HIGHLIGHTS

Air Traffic Management

Editorial Global Highlights Meeting the data link mandate Europe: setting the pace for international ATC communications Data comms the next generation SITA expands worldwide coverage of data link services Improving oceanic tracking Making CDM fly Glossary page 2 page 3 page 4 page 5 page 6 page 7 page 7 page 8

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ATM HIGHLIGHTS
Air Trafc Management
Contributers: Director, ATS AIRCOM Franois Bardin France francois.bardin@sita.aero Business Development Senior Manager, ATS AIRCOM Patrick Geurts Belgium patrick.geurts@sita.aero ATM Business Development Manager Mervyn Harris United Kingdom mervyn.harris@sita.aero Product Manager, ATS AIRCOM Kathleen Kearns United States kathleen.kearns@sita.aero Business Development Manager, ATS AIRCOM Philip Koh Singapore philip.koh@sita.aero Business Development Senior Manager, ATS AIRCOM Adriana Mattos Brazil adriana.mattos@sita.aero www.sita.aero/aircom Online information and late-breaking news are available at www.sita.aero Enquiries to info@sita.aero Publisher: Franois Bardin Editorial: SITA Production Editors: Ana Rua Amarat Raval

SITA 2011

Editorial

Dear Reader, This year, our aeronautical phraseology was enriched with a new exotic and unpronounceable word: Eyjafjallajokull. It was the name of the Icelandic volcano that disrupted European air traffic during five consecutive days, reducing flights capacity to 30% of normal. Moreover, at the end of the year, we had further disruption from snow, just as European airlines were recovering from the worst global economic downturn since the Second World War. Nevertheless, on a global basis, the industry has bounced back, with both passenger traffic and cargo above the pre-recession levels of early 2008. IATA reports scheduled passenger traffic grew 8.2% in 2010, while cargo grew 20.6%. We are not out of the woods yet though. Profit margins are woefully low, while the price of oil and the continuing poor state of many economies could de-rail traffic growth and industry recovery. More than ever, it remains essential to keep on enhancing and optimizing air traffic services, in order to boost efficiency and improve safety. This is the year when the Implementing Rule on Data Link Services by the European Commissions Single Sky Committee comes into force. Airlines must equip new aircraft with ATN/VDLm2 avionics as of January 2011 and retrofit existing aircraft by February 2015, while ANSPs in core area of Europe must provide ATN/CPDLC services by February 2013 with the rest following by February 2015. SITA is committed to supporting both its airlines and Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP) customers to fulfill their obligations. In core Europe, SITA is already the partner for most ANSPs (such as DFS/Germany, AENA/Spain or NAV Portugal) that have taken the initiative to deploy and operate their own VHF datalink infrastructure. With many airlines and aircraft manufacturers looking for technical support in testing and validating the avionics for aircraft to provide the ATN/CPDLC function, SITA and its partners are now offering an ATN Test Service with an end-to-end comprehensive testing capability, helping airlines in their certification process. In this newsletter you will find more about how SITA is supporting air traffic management. If you have any questions feel free to talk to someone in our Air Traffic Solutions team. They would be delighted to answer any questions you might have. Enjoy the read! Sincerely

Information is subject to change without notice. All trademarks acknowledged. SITA 2011 This document was printed digitally without the use of film separations, plates and associated processing chemicals. The paper used is FSC approved and comes from carefully controlled mixed sources including well managed forests. Any paper waste is recycled. The production process conforms to ISO 14001 or EMAS (Environmental Management Systems). The Carbon generated during the production of this document has been offset.

Franois Bardin Director, ATS AIRCOM

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SITA 2011

GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS

Meeting the data link mandate

The Icelandic ash cloud last April was not the only event that made 2010 a milestone year for European air traffic management. The EU Implementing Rule on Data Link Services regulation EC 29/2009 triggered a lot of activity throughout the year as Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) and airlines started working towards achievement of the deadlines for implementation.
The regulation mandates Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) across the whole European upper airspace. Western European countries have to provide the service to all aircraft by 2013, while the rest of the EU has until 2015 to provide the service. New aircraft must be equipped as of 2011, while existing aircraft must be retrofit by 2015 at the latest. The CPDLC service will result in increased safety level compared to voice communication, significant reduction in the work load of ATC controllers and pilots, and an overall capacity gain of 11%. This knowledge and experience with VDL mode-2 will prove invaluable in providing services for testing and validating the necessary infrastructure to ANSPs. This has been recognized by EUROCONTROL, which selected SITA to perform the validation of the VDLm2 multi-frequency standard for its Link2000+ Programme. Validation results are likely to be an essential component in the certification case that ANSPs will have to present to their national regulator. For example, SITA has been selected by AENA to build a Link 2000+ test bed, to pave the way for operational deployment of VDL mode-2 by the ANSP. of a Front End Processor to shield the Flight Data Processing System from the details of ATN or FANS communications. SITA provides a Data Link Front End Processor system, in collaboration with EGIS Avia, which makes it possible for ATC controllers to communicate with aircraft regardless of the communication technology in use. For further information, please e-mail patrick.geurts@sita.aero

Deployment of VDL mode-2

Another requirement of the Implementing Rule was the use of ATN/VDL mode-2 as the air/ground communication technology. Complying with the regulation represents a major challenge for ANSPs. The deployment of a potentially large number of stations to provide VDL mode-2 coverage and their validation requires careful planning, if the 2013 target date is to be achieved. SITA is fully supporting ANSPs in meeting the challenge. It has been the ATN/VDL mode-2 service provider to the EUROCONTROL Maastricht Upper Airspace Centre since December 2008 and has established VDL mode-2 partnerships with a number of ANSPs including DFS, AENA and NAV Portugal, with whom SITA jointly operates the airground communication infrastructure. In total, SITA operates, either directly or through partnerships with ANSPs, more than 50 VDL mode-2 stations in Europe. In fact, 85% of the airlines that exchange CPDLC messages with EUROCONTROL Maastricht do so through the SITA Air-Ground communication service.

Need for FANS

The decision whether to accommodate FANS has important communication implications. While it represents a real boost for the CPDLC service in airspace where FANS-equipped aircraft are plentiful, it does need the installation

85% of the airlines that exchange CPDLC messages with EUROCONTROL Maastricht do so through the SITA Air-Ground communication service.

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GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS

SITA 2011

Europe: setting the pace for international ATC communications

The ATC ground communication infrastructure in Europe is undergoing a renaissance. The patchwork of national networks transporting radar data, flight plan updates and Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN) messaging is being replaced by an integrated network providing a broadband platform able to support new applications.
The contract for the new platform for international connectivity, called the Pan-European Network Service (PENS), was awarded to SITA in October 2009. Its roll-out is now well underway and scheduled to be completed by May 2011. The EUROCONTROL Central Flow Management Unit (CFMU) is already operational, while EUROCONTROLs EAD and 16 air navigation service providers (ANSPs) have signed up to the PENS service*.

Air Traffic Management Services AFTN/ AMHS Inter Centre Voice Inter Centre Data Radar Data Centralized Services CFMU/EAD New Services

Pan-European Network Service

What PENS covers

All eyes on Europe

With global air traffic movements expected to increase at a rate of around 9% on average per annum, according to IATA estimates, the rest of the ATM world is watching Europe closely. Implementation of new regional and global ATM initiatives plus increasing cost pressures will require ANSPs worldwide to change the way they do business. Europe is at the vanguard and is likely to act as a blueprint for other regional blocs to follow.

Future proofed
It will bring a number of advantages. Not least there are substantial cost savings to be had from the amalgamation of CFMU, European AIS Database (EAD) and ANSP backbone sites, and more efficient handling of Air Traffic Services Message Handling System (AMHS) messages between ANSPs. But it is also future proofed. ANSPs will be able to implement ATC voice communications, using Voice over IP, as well as readily comply with the Single European Sky Flight Data Exchange Implementation Rule. Further down the line, PENS will also provide a platform to SESAR for the evaluation and validation of System Wide Information Management (SWIM).

* The following European ANSPs have signed the Common Procurement Contract for PENS: AENA, Austrocontrol, Avinor, Crocontrol, DFS, DSNA, ENAV, Finavia, Hungarocontrol, LFV Sweden, LPS Slovakia, NAV Portugal, NAVIAIR Denmark, Skyguide, Sloveniacontrol, and UK NATS. For further information, please e-mail mervyn.harris@sita.aero

Implementation of new regional and global ATM initiatives plus increasing cost pressures will require ANSPs worldwide to change the way they do business.

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SITA 2011

GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS

Data comms the next generation

With air transport back in growth mode, the spotlight has again turned on modernizing aviations legacy infrastructure to meet the impending capacity crunch. In the US, those efforts are being driven by the FAAs (Federal Aviation Administration) development of a Next Generation system based on satellite navigation, ADS-Broadcast surveillance and data communications between controllers and pilots.
The potential is enormous. The latest figures from the FAA indicate that by 2018, the programme could reduce total flight delays by over 20 percent, providing US$ 22bn in cumulative benefits to the travelling public, aircraft operators and the FAA. In addition, it will have a positive impact on the environment by saving more than 1.4 billion gallons of fuel, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 14 million tons. With many leading US airlines as customers of its ACARS service, including Delta Air Lines, FedEx, United Parcel Service, Airtran, and Jetblue, SITA has been playing its part to ensure these benefits will be realised by the industry. In particular, it has been upgrading its US aircraft communications network to meet the requirements of the Data Communications programme a key pillar of the NextGen system. The Data Comms programme will enable air traffic control to issue complex clearances to a pilot and the aircrafts flight management system via electronic data transfer instead of time consuming voice transmission. SITA can now provide coast-to-coast VDL Mode 2 coverage, meeting an FAA requirement that ICAO VHF Digital Link Mode 2 (VDL Mode 2) be used for the air/ground data link media. The coverage expansion immediately provides those SITA customers that have already installed VDL radios with a 20fold increase in link capacity for ACARS. For further information, please e-mail kathleen.kearns@sita.aero

The programme could reduce total flight delays by over 20 percent, providing US$ 22bn in cumulative benefits to the travelling public, aircraft operators and the FAA.

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GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS

SITA expands worldwide coverage of data link services

Throughout 2010, SITA expanded the deployment of ATS AIRCOM services and solutions, providing improved coverage worldwide.
Africa and Middle East
In Egypt, SITA enabled the provision of D-ATIS services at Cairo, Hurgada, Sharm El-Sheikh and Luxor airports, while in Libya, a D-ATIS system and a CATS server has been delivered to INEO-ES, to be deployed at Tripoli International Airport. In Cabo Verde, the FANS system was successfully migrated to a new ATS AIRCOM IP connection. Deployment of SITA ATS AIRCOM services and solution continues to accelerate in the middle-east region. component, enabling Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) to extensively test and validate the implementation of its PreFANS applications. In Taiwan, SITA has been selected to provide ATS AIRCOM FANS services over an IP connection. In collaboration with its Czech partner CS-Soft, SITA has delivered FANS communication service to the Civil Aviation Authority Philippines (CAAP) at Manila, as well as an ADS/CPDLC workstation (ACW) system. In a second project phase, the ADS-C and CPDLC functions have been integrated into CS-Soft multi tracking ATM system. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has selected SITA to deliver PreFANS solutions (Datalink Departure Clearance and D-VOLMET systems) to be deployed at major airports in India, including Mumbai, Kolkotta, Dehli, Chennai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad airports.

In Saudi Arabia, the D-ATIS CATS server has been commissioned to provide services initially at Jeddah, Riyadh and Damman. Eventually it will serve 14 airports across the country.
In the UAE, SITA completed the deployment of the D-ATIS/CATS solution to enable PreFANS services at Abu Dhabi international airport. The implementation of both DCL (Datalink Departure Clearance) and FANS solutions at Bahrain International Airport was also completed.

Europe
There was intensive data link activity during 2010 as ANSPs prepared to meet the target dates of the EU Implementing Rule on Data Link Services. With its partner Egisavia, SITA delivered and commissioned the Data Link Front End Processor (DL-FEP) at Maastricht for EUROCONTROL and Langen centre for DFS. SITA also delivered a DL-FEP system to AENA, as part of the LINK2000+ Test Bed facility implemented at their technical centre in Madrid. SITA also delivered or upgraded FANS or PreFANS services to a number of European ANSPs including Belgocontrol (Belgium), Naviair (Denmark), LVNL (Netherlands), Isavia (Iceland) , DSNA (France), UK NATS and Oslo Airport (Norway). For further information, please e-mail francois.bardin@sita.aero

Latin America
As part of a major air traffic management modernization programme in advance of hosting the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup, Brazils Department of Airspace Control (DECEA) has selected SITA to update and operate the countrys entire VHF Data Link (VDL) communication network infrastructure. The project includes the deployment of more than 50 new VDL Mode 2 ground stations, the implementation of latest ATN-compliant technology, as well as the replacement of the current DATACOM ACARS message processor. In Argentina, SITA delivered ATS AIRCOM connectivity to INDRA FANS systems, enabling the provision of ADS-C and CPDLC functions at both Ezeiza and Comodoro Rivadavia ACCs.

Asia-Pacific
In Asia, SITA continues to support ANSPs in their efforts to implement ATS data link applications. In Japan, through a partnership with NEC, SITA delivered a complete Data Link Avionic Test system, integrating multiple avionic elements, VHF and VDL radios, and a fully functional ACARS message processor

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GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS

Improving oceanic tracking

The tragic loss of flight AF 449 from Rio to Paris in June 2009 highlighted the difficulty of accurately tracking aircraft over mid-Atlantic Ocean. However, that could soon change.
The tragic loss of flight AF 449 from Rio to Paris in June 2009 highlighted the difficulty of accurately tracking aircraft over mid-Atlantic Ocean. However, that could soon change. A study carried out in 2010 for the SESAR JU under instruction from the European Commission has identified ADS-C as a way to enhance tracking by checking the conformance of actual flight trajectories to the filed flight plans. The study, called OPTIMI, was conducted by the CEDAR Consortium, comprising of the European ANSPs responsible for Atlantic Oceanic FIRs, airlines (Air France and Air Europa), SITA (as Communication Service Provider) and members of the ATM Industry. The Consortium recommended the use of ADS-C due to the current and future number of FANS equipped aircraft flying the routes and the ability to implement the solution with existing ATM systems in the Atlantic Oceanic Control Centres, in the short term. A cost/benefit analysis of the solution showed that, on a per flight basis, the additional cost introduced by the Optimi solution is marginal, while the improved safety benefit could be significant. As part of the study, flight trials have been performed in EUR, AFI and NAT regions, confirming the feasibility of the solution. For further information, please e-mail patrick.geurts@sita.aero

Making CDM fly

The global economic downturn may have temporarily relieved pressure on the air transport system, but medium term there is still a vital need to find ways of managing aircraft capacity in the air and on the ground more efficiently.
One approach with lots of promise is Collaborative Decision Making (CDM). It is built on a holistic view of the air transport system, but the main focus is now centred on making airport processes more efficient. In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) calls it Surface CDM systems, while in Europe, EUROCONTROL is a strong advocate of what it terms airport CDM. Effectively both rely on the same premise better collection and sharing of information can significantly improve the quality of decision making. If better decision-making can be achieved then it should increase the predictability of airport operations and avoids airports becoming the restricting bottleneck in the overall ATM system. Many benefits can be had from the implementation of CDM for all partners involved, whether an airline, airport or ATM. The list ranges from reduced delays, fuel savings, optimized use of resources and cost savings, to improved ATFM slot adherence, reduced environmental impact and improved customer satisfaction. A key tenet is sharing accurate information in a timely manner. That calls for sophisticated technology solutions that can collect, process and disseminate data in real-time, from multiple sources. It also requires a deep understanding of air transport processes and systems to put in the necessary intelligence to turn the huge volumes of raw data into useable information. that support the achievement of airport CDM objectives. Specifically SITA has a well-established communication infrastructure with components that include air-to-ground, shared systems within airports, the Pan European Network System (PENS) that links members of the ATM community in Europe, as well as industry-wide operational messaging systems. SITA also offers consultancy services to facilitate and assist with re-alignment of stakeholders responsibilities and definition of collaborative operational procedures. For further information, please e-mail mervyn.harris@sita.aero

How is SITA helping?

SITA has defined a framework for an intelligent airport that includes the infrastructure, operational systems and business intelligence solutions

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GLOSSARY

SITA 2011

ACARS ACC ADS-C AFTN ANSP ATC ATN ATS CATS DCL CDM CFMU CPDLC D-ATIS DL-FEP EU FANS FIR ICAO PENS SESAR SESAR JU VDL

Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System Area Control Center Automatic Dependant Surveillance - Contract Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network Air Navigation Service Provider Air Traffic Control Aeronautical Telecommunication Network Air Traffic Service Centralized Air Traffic Server Datalink Departure Clearance Collaborative Decision Making Central Flow Management Unit Controller Pilot Data Link Communications Digital Automatic Terminal Information Service Data Link - Front End Processor European Union Future Air Navigation System Flight Information Region International Civil Aviation Organization Pan European Network System Single European Sky ATM Research Single European Sky ATM Research Joint Undertaking VHF Digital Link