SESAR Deployment Manager drives resilient Air Traffic Management
Stakeholders involved in Air Traffic Management (ATM) modernisation have been compelled to navigate the volatile reality Europe lives in, adapting to circumstances hardly ever imagined before. Although challenges have put the aviation industry at stake in recent years, the resilience exhibited by ANSPs, airlines, airports, and both civil and military airspace users shows that a co-creation environment as the one SESAR Deployment Manager offers is instrumental to ensure all actors —at state, network, and operational levels— are moving in the same direction.
The modernisation of ATM relies on the harmonisation of several drivers —capacity, efficiency, digitalisation, environment, civil/military coordination—, therefore a flexible approach is required to address the evolving needs of the industry whilst still keeping the focus on delivering benefits.
Without the coordinated effort of the whole aviation sector to put Europe’s air traffic modernisation rules into practice (PCP being the first mandatory upgrade package and CP1 the more advanced, updated version focused on digitalisation and environmental performance), air traffic today would be far less efficient.
The practical implementation of the CP1 regulation in operations demonstrates the strength and resilience of the partnership driving the digital transformation of European skies. The joint investments from stakeholders and EU funds are enabling outstanding outcomes for the passengers, the environment, and the economy through the synchronised deployment of SESAR solutions enhancing air traffic flows, airspace capacity and network collaboration. These operational improvements prompt predictability, which is essential for the backbone to build resilience against disruptions and the increasing volatility of traffic.
Pursuing large-scale and long-term transformation, Air Traffic Management modernisation should continue to be incremental. In this context, the acceleration of SWIM (System-Wide Information Management) remains a crucial priority for all. The establishment of automation-ready, cybersecure data infrastructure resulting from the full transition to SWIM services for ATM information exchanges would not only improve the stakeholders’ and Network Manager resilience but also would pave the way for future evolution and increased automation. Resilience does not just establish contingency plans; it brings interoperability and harmonisation translating into network and industry-wide benefits.
More than a decade after its inception, the vision of SESAR Deployment Manager still builds upon the collaborative work of all Members and Implementing Partners that move together as one team towards smarter, greener and resilient EU skies.