Weekly Review #209 - An increase in European summer traffic, a decrease in delays

First up, we're seeing a positive start to the summer for the European aviation industry. Figures from last month show an increase of seven percent in traffic levels compared to June 2022. Meanwhile, air traffic flow management delays per flight are down by eight percent to 3.7 minutes per flight. This is despite the fact that weather delays increased by 50 percent.

Next, we're hearing news of new benchmarks coming out of Scotland. Earlier this month, the Shanwick Oceanic ATC team, based in the NATS Prestwick Centre, managed a record-breaking 1,805 aircraft movements, the highest number of Oceanic movements seen there in a 24-hour period.

From Africa, we're hearing about advancements in Cape Verde with Indra modernising the oceanic air traffic control centre on Sal Island, as well as the control towers in Santiago, Boa Vista, São Vicente and Sal. The state-of-the-art technology will enable the country’s National Airport and Air Safety Company (ASA) to manage a greater volume of traffic with safety and efficiency levels that surpass international standards. 

For all the air traffic controllers out there, we have an interesting series of new blogs for you. If you've ever wondered how getting an STDI rating online works, our very own Julija Razmislavičienė details her experience of the totally virtual course, coaching and exam. You can read the first blog here.

And last but definitely not least, we have a very special edition of Radar Contact. This week, I'll be answering the questions, exploring what we've learned from running the podcast, and what to expect from it in the future.

ANSP news

• DFS Supervisory Board extends contract with CEO Arndt Schoenemann - Arndt Schoenemann will continue to serve as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH beyond 2024. At its meeting on 7 July 2023, the Supervisory Board of DFS, the German air navigation service provider, approved the extension of Mr Schoenemann's contract until 2029. He took over his position on 1 April 2021.
• Shanwick Oceanic ATC Set New Benchmarks - NATS Blog - The weekend of the 7th-9th July marked a pivotal moment for aviation. Our Shanwick Oceanic ATC team, based in NATS Prestwick Centre, Scotland, set new benchmarks for Oceanic traffic movements, whilst delivering high levels of efficiency and safety.

Airports news

• A delegation of Korean Export Corporation visits Idac and reiterates interest in Pedernales airport - The Dominican Institute of Civil Aviation (Idac) received the visit of a large delegation from Korean Airport Corporation (Kac) or Korea Airports Corporation, which has expressed interest in participating in the construction of the new international airport in Pedernales.

Market news

• Osprey’s Role in Supporting Airspace Modernisation - In this article we explore the roles that of Modernisation and Safety, Structural Modernisation and Environmental Imperative associated with Airspace change and how Osprey supports the aviation industry.
• Indra positions Cape Verde at the forefront of global air traffic management - Indra has modernized the oceanic air traffic control center on Sal Island and the control towers in Santiago, Boa Vista, São Vicente and Sal with state-of-the-art technology, enabling the country’s National Airport and Air Safety Company to manage a greater volume of traffic with safety and efficiency levels that surpass the international standards.
• Iris satellite ATC system takes a step forward with ESSP management - The European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP) has been chosen by ViaSat to manage the commercialisation of its Iris project, which will provide more fuel-efficient routes for airlines when it launches in 2024.
• StarCaster D-ATIS Delivered to Airbus to Support ATC Operations in Germany - IBS Luftfahrt und Service GmbH and STR-SpeechTech Ltd. have completed the delivery, installation and commissioning of a Global Reporting Format compliant StarCaster D-ATIS system for Airbus at Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport, Germany.

Context information

• European Network Operations Plan 2023 Rolling Seasonal Plan - The 131st edition of the EUROCONTROL Network Manager's European Network Operations Plan (NOP) – Rolling Seasonal Plan – is now live.
• Regulator sets out possible improvements for flying in Manchester airspace - Light aircraft pilots flying in the Manchester area have been provided with possible solutions to improve the safety and efficiency of the Manchester Low-Level Route by the UK CAA. As part of its function to review airspace classification, the regulator has published its comprehensive report on the Manchester Low-Level Route.

Reports and data

• Fraport Traffic Figures – June 2023: Frankfurt Airport Welcomes over 200,000 Daily Passengers Again for the First Time since the Pandemic - Aircraft movements, in contrast, climbed by 8.4 percent year-on-year to 38,885 takeoffs and landings.
• Positive start to aviation summer 2023 - Eurocontrol - In positive news for passengers across the continent, figures from June 2023, the first month of the summer, show that while traffic is up by 7% compared to June 2022, air traffic flow management delays per flight are down by 8% to 3.7 minutes per flight.
• Summer traffic has started, at around same levels as June last year - There were 68,218 commercial aircraft movements in June 2023. This is an increase of 4 per cent from June last year. Compared to June 2019, there has been an increase in the number of aircraft movements of 1 per cent.

Research and innovation

• Using AI-powered delay prediction to improve daily airline operations - By successfully implementing FADE, our Forecast of ATFM Delay Evolution tool into the EUROCONTROL Network Manager's operational systems, EUROCONTROL is now successfully using AI-powered delay prediction to improve daily airline operations across the European aviation network.
• U-space makes it “Big in Japan” - SESAR JU - In June, the SESAR 3 JU and project partners travelled to Japan to showcase their work on U-space and exchange on developments with the country’s aviation and drone community. The main purpose of the trip was a bilateral technical workshop with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO), but also included meetings with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) and participation at Japan Drone 2023.

UAV and UTM

• Rising drone flights in Poland see average weekly operations reach 13,500 in first six months - Unmanned airspace - Poland’s air navigation service provider PANSA reports a weekly average of approximately 13,500 drone operations, totalling 689,105 in the first six months of 2023. This is halfway through the year and currently in the summer season, which favours the execution of UAV operations. After the holiday period, the number of flights is expected to decrease.