Weekly review #50- May 27

ANSP news

• Changes to air traffic services in New Zealand reflect a profoundly altered industry - Airways will collaborate with a working party that includes the affected airports, Civil Aviation Authority, a general aviation representative and Air New Zealand to plan a safe and orderly transition. The group will identify when the current services will be withdrawn from each airport and what type of service, if any they may be replaced with. This process is expected to take around six months.  

• NAV CANADA releases proposal to change service charges - NAV CANADA today released, for consultation, a proposal to revise customer service charges, effective September 1, 2020. The proposal calls for increased service charges averaging 29.5% in base rates and includes provisions to ease the cash flow impact of the increase on its customers through payment deferral mechanisms.

• Paolo Simioni names as new ENAV CEO - The Board of Directors of ENAV S.p.A., appointed by the Shareholders' Meeting held today, and chaired for the first time by Mrs. Francesca Isgrò, has appointed Mr. Paolo Simioni as Chief Executive Officer, conferring on him, as Company head.

Market news

• Update of SITTI VCS in Kiev and Lviv - Following the positive experience with the existing Voice Communication Systems (VCS) from SITTI, the Ukrainian Air Navigation Service Provider UKSATSE decided to upgrade them, by adding new multi-protocol radio/telephone interfaces and digital E1 links.

• New SITTI VCS now in service in Vilnius - The new VCS system of ORO NAVIGACIJA in Vilnius has now been installed and made operational. The setup process has been supported by SITTI technicians that worked side-by-side with the local Lithuanian staff to overcome all possible problems that large installations may encounter.

Context information

• Interview with Aireon's CEO Don Thoma

• SESAR JU - Preparing the next generation of ATM professionals - How can training professionals inspire the next-generation aviation workforce in anticipation of the digital economy? More important, how can they nurture that talent to ensure greater mobility and connectivity of air travel? Read this interview with David Bowen, SESAR JU Chief of ATM, on the work being carried out within the framework of the SESAR Digital Academy to address these challenges.

Research and innovation

• Think research blog on simulating COVID impact on airfield operations - This article identifies potential terminal-configuration related constraints that can have a direct impact on airfield operations.

UAV and UTM

• Skyguide AirMap and FOCA announce the operational delivery of the Swiss U-space flight information management system for drones - As part of U-space, the FIMS is a cloud-based, interoperable platform that distributes airspace information, directives, and real-time traffic from skyguide’s ATM systems to drone operators through a network of USSPs. Participating USSPs connect to the FIMS using open interfaces to provide services that support drone operators in meeting their regulatory and operational requirements.

• EANS, Frequentis and Threod Systems support Estonia with COVID-19 drone operations - Estonian Air Navigation Services, (EANS) has enlisted the support of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) manufacturer, Threod Systems and safety-critical technology provider, Frequentis, to support Estonian blue-light forces with a series of essential drone operations during the COVID19 lockdown. The operations are supporting Estonian emergency services with medical transport and information gathering.

• AirMap's JobSight Now Available in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa - AirMap’s JobSight solution gives construction professionals unparalleled visibility into projects, allowing them to monitor progress, improve safety, reduce rework, and increase efficiency across their entire project life cycle.

• PansaUTM has been in service for three months - It is soon three months since Polish Air Navigation Services Agency has operationally implemented PansaUTM system, powered by Hawk-e DroneRadar. The tool allowed the coordination of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flights by air traffic control services on a scale larger than ever before.

• Meet GUTMA members - Meet Our Members – Manu Lubrano, INVOLI

• Amsterdam Drone week goes virtual and adds new events - Amsterdam Drone Week will expand its activities in 2020 by organising two hybrid summits on 17 September and 1-3 December 2020.

• DroneShield launches DroneOptID camera-based drone tracking software - DroneShield has launched a new software product designed to support camera-based drone detection, identification and tracking. The DroneOptID software has an Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) engine and uses computer vision technology to detect, verify and track drones in real time.