ATM Modernization

New SESAR Project to Provide Air Traffic Trajectories in Single View

By S.L. Fuller | December 1, 2017
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The Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR) Joint Undertaking (JU) is developing solutions and procedures to provide a single view of air traffic trajectories. The program said this is aimed at making European flights more predictable and punctual.

Called, “The Four Dimensions Trajectory Management,” or 4DTM, the project’s solution would provide one, precise view of air traffic movements across the continent, SESAR JU said. It aligns with SESAR goals, guaranteeing that air navigation service providers, airport operators, airlines and the aviation community share a view that is updated in real-time with the movements of both civil and military aircraft throughout the continent.

SESAR JU said that the solution would use data from each country’s air traffic ground control centers, the European Network Manager and airport operators. Data on trajectories handled by the aircraft themselves would also be processed, as well as data used for flight planning by airlines’ flight operations center. Information on military flights will also be to evaluate the impact on civil traffic. 4DTM would develop new tools to improve the availability of aeronautical and meteorological information. This would enable detection in advance of any unexpected situations that may yield delays and require adjusting scheduled operations.

“The solution paves the way for the definitive implementation of flights using 4D trajectories across the entire continent. This new way of flying allows aircraft to select direct routes, thereby reducing fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and costs,” SESAR JU said. “Furthermore, controllers will have available more precise information for planning operations and managing traffic more smoothly, and will be to respond to the expected increase of traffic in the coming years.”

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