There are many disciplines involved in ATM and I was lucky enough to go through a lot of them, starting with software development, to requirements engineering, to sales, to leading FoxATM. The amount of advice out there about all of those topics is huge, and there are many examples to follow (or not to follow). But when reading business or engineering advice, there is one thing that ATM people should never forget: the size of the industry. One might think that ATM is an industry like any other, and to some extent it is. There are lots of things we can learn from others, but to me, the real difference is the market size.
With roughly two hundred ANSPs in the world and thousands of airports, the size of this market is small when compared with most B2B or B2C markets. Companies like Apple or Tesla have hundreds of millions of potential customers and therefore can use different strategies and tactics. Not to mention the famous "move fast and break things" motto once attributed to Facebook. None of this applies in the ATM business. No A/B testing, no peer groups, very few market studies, and so on. So you can forget about most of the generic business advice out there.
Actually, ATM is closer to being a handcraft than an industry. All projects contain a significant part of customization and local adaptation and business is largely based on relationships and reputation. In such domains, one buys from persons, and one sells to persons. Organizations play a role, yes, but it is mostly secondary. Teams are small on both sides and even an IT department made of a few hundred people is rare. Development teams are also limited when compared to larger companies operating in larger markets.
If you'd like to continue this discussion and would like to see how to adjust your own organization to this reality, don't hesitate to reply to this email!
Before leaving you to the usual extract of the news we captured this week, don't forget that we have a new episode of our podcast with Jannik Breum of Terma, speaking of SMR and of Terma's engineering philosophy.
Vincent
ANSP news
- skeyes and Belgian Defence support wind energy by expanding permitted sites for wind turbines- skeyes and the Belgian Armed Forces continue to invest to expand the number of sites where wind turbines can be built. They therefore drew up a joint roadmap with Belgian Defence to minimise barriers to the rollout of renewable energy.
- COOPANS New Austro Control Management Team- Austro Control will go into the future with a new management team. From May 1, Elisabeth Landrichter and Philipp Piber will be heading the Austrian air navigation service provider and aviation authority.
- Are there drones in the Belgian airspace? - The development of drones has received a lot of attention in recent years. They are easy to use and accessible, have a wide range of applications and are used by a very diverse audience. Where do things stand in Belgium?
Airport news
- Morocco launches an initiative to upgrade 20 of its airports by 2045 - British Aviation Group- Morocco has launched an initiative to upgrade 20 of its airports by 2045, seeking international expertise to develop a comprehensive modernisation blueprint. The General Directorate of Civil Aviation is managing this project and is updating a decade-old study that became outdated due to disruptions caused by COVID-19.
- GTAA has unveiled a multibillion-dollar initiative to revamp Toronto Pearson Airport - British Aviation Group- The Greater Toronto Airports Authority has unveiled a comprehensive, multibillion-dollar initiative named Pearson LIFT, aimed at revamping Toronto Pearson Airport.This extensive, decade-long investment plan is designed to modernise and enhance the airport’s infrastructure and facilities, which have become outdated. The plan's first phase is already underway, focusing on basic infrastructure improvements like high-speed taxi lanes, updated airfield electric lighting and control systems, and interim terminal facilities.
- Irish Regional Airports to receive over EUR 5.6 million in government funding for the Regional Airports Programme 2021-2025 - British Aviation Group- Regional airports in Donegal, Kerry, and Ireland West (Knock) will receive over EUR 5.6 million in government funding for the Regional Airports Programme 2021-2025.The funding supports capital investment in these airports' safety, security, and sustainability projects. The allocations are EUR 1.299 million for Donegal, EUR 0.681 million for Kerry, and EUR 3.666 million for Ireland West.
- Dubai: All operations at Dubai International airport to be transferred to Al Maktoum- All operations at Dubai International (DXB) will be transferred to Al Maktoum International (AMI) over the next few years. A new Dh128-billion passenger terminal at the AMI announced Sunday will scale up passenger capacity to 260 million annually and “fully absorb” DXB’s operations in 10 years.
Market news
- Framework Agreement Signature with LFV – IBG- LFV Aviation Consulting AB and Independent Business Group Sweden AB (IBG) have signed a framework agreement to share resources and cooperate in international projects. Both parties are looking forward to strengthening the relations between the two companies.
- Croatia has successfully installed Jotron Ricochet recorder systems- Jotron has supplied voice recording and replay systems to 6 airports across Croatia. Jotron and Croatia Control entered into a contract in 2020 and the project was successfully completed in December last year.
- ADB SAFEGATE to Deploy Advanced ASMGCS at Kuwait International Airport, Extending Tower Innovation Towards Airside 4.0- ADB SAFEGATE has been chosen to provide a turnkey solution for Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System at Kuwait International Airport. This project marks a significant milestone in ADB SAFEGATE's longstanding partnership with KIA, which has been ongoing for over 35 years. The contract, signed on April 18, 2024, solidifies ADB SAFEGATE's commitment to enhancing airport operations and safety at KIA.
Context information
- EASA & EUROCONTROL sign MoC to enhance cooperation for the safe and sustainable future of European aviation | EASA- EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet and EUROCONTROL Director General Raúl Medina signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to reinforce their respective organisations’ shared commitment to building the highest possible levels of safety, efficiency, and sustainability in the European civil aviation sector.
Research and innovation
- A new Think Tank Workforce Development- Building the future airport workforce was identified as one of the most important long-term challenges by ENAC Alumni’s The Future of Airports: A Vision of 2040 and 2070. Similar conclusions were drawn by major industry organizations and other research initiatives within other segments of the aerospace industry which are subject to irreversible trends.
- Aircraft efficiency starts with having the right altitude - SESAR JU- More accurate data on an aircraft’s position can help pilots fly more efficient routes, cutting the fuel consumption and emissions of today’s fleet. The SESAR JU Green-GEAR project aims to quantify the impact of this change, as Tobias Bauer, project coordinator from the German Aerospace Center, explains.
- Digital European Sky showcased at Transport Research Arena - SESAR JU- The SESAR JU joined forces with fellow transport joint undertakings, to showcase the power of partnership during the Transport Research Arena (TRA), the largest European transport event, which took place between 15-18 April in Dublin.
- European ATM Master Plan update on the right track, workshop concludes - SESAR JU- On 22-23 April, over 600 stakeholders gathered for a consultation workshop on the European ATM Master Plan update. The aim was to provide a preview of the ideas emerging from the update campaign and gauge support for some key research and deployment activities needed to make Europe the most efficient and environmentally-friendly sky to fly in the world.
Reports and data
- 17% increase in passengers at Oman airports- Preliminary statistics from the National Center for Statistics and Information indicate that Muscat International Airport handled 3,482,325 passengers, an increase of 17.7%. The airport saw 25,204 flights, up 13.8% by March 2024. These included 23,237 international flights, carrying 3,232,76 passengers, and 1,967 domestic flights, carrying 250,249 passengers.
UAV and UTM
- Experts analyze in Barcelona the challenges encountered during the initial phases of U-space implementation in U-ELCOME Project- The 3-year U-ELCOME Project, coordinated by EUROCONTROL and involving 51 European partners, organized the second U-ELCOME workshop in the Polytechnical University of Cataluña. They have been analyzing interoperability between operators and U-space service providers (USSPs), U-space services, integration with air traffic management, common information services, communications, local engagement and regulatory challenges, and the utilization of U-space in emergency and security operations
