Weekly review #66- 16th September

ANSP news

• FABEC offers 234 new direct flight paths - More than 230 new direct routes were made available to aircraft operators in the airspace managed by Functional Airspace Block Europe Central (FABEC) in the first half of 2020. Along with the implementation of H24 Free Route Airspace in the FABEC upper airspace, FABEC air navigation service providers (ANSPs) have helped airspace users increase horizontal flight efficiency Europe-wide from 96.93% in July 2019 to almost 97.41% a year later according to EUROCONTROL air navigation performance portal.

• Decline in air traffic after summer - Avinor - New figures show a 60 percent decrease in traffic at Avinor's airports in August compared with August in 2019.

• Swiss Parliament approves CHF 150 million for skyguide - The Swiss Parliament approved a CHF 150 million contribution to skyguide's equity capital today. This will ensure that the Swiss air navigation service provider remains financially stable and can perform its sovereign duties. In return, the Federal Council and Parliament expect to see saving measures implemented, as well as an increase in the retirement age of air traffic controllers.

• ​​NAV CANADA launches remote air traffic services trial with Searidge Technologies - NAV CANADA has commenced a trial to provide Aerodrome Advisory Services (AAS) at Fredericton International Airport (CYFC) remotely from Saint John, New Brunswick (CYSJ) using Searidge Technologies’ Enhanced Airport Vision Display (EAVD).

• In August, ENAIRE managed half as many flights as it did in the same month last year In August, ENAIRE managed half as many flights as it did in the same month last year - The number of flights managed by ENAIRE in August recovered significantly from the previous months, which were affected more by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this trend in August, the figures are showing a new drop in air traffic. Last August, Spain's air navigation manager handled 106,945 flights, 51.1% less than in the same month in 2019, which indicates a recovery of almost half the traffic recorded over the same period in the previous year.

Airports news

• New Terminal Building with enhanced capacity in making at Leh Airport - The Airports Authority of India, under the aegis of the Ministry of Civil Aviation is committed to provide air connectivity and develop as well as upgrade airport infrastructure across the country. Situated at 3,256 m (10,682 ft) above mean sea level, Kushok Bakula Rinpoche Airport at Leh is gearing up for a new world-class terminal building.

Market news

• ENAV is awarded contract in Romania - ENAV, through its subsidiary IDS AirNav, a company specialized in aeronautical information management systems, in the context of an international tender, has been awarded a contract from ROMATSA, the Romanian Air Traffic Services Administration, for an amount of 2.3 million euro.

• 42 Solutions to showcase anti-drone solution during NATO Communications and Information Agency C-UAS trials - Dutch mission-critical software provider 42 Solutions BV will showcase its latest capabilities in anti-drone technology during a live trial session hosted by the NATO Communications and Information Agency at the Joint Nucleus Counter-UAS Test Center of the Ground Based Air Defence Command, NL from September 28th until October 2nd 2020.

Context information

• Helping airports plan their recovery | EUROCONTROL - Study by EUROCONTROL and partners highlights actions to improve performance when implementing COVID-19 measures.

• Reopening, Recovery and Resilience: airports weathering the COVID crisis - NATS Blog - Instead of planning for expansion and growth, the COVID crisis is seeing airport operators around the world grappling with when to close and reopen their terminals, stands and runways; how to account for the increased boarding and deplaning times due to social distancing; and how to mitigate the impact of disruption on an already reduced operation.

• ATCEUC position on EC proposal of exceptional measures on RP3 - It is with great disappointment that ATCEUC received the latest draft of the Commission Implementing Regulation on exceptional measures for the third reference period (2020-2024) of the Single European sky performance and charging scheme due to COVID – 19 pandemic. The draft still ignores the fact, that the aviation sector is composed of at least three parts, Airlines, Airports and Air Traffic Management.

Reports and data

• IAA Releases August 2020 Flight Statistics - The Irish Aviation Authority has today published Irish and trans-Atlantic air traffic figures for the month of August 2020 and a comparison with the same period in 2019. A total of 39,691 flights handled in August 2020 v 113,606 movements in August 2019 Commercial traffic at State airports was down by 65.1% in August 2020 compared to August 2019 Trans-Atlantic traffic handled down 68.9% in August 2020 compared to same month in 2019 En-Route traffic (flights which do not land in Ireland) down 66.6% v August 2019.

• Fraport Traffic Figures – August 2020: Passenger Numbers Remain Low - Traffic still down in Frankfurt and at the Group’s airports worldwide – Slight rebound continued, spurred by holiday travel – Government’s quarantine policy not beneficial. 

Research and innovation

• NASA and DLR study the transformation of the air transport system - The integration of new types of aircraft into the air transport system requires it to change. Over the coming years, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) will be working together on research into how the air transport system can be transformed to meet these new challenges. To this end, in 2020 the two institutions signed an agreement on close research collaboration.

• Integrating commercial spaceflight into ATM - Think Research - Spaceflight is booming. Virgin Galactic and SpaceX have become household names in recent years with their impressive feats of engineering. Virgin Galactic are set to take tourists to the edges of space and SpaceX want to take us to Mars! All of this though is being conducted in the USA. When are launches going to happen in the UK and more importantly how are we going to integrate them into UK air traffic management?

• Got a SESAR 2020 project? Here are my top tips - Think Research - Overview of SESAR by Think Research.

UAV and UTM

• AirMap and DoD Partner to Develop AirBoss Aerial Intelligence Platform - AirMap has won a US Department of Defense (DoD) award to commercialize its AirBoss platform. AirBoss is an Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) software platform designed for Group 1 UAVs and developed together with Reveal Technology and the DoD’s Defense Innovation Unit.

• Can ATM/UTM learn from autonomous vehicles? - Air Traffic Management - The idea is that the concept of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications for autonomous vehicles could be leveraged to enable drone-to-drone (D2D) communications. At the simplest level there are similar risks between cars and drones. The safety required to operate autonomously while avoiding other autonomous vehicles, manned vehicles and fixed objects. Being able to leverage this technology could enable cost effective safety solutions for drone manufacturers to incorporate into their enterprise drones.

• AirMap Partners with Skyline to Provide 3D Visualization Software and Services for JobSight - AirMap - AirMap is excited to announce our partnership with Skyline Software Systems, a leading provider of 3D earth visualization software and services that offers a comprehensive platform of applications, tools, and services that enable the creation and dissemination of interactive, photo-realistic 3D environments. Our integration extends the power of the AirMap platform to architectural, engineering and construction customers and equips enterprises with cutting edge 3D technology allowing them to observe, experience, and solve for the unique challenges of their development projects.