Weekly Review #214 - Kosovo reduces horizontal separation between aircraft

First up, we're hearing that Kosovo Air Navigation Services Agency has reduced the horizontal separation between aircraft from 10 to 5 nautical miles. This will increase the efficiency of Kosovo’s airspace, shortening journeys while reducing delays and fuel consumption.

Next, in news from Denmark, Billund Airport has upgraded to the latest Insero AviCast solution. The second largest airport in the country was experiencing a growth in traffic, resulting in the need for separate ATIS broadcasts for arrivals and departures that the upgrade meets.

From Spain, there's word of a new record. Last month, Spanish airports handled 242,222 aircraft movements and 86,779 tonnes of cargo. They also handled 29.7 million passengers – that's 10% more than July last year, and 1.2% above pre-pandemic levels.

And last but not least, Embry-Riddle research has recommended extending drone exclusion zones to 3.5 miles around 'high-risk' runways. The current exclusion zone is around one mile, but the research shows that most close calls happen within 1.5 miles of a runway approach or departure zone. 

ANSP news

• Increasing capacities/reducing horizontal separation to 5 nautical miles - Kosovo Air Navigation Services Agency has successfully implemented the project of reducing the horizontal separation between aircraft, from 10 to 5 nautical miles. This achievement will serve to increase the efficiency and optimal use of Kosovo’s airspace, shortening the journey, thus reducing delays and fuel consumption.

Airports news

• Hamad International Airport Drives Global Collaboration for Data Innovation in Airports - Hamad International Airport has taken a leading role in fostering collaboration among top airports worldwide, resulting in the production of an industry handbook known as the Smart Data Hub.

Market news

• Billund Airport upgrades ATIS system to Insero AviCast solution - Insero Air Traffic Solutions - In support of the growing traffic and the need for separate ATIS broadcasts for arrivals and departures, Billund Airport has upgraded to the latest Insero AviCast solution from Insero Air Traffic Solutions.
• ASECNA and Aireon working with Metron Aviation, has integrated its AireonFLOW ATFM data into Metron Aviation’s Horizon Platform - Metron Aviation will showcase its Post-Operations Evaluation Tool (P.O.E.T.)—an advanced analytical tool used by the aviation community to view and analyze ATM operations and airspace system performance.
• ASECNA to Deploy Integrated, Comprehensive ATFM Solution - Aireon - Working with industry partners, Aireon is helping to unlock new operational, safety, and environmental improvement opportunities for a leader in the adoption of space-based ADS-B services – the Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar.

Reports and data

• Record breaking July for Aena’s Spanish airports – Airport World - Aena’s airports also handled 242,222 aircraft movements (+5.1%) and 86,779 tonnes of cargo (+8.6%) in July as traffic across its airport system continued its strong recovery from COVID.
• NAV CANADA reports July 2023 traffic figures - In July 2023 weighted charging units were higher on average by 9.3 percent compared to the same month in 2022. As compared to the same month in fiscal 2019, July 2023 weighted charging units were lower on average by 5.3 percent.
• The Challenge of Integrating Track Data from Different Radar Types has been Solved - Advances in radar technology have created environments where cutting-edge equipment is being used alongside legacy models. For surveillance and detection, merging data from a wide range of radars and sensors from different manufacturers has presented a difficult new challenge for developers.

UAV and UTM

• The London Heliport Deploy Altitude Angel’s Approval Services Platform - The London Heliport will allow drone operators the ability to request and pay for operations within the heliport’s airspace digitally using Approval Services
• Researchers design cellular networks around UAV corridors to support aerial and ground operations - Unmanned airspace - Research by two Spanish universities and Nokia Bell Labs in France proposes a new methodology for designing cellular networks that cater for both ground users and UAV corridors based on Bayesian optimization. The research identifies two approaches to address the challenge presented by traditional cellular base stations – which are optimized for 2D ground service – and avoiding re-engineering the existing infrastructure to provide 3D connectivity to uncrewed aerial vehicles.
• Embry-Riddle research recommends extending drone exclusion zone around airports - Unmanned airspace - According to an article published by Avfoil, “new research to count and analyse close calls between aircraft and drones has recommended extending the exclusion zone around “high-risk” runways to 3.5 miles.”