First up, an update on last week's news with Gatwick’s plan to bring its Northern Runway into routine use accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate. The £2.2 billion plan details how it will make use of existing infrastructure to “unlock new capacity and improve airport resilience, in line with government policy”.
Next up, we're hearing news from the United States about advancements in safety for Hawaii's air tour operators. Current regulations require Hawaii's tour operators to fly at least 1,500 feet above the surface. But the FAA has now outlined a new process so that operators can get guidance and authorization to safely descend below these altitudes to avoid flying into bad weather.
From the Czech Republic, we're hearing news about the first international flight from České Budějovice. A Boeing 737 Max operated by Smartwings airline flew to Antalya, Turkey, and is a result of the long-term cooperation between the South Bohemia region and Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic.
And last but not least, from Denmark we're hearing word of a new CEO for Naviair. Anders Rex holds the rank of Major General in the Danish Defence and has served as the Commander of the Royal Danish Air Force. He is also currently the Defence Attaché in Washington DC, USA.
ANSP news
- BHANSA was ceremoniously awarded a certificate as a service provider in air navigation according to the new Ordinance - Air Navigation Service Providers, as is BHANSA, are obliged to meet common and specific requirements for providers of air traffic management services, air navigation services and other air traffic management network functions. Law on Bosnia and Herzegovina Air Navigation Services Agency (Official Gazette of BiH, 43/09, Article 21) states that the Agency may provide air navigation services only if they possess a certificate on meeting the requirements for providing air navigation services and if the certificate is issued by BHDCA.
- New CEO of Naviair - By 1 November 2023 at the latest, Anders Rex will take up the position of the new CEO of Naviair. Anders Rex comes from the Danish Defence, where he holds the rank of Major General and has served as the Commander of the Royal Danish Air Force and currently as the Defence Attaché in Washington, USA.
- Naviair Annual Report 2022 - 2022 has been a special year in aviation. Following the global pandemic, air passengers have started to return and, compared to 2021, traffic is recovering. While the number of controlled operations in Danish airspace in 2021 was around 45 percent of the 2019 level, this figure has increased to around 75 percent in 2022. However, the increase is lower than Eurocontrol's forecast for 2022. There are a number of factors at play here. The war in Ukraine and the subsequent restrictions and airspace closures played a significant role in the lower traffic levels, resulting in a 6-7 percent decrease in the number of operations in Danish airspace. Traffic has also been affected by a prolonged pilot strike at SAS over the busy summer period.
- UkSATSE provides regular refresher training for all ATC personnel both in Ukraine and abroad - 5th July 2023 UkSATSE provides regular refresher training for all ATC personnel both in Ukraine and abroad Andrii Yarmak, Director of UkSATSE: “This month, for the first time ever, the image of the airspace under the responsibility of Ukraine was displayed on the ATC simulator monitors at the Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC). We are grateful to our European colleagues for making it possible to maintain the competence of the UkSATSE ATCOs, which is a key factor for the resumption of full air navigation services in the Ukrainian airspace when hostilities cease. New training courses and other training centres of our colleagues – air navigation service providers ready to host our ATCOs – are in the pipeline.”
- Airservices Australia unveils inaugural Australian Aviation Network Overview - Airservices Australia has today released its first deep-dive report on trends in the Australian aviation sector, covering the 2023 financial year. Designed to inform discussion among industry stakeholders, the Australian Aviation Network Overview: Financial year 2023 offers a snapshot of key social and economic trends in the sector, our regional context and the performance of the Australian aviation network. Inspired by similar international publications such as Eurocontrol’s European Aviation Overview, the Australian Aviation Network Overview will be updated monthly.
- Full OLDI implementation in COOPANS underway - 'Full OLDI' (Online Data Interchange; a protocol for co-ordination and transfer of current flight data between adjacent air traffic control units) has already been introduced between Austrocontrol & Croatia Control in spring 2023. It's planned to be introduced between the LFV Area Control Centres in Autumn 2023 and between LFV & Naviair in Winter 2023/2024. 'Full OLDI' enhances inter-ACC automation and interoperability, reduces verbal coordination between air traffic controllers and facilitates more traffic to be handled and user preferred routing. Whilst having OLDI implemented in COOPANS ANSPs for many years, “Full OLDI” is now utilizing the full OLDI message set.
- FAA Outlines Hawaii Air Tour Safety Improvements - The FAA is moving to improve Hawaii air tour safety. The agency has outlined a consistent new process where air tour operators can receive authorization to safely descend below specific altitudes to avoid flying into bad weather.
Airports news
- Airservices Australia calls for community feedback on new Noise Action Plan for Brisbane flightpath options - Airservices - Airservices Australia is inviting the community to have its say on proposed, new flightpath options at the second round of Noise Action Plan for Brisbane community engagement sessions being held across Brisbane this August.
- The first flight from České Budějovice - České Budějovice airport (LKCS) in South Bohemia region has launched international operations. The first international flight from České Budějovice airport was last night to Antalya where first passengers enjoyed Boeing 737 Max operated by Smartwings airline. This success is a is result of long-term cooperation between the South Bohemia region and Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic.
- Gatwick’s £2.2bn plan to use second runway accepted for examination by Planning Insepctorate - British Aviation Group - London Gatwick Airport’s planning application to bring its existing northern runway into routine use has been accepted for detailed examination by the Planning Inspectorate.
Market news
- Simplified Implementation of ICAO RECAT - Think Research - As the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic continues, demand remains consistently high for enhanced airport capacity and efficiency, and in particular for increased runway throughput. During recent years, knowledge about wake vortex behaviour in the operational environment has increased significantly due to measured data and improved understanding of wake characteristics. This has enabled the Recategorisation of Aircraft Wake Turbulence (RECAT), which allows a reduction of aircraft separation minima, enabling optimisation of airport capacity and efficiency whilst maintaining acceptable levels of safety.
- BHANSA has put CIMACT system into operational use - On 31 July, 2023, BHANSA put CIMACT system into operational use in Tower and Approach Control Units in Banja Luka, Mostar and Tuzla. CIMACT (Civil-military air traffic management coordination tool) has been designed as a mutual coordination system for information exchange between civil and military users. CIMACT incorporates various information to provide a user with a complete overview of the airspace. It consists of a series of functionalities for traffic management (ATC), filters and cooperation tools in order to enable coordination between connected systems. CIMACT enables establishment of automated interface with EUROCONTROL’s Local and sub-regional airspace management support system (LARA).
- FTEJerez Air Traffic Control Services strengthens aviation partnership with Oman Royal Air Force - FTEJerez is delighted to welcome back Oman Royal Air Force controllers to our campus, marking another significant step in our collaborative journey. FTEJerez is once again hosting these skilled professionals for an intensive instructor course.
Context information
- How we’re working with blue light landing sites to implement better landing procedures - Civil Aviation Authority - Earlier this year, the UK Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Transport announced the successful applicants for the third round of applications to the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Programme. Funding was allocated to blue light landing sites to put in place new systems to allow helicopters to operate in challenging conditions that they previously would not have been able to do, which will save lives in critical situations.
