The European Council has adopted two regulations to improve the performance and safety of the European aviation system.

The first strengthens the Single European Sky legislation while the second extends the tasks of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Both regulations were adopted following a first-reading agreement reached with the European Parliament in March 2009.

The Single European Sky regulation amends four existing regulations adopted in 2004. The European Council says since their adoption, it has proved necessary to consolidate and address a number of challenges, relating in particular to:

• sustainable development---attenuating the environmental impact of aviation through, for example, the creation of a rational European route network, including shorter routes for intra-community traffic;
• performance of the network in terms of reduction in delays and lower costs for airspace users;
• governance issues - ensuring that the system is supervised in a transparent and correct manner at national and European Union (EU) level.

The regulation sets a fixed deadline for the implementation of functional airspace blocks that are a tool for a more rational and efficient European airspace. In addition, it strengthens the central network function at the EU level, as well as the principles concerning the degree of autonomy to be accorded to national supervisory authorities responsible for overseeing the provision of aeronautical services in the member states.

The second regulation amends an earlier regulation with a view to improving the operation of the EASA.

The regulation extends the EASA's competences to cover the safety of aerodromes, air traffic management and air navigation services. In particular, the EASA's new tasks will cover rule-making and standardization inspections. In addition, as far as air traffic management and air navigation services are concerned, it will be necessary to coordinate the common safety rules properly with the new Single European Sky regulation and the related implementing rules.

In June, the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU), a public-private partnership in air traffic management (ATM) research and development founded by the European Commission and EUROCONTROL, signed 16 contracts totaling Euro1.9 billion for the creation of Europe's future ATM system.

The contracts mark the beginning of the execution of the SESAR program. On top of green and safety objectives, SESAR aims to cut air transport operating costs in the longer term.

Based on the Single European Sky legislative package, the mission of the SESAR JU is to ensure the modernization of the European ATM system by coordinating and concentrating all relevant research and development efforts in Europe.

By 2020, SESAR, the technological component of the Single European Sky initiative, aims to creating the capability to handle a threefold increase in traffic in Europe, while improving safety by a factor of ten. The program also seeks to reduce by 10 percent the environmental impact per flight thanks to significant fuel reduction. The modernized ATM system in Europe should cut ATM-related expenses by half.

SESAR's new components and operational procedures will be gradually implemented from 2012 to 2020, but the undertaking is working for early implementations from 2010.

The SESAR JU signed agreements with 16 partners in the ATM sector, including:

• Air navigation service providers: DSNA (France), DFS (Germany), ENAV (Italy), NORACON (Northern Europe and Austria), AENA (Spain), and NATS (En Route) Limited (United Kingdom)
• Ground and aerospace manufacturing industry: Frequentis, Indra, North European ATM Industry Group (NATMIG), SELEX Sistemi Integrati and Thales
• Aircraft manufacturers: Airbus and Alenia Aeronautica
• Airports: SEAC (a consortium of six airport operators: ADP, BAA, Fraport, Munich, Schipol & Unique), AENA and NORACON
• Airborne equipment manufacturers: Honeywell and Thales

The SESAR Program comprises 16 work packages and 295 projects to be undertaken in the 2009-2016 timeframe under the supervision of the SESAR JU. These packages will develop and deliver the necessary operational and technical materials (specifications, procedures, prototypes, validation activities, etc) for the progressive deployment of the new European ATM system.

Taking full advantage of existing and newly developed technologies, SESAR's target concept relies on a number of key features:

• the notion of "trajectory-based operations", which will dramatically improve the predictability and precision of operations;
• a rolling network operation plan, taking into account real-time situations including weather and traffic evolution;
• the introduction of an ATM intranet, including aircraft, which will enable all actors to have full access to the right information at the right time;
• the full integration of airport ground activities into the air traffic management processes;
• increased automation support for air traffic controllers and pilots, enabling them to concentrate on high-added-value activities;
• increased environmentally friendly operations at airports, allowing greener trajectories whilst maximizing the use of existing runways.

Meanwhile Northrop Grumman, as one of the four member companies forming the NATMIG, has been awarded funding from the European Community (EC) and EUROCONTROL to participate in a research program to streamline and modernize air traffic management in Europe.

The Norway-based ATM subsidiary Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems will receive contracts worth $18.7 million from the SESAR JU for research and development. The contract is due to be completed by 2016.

"Airport density in Europe is high and European airspace is among the busiest in the world with the growth in flight movements expected to double by 2030, making air traffic control increasingly complex," said Eldar Hauge, managing director of Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems.

"We are fully committed to the modernization of European ATM and, through NATMIG, we look forward to bringing to the SESAR program our expertise and experience in area control centers aircraft surface movement guidance and control, and satellite landing systems to help create a high-performance, fully integrated air traffic control infrastructure for Europe."

Routes will be allocated that allow airspace capacity to be trebled and improve safety by a factor of 10. SESAR will provide research, development and prototypes for area control centers, aircraft surface movement guidance and control systems, as well as satellite navigation systems ground based augmentation system (GBAS).

NATMIG was founded in 2007 by four of the leading air traffic management companies in northern Europe, Airtel of Ireland, Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems, Saab of Sweden and SINTEF of Norway, with the aim of creating a body that can participate in the SESAR.

Park Air Systems will work on the research and development of enhanced surface and air routing, guidance and enhanced tools for conflict detection and resolution. The satellite landing system SCAT1, currently in operation in Norway, will form the basis for further development to become a fully global GBAS and global navigation satellite system.