Weekly review #159 - 20th July

Picture of Vincent Lambercy
Posted by Vincent Lambercy

First up, the UK government has announced that it has given the go-ahead for the world’s largest and longest network of drone superhighways to be built in the UK. The drone superhighway will link cities and towns throughout the midlands to the southeast of the country, with the option to expand the corridor to any other locations in the country.

 

Next, ENAIRE, the national air navigation service provider, and Aena, the airport manager, improved operations at the César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport with new satellite-based approach procedures at the runway 21 threshold.

By implementing the satellite-based navigation procedure, ENAIRE and Aena are increasing the efficiency of operations, as well as accessibility to the airport.

 

In airport news, Singapore's little-known Seletar Airport is hoping to emerge from the shadows as it eyes to become a busy hub for flying taxis in the region. Electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOL) have piqued the industry interest lately, with several aerospace companies looking to invest for future operations. And Singapore could be a crucial regional link in the category.

 

Finally, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) announced traffic figures of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) for June 2022. During the month, the airport handled 295,000 passengers, representing a surge of 254.1% over June 2021 despite passenger volume remaining significantly below pre-pandemic levels. HKIA was also named “Airport of the Year 2022” at the World Air Cargo Awards hosted by Air Cargo Week.

 

If you're looking for more Radar Contact, check out the latest episode here. This week, we talked to Simona Frankova, the Managing Partner at NG Aviation, a small company from Slovakia, offering digital solutions for aeronautical stakeholders. 

 

ANSP news

Airports news

Context information

Reports and data

Research and innovation

  • Shaping airspace management of the future - NATS Blog - In our IFAV concept, ATCOs of the future qualify for service by sector type, allowing them to operate in any airspace classified as a particular ‘type’, regardless of geographic location.
  • AI Captain: The voyage to discover the true power of data - From slashing aircraft turnaround times to AI-assisted bag tracking, or predicting on-time performance and passenger flow at airports, Jean-Paul sees data science and AI as the torch that will illuminate better decision-making at airports, borders, and on aircraft.
  • Advanced air mobility infrastructure – what will it look like? - We are working with clients to help plan for the introduction of AAM infrastructure at airports and finding new ways to minimise costs by upgrading current facilities. A lot of aviation professionals are struggling to understand what AAM infrastructure looks like, read this blog to find out.
  • Exploring long-range air traffic flow management - Matt Shepherd CF, CANSO ATFM/A-CDM Workgroup expert, and Managing Director at To70 Aviation Australia, discusses the concept of long-range air traffic flow management and the way in which it can be integrated with already established ATFM elements.
  • More tests of new CPDLC features at Eurocontrol Innovation Hub - In June this year, air traffic controllers, including those from PANSA, and pilots completed testing of new CPDLC functions at the Eurocontrol Innovation Hub in Bretigny as part of the SESAR2020 Wave2 PJ18 sol 56 project.

UAV and UTM