Eurocontrol has initiated an Aircraft Identification Program to assign a unique identifier to all flights to be used continually by Feb. 9, 2012.

According to the agency, the shortage of available secondary surveillance radar (SSR) codes has been causing increasing problems for individual air-traffic control units and for the European air-traffic management system as a whole. The shortage causes code conflicts with potential loss of identification, or frequent changes of SSR codes.

To reach the target date of 2012, the program will implement the operational use of Mode S Elementary Surveillance (ELS) and the Centralized Code Assignment and Management System within their respective airspace regions. To support these developments, a reform of the Originating Region Code Assignment Method (ORCAM) will also be implemented, Eurocontrol said.

"Direct recognition of an aircraft's identity on radar displays is a fundamental need of a modern air-traffic control system. The Aircraft Identification Program will ensure that this vital yet complex part of the European network will work seamlessly across the region, eliminating the shortcomings of the current ORCAM and bringing ELS into full operational use," stated Thierry Liabastres, chairman of the program's Steering Group.