaining firewalls and detecting intrusions. “Therefore, the focus should be less on avoiding or defending but more on situational awareness and business continuity. It is of common interest to apply due care and keep systems safe and secure.” The CANSO Cyber Security and Risk Assessment Guide is available to download from the CANSO website.
Constant checks ANSPs are naturally at varying levels of cybersecurity readiness due to the differing levels of openness in their systems. Many still have closed, siloed systems where the need for cybersecurity is obviously different than for open, converged IT systems. “Today, many clients operate legacy systems which were designed and procured years ago,” says Stefan Galler, Director ATM Networks, Frequentis. “Although these systems may still provide up-to-date functionality and productivity, the landscape of cyber threats and the solutions for defending systems have changed. If the security of these systems has not been continuously updated and security collaboration has not been implemented, then we advise doing a security health check.” Constant re-evaluation – whatever the state of preparedness – is therefore a fundamental of cybersecurity.
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