Weekly review #158 - 13th July

First up this week, Indra are looking to strengthen its global leadership in simulation with the acquisition of Simumak, a company specialized in new generation training solutions. The acquisition allows Indra to strengthen its capabilities in the increasingly relevant field of tactical training simulation and complete its high value-added product and service offer, which covers end-to-end customer needs with the highest demands and at lowest cost.

Next up, Lithuanian Airports rank among the European leaders in passenger growth. In the first half of this year, Lithuanian Airports operated more than 2.3 million passengers, 24,000 flights, and transported about 9.9 thousand tonnes of cargo. Aviation experts say that the current trends can be described as a period of growth rather than recovery.

In other news, EUROCONTROL and Türkiye successfully completed the largest-ever European airspace simulation. The Free Route Airspace project aims to deliver significant operational and environmental benefits. EUROCONTROL worked intensively with Türkiye over a 9-month period to design and conduct an enormously complex airspace simulation at our Innovation Hub in Brétigny.

Finally, controllers participating in a recent SESAR validation campaign in Geneva have responded enthusiastically to the introduction of technology that will allow them to have a more accurate view of air traffic. Led by Skyguide and skysoft-ATM in cooperation with Airbus Defence and Space, the real-time simulations were conducted within the context of the SESAR Horizon 2020 4DSkyways project addressing trajectory-based operations (TBO).

Airports news

• AAI signs agreement with governments of Uttar Pradesh for Operation & Management of five airports - Airports Authority of India signed an Operation & Management agreement for operationalization of five airports owned by the Government of Uttar Pradesh for a period of 30 years. These five airports are Aligarh, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot, Muirpur & Shravasti.
• June in the STH – key investor options, further tenders, expanding the group of foreign partners - British Aviation Group - Two runways with a length of 3.8 km, an underground railway station, a cargo zone - these are just a few of the many elements of infrastructure planned in the area where the Solidarity Port will be located.
• Lithuanian Airports rank among the European leaders in passenger growth - In the first half of this year Lithuanian Airports operated more than 24,000 flights.

Market news

• Morocco upgrades aeronautical message handling with Frequentis Comsoft - The Moroccan Airports Authority, ONDA, entrusted Frequentis Comsoft with the upgrade of their message handling and switching capability in line with the latest ICAO basic and extended AMHS service profiles.
• Indra bought Simumak, a company specialized in new generation training solutions - Indra, a leading global technology engineering company for the aerospace, defense and mobility sectors, has fully acquired Simumak, a company specialized in new generation tactical training solutions, with more than 5,000 simulators delivered to twenty countries around the world.

Context information

• EUROCONTROL and Türkiye successfully complete largest-ever European airspace simulation - Türkiye see the implementation of free route airspace as a vital step forward that will bring a range of benefits to aviation stakeholders. Airlines will be able to fly more optimised trajectories in Turkish airspace – reducing route length, saving fuel, and cutting CO2 emissions.
• Andreas Boschen begins mandate as SESAR 3 JU Executive Director - On 1 July, Andreas Boschen officially started his mandate as Executive Director of the SESAR 3 JU. Boschen’s arrival comes at a critical moment as the new partnership embarks on its ambitious research and innovation programme to make Europe’s aviation infrastructure fit for the digital age and on target to meet the sector’s net zero ambitions.
• Biden Nominates Denver Airport Leader Phil Washington to Head FAA - British Aviation Group - Just a year after Phil Washington took over as Denver International Airport’s top leader, President Joe Biden has made it official: Washington is his pick to head the Federal Aviation Administration.

Research and innovation

• Controllers give thumbs-up to more accurate trajectory data - SESAR JU - Controllers participating in a recent SESAR validation campaign in Geneva have responded enthusiastically to the introduction of technology that will allow them to have a more accurate view of air traffic.
• A summer of urban air mobility demonstrations - SESAR JU - SESAR’s AMU-Led U-space very large-scale demonstration is planning a campaign of UAM demonstration flights in the Netherlands, Spain and the UK over the course of the summer months. The aim is to demonstrate the feasibility of efficient data exchange in real-time between drones, their remote pilots and the air traffic management system.
• NATS focuses on technology - During WATMC, ATM Magazine spoke with Andy Taylor, Chief Solutions Officer from NATS about the need to focus on technology for the future. Digital towers, artificial intelligence, intelligent approach and how we minimise environmental impact were all topics of exchange.
• Managing rising demand to fly, in difficult circumstances - EUROCONTROL - The European aviation network is almost back to pre-pandemic numbers, but this summer presents many additional challenges. Find out how the EUROCONTROL Network Manager tackles these challenges!

UAV and UTM

• • • Plotting the differences between the EU and US U-space/UTM regulatory frameworks - Unmanned airspace - A critical look at both regulatory frameworks depicts some striking contrasts with regards to a host of issues. This was not based on the interviews but on a thorough review of both regulations - commentary.
    • UK Future Flight Challenge aims to demonstrate a fully integrated aviation system by 2024 - Unmanned airspace - The UK government Future Flight Challenge programme funds projects to explore inventive new ways to achieve greener flight, improve connectivity, alleviate congestion, and ultimately create new ways to travel by air. The four-year programme, which will see up to GBP125million invested by the challenge, aims to demonstrate a fully integrated aviation system in 2024.
    • Switzerland moves closer to automated flight authorisation with SUSI test platform - Unmanned airspace - Switzerland has launched an automated service to support Uncrewed Aerial Systems flight authorisations, initially starting with a test phase. The service is designed to ensure that a U-space service provider meets the technical requirements laid out under the regulatory framework before starting operations.