Weekly review #89 - 10th March

ANSP news

• Finavia to develop global air traffic control concept - Finavia has collaborated with the air navigation services provider Fintraffic for developing a global air traffic control concept.
• Airways New Zealand announces $13.8 million half year loss - Airways New Zealand today announced its interim results for the half-year ending 31 December 2020. The air navigation services provider has recorded a half-year loss of $13.8 million, while safety performance remained strong. 
• ENAIRE is optimising the separation distance between aircraft at Barcelona-El Prat Airport - ENAIRE has completed its activities to certify the implementation of new criteria for separating consecutive arrivals at the Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport. 

Context information

• One step closer to the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking - EUROCONTROL - The new SESAR 3 partnership will develop further the role of the Joint Undertaking, with a much greater emphasis on innovation rather than pure research and development, with the clear objective of accelerating change to facilitate a quicker integration of solutions into operations.
• ATCEUC and ETF Statement on Fundamental Review of EUROCONTROL Agency’s activities by Deloitte - On the initiative of its Director General Mr Eamonn Brennan, EUROCONTROL commissioned a “fundamental review” of the Agency’s activities. The contract was awarded to Deloitte in September 2020 and a final report was published at the end of January.

Reports and data

• Slump in air traffic volumes continues - DFS - Air traffic volumes in Germany remain at a historically low level. In February 2021, DFS logged almost 64,000 take-offs, landings and overflights under instrument flight rules.

Research and innovation

• Customising individual flight routes for more climate-friendly outcomes - DLR Portal - Customised flight routes can help to limit the rise in global temperatures caused by human activities. If this goal is to be achieved, air traffic management must be automated to a far greater extent than it is today. 
• Space-based ADS-B: what is the potential for US air traffic management? - Aireon - A little more than a century after the first-ever machine-powered flight, it seems the next big aviation innovation may come from beyond the sky. Andrew Tunnicliffe talks with Aireon about how transformative space-based ADS-B is proving to be in airspace management.
• Initial thoughts on the benefits of virtualisation in ATM - Think Research - Think ATM Director, Paul Ravenhill, gives his initial thoughts on the benefits that virtualisation will bring within Air Traffic Management.
• Thales to deliver a virtualised conflict detection and alerting solution to support Norwegian ATCOs - Following an international competitive tender, Avinor Air Navigation Services, has chosen Thales to supply their new Safety Nets Server. The technology will be deployed at Oslo, Stavanger and Bodo Air Traffic Control centres and will be integrated into a fully virtualised environment.

UAV and UTM

• NASA simulation demonstrates dynamic rerouting for low-flying traffic in real-time - Unmanned airspace - A team of companies and universities led by UNT Engineering has successfully completed testing scenarios developed by NASA as part of Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign Developmental Test simulation activity.
• ENAIRE and Airbus join forces to develop U-space services in Spain - Unmanned airspace - ENAIRE has signed a general protocol of action with Airbus for the promotion of aerospace research, development and innovation in Spain. 
• “Who should manage urban airspace?” - CIVATAglobal webinar - Unmanned airspace - It seems somehow strange that in most of the world the only responsibility that local authorities have for managing drone and urban air mobility operations above their cities is to have responsibility for flights in the airspace up to 500 ft above the land they own. 
• Eurocae updates minimum ATOL performance standards for remotely piloted aircraft - Unmanned airspace - The European standards agency Eurocae has released Minimum Aviation System Performance Standards for Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems Automatic Take-off And Landing system and applications, ED-283.