Weekly review #46- April 29th

ANSP news

• Estonian Air Navigation Services continues the implementation of Free Route Airspace - The key enabler for such change was the implementation of Free Route Airspace in autumn of 2015. Free Route Airspace (FRA) is a specified volume of airspace in which users may freely plan a route between a defined entry and exit point. Subject to airspace availability, routing is possible via intermediate waypoints, without reference to the air traffic service (ATS) route network. Inside this airspace, flights remain subject to Air Traffic Control.

• Weathering the storm: Air Navigation Service Providers versus COVID-19 - Analysis of the COVID-19 crisis' impact on ANSPs, summary of measures taken and plans to manage the crisis on Hungarocontrol's blog.

Airports news

• Gatwick publishes annual results, as airport acts to shield the business to enable a quick recovery from the impact of COVID-19 - Solid 2019 performance builds resilience that will help the business recover from the impact of COVID-19. Range of steps taken to protect the wellbeing of passengers and staff as well as jobs. Improved liquidity by securing a £300m loan and Gatwick’s investment grade rating is maintained

Market news

• ADP Ingénierie designs the new control tower of Port-au-Prince airport - In February 2020, ADP Ingénierie won the Project Management Assistance (AMO) contract for the design, construction and equipment of a new control tower and a new air traffic management complex in Toussaint Louverture International Airport (AITL), located in the capital of Haiti.

• ADP-Ingénierie selected for master planning work at Nantes Atlantique airport - The Eiffage group applied for the take over of the concession for Nantes Atlantique and Saint-Nazaire airports. The Eiffage teams chose ADP Ingénierie to assist them in this process.

• DFS installs latest generation direction finding antenna from Rohde & Schwarz - The latest direction finding (DF) antenna from Rohde & Schwarz, part of the CERTIUM LOCATE family, was installed by helicopter in an almost inaccessible location for DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, the German air navigation service provider.

Context information

• Potentially 1.2 billion fewer international air travellers by September 2020, says new ICAO forecast - Compared to “business-as-usual”, by September 2020 international air passenger totals could drop by as many as 1.2 billion travellers according to the latest projections from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

• New guidance by ACI for mitigating the risks created by aircraft overflow parking - The purpose of this Advisory Bulletin – Mitigating the risks created by overflow aircraft parking – is to provide guidance for special aircraft parking arrangements and outlines key measures and requirements needed to diminish the risks created by aircraft overflow parking.

• The future of ATM with the introduction of ADSP - The aviation industry is facing unprecedented challenges as a result of the Coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic. When traffic does eventually return, ATM must be prepared for sustainable growth and sufficiently agile to cope with structural shocks. ATM Data Service Providers (ADSP) can help the industry deliver on both points.

Reports and data

• France Aviation Civile Services Data Bulletin for April 2020 - This bulletin contains airlines traffic results, main airports passengers traffic and airliners orders and deliveries in 2019 compared to 2018

• CANSO-Aireon Data Driven Insights - CANSO and Aireon have launched an initiative to produce data-driven insights and analysis on global air traffic. This provides the aviation industry with a single source of information on air transport and the existing and emerging global and regional trends. The traffic report can be downloaded form this page.

UAV and UTM

• Blue Bear demonstrates drown swarm - The swarm comprised a combination of Blue Bear’s own Redkite and Cobra fixed wing systems, which flew multiple, simultaneous, sorties from a test range in the North West of England. The drones were equipped with the latest Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) technology, and the airspace was managed by Blue Bear’s airspace deconfliction software.

• DFS reports high number of drone sightings despite traffic slump - Unauthorised drone flights at Germany’s international airports continue to increase even in times of the corona crisis. In the current year, the German air navigation service provider DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung has already recorded 25 drone sightings in the vicinity and within the boundaries of airports. In the same period in 2019, there were only 17 cases.