SESAR deployment ongoing journey

On 17 August 2020, the European Commission launched the public consultation on the Common Project 1 (CP1) proposal, inviting EU stakeholders and citizens to express their views. This public consultation is the last opportunity for stakeholders and EU citizens to give their opinions, which will guide the future of common project implementation and influence SESAR’s impact on Europe’s ATM modernisation.

On 31 July 2020, the final deliverables « SWIM Governance » Project were delivered to the SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM), thus concluding more than 3 years of collaborative work involving 20 partners as diverse as airports, airlines, air navigation service providers, meteorological service providers, military organizations and Eurocontrol.

The SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the 17th of July. Standards are key to ensure that this modernisation is safe, and robust. As ETSI, together with other standardisation bodies, plays an instrumental role in developing those standards, the relations between ETSI and SDM have been naturally and smoothly established already some years ago. This MoU comes timely to capture our joint experience and cooperation.

At the beginning of the year, the COVID-19 crisis swept the world and severely impacted many industries, including the air transport sector, with ongoing repercussions that could drastically change the aviation landscape for years to come. We are glad to announce that we have agreed with the European Commission and INEA on a set of measures that will already support SESAR deployment Implementing Partners in resuming the activities related to their SESAR ATM modernisation projects through and benefitting from a reduction of the administrative tasks for SESAR Implementing Partners.

On 10th June 2020, DSNA completed the migration to NewPENS of its operational data exchanges with partners Air Navigation Service Providers and EUROCONTROL. NewPENS is the new Pan-European Network Services (PENS) interconnection network, now aiming at supporting new challenges in the modernisation of ATM, including safety, system interoperability and cybersecurity requirements.

Born out of the necessity to resolve the technical and operational issues around Data Link Services (DLS) in Europe and the need to identify the root cause(s) of reported data link issues, SDM, EASA and EUROCONTROL NM established the Data Link Support Group (DSG) that bring together all the relevant stakeholders. SDM, in collaboration with EUROCONTROL NM, will continue to raise awareness and promote the DSG activity in order to attract active participation from different stakeholders.

SESAR Deployment Manager launched its survey to Implementing Partners in March to garner a more precise picture, in the current context, of the challenges faced by the European ATM Community as well as the efforts made towards the delivery of a modern, more performant, environmental-friendly and scalable ATM system. Moreover, this survey also aimed at identifying key practical solutions to mitigate, as much as possible, the impact of this crisis on implementation projects. Based on these findings, we have identified a number of mitigation opportunities to be elaborated in close collaboration with INEA and DG MOVE in order to draw a common set of exceptional practices that could come as an effective support to our partners.

The long-awaited draft amendment of the SPI IR regulation 1207/2011 has received a positive vote in the EASA Committee and is on the path to adoption. The same is true for 1206/2011 (ACID IR).

The long-awaited draft amendment of the SPI IR regulation 1207/2011 has received a positive vote in the EASA Committee and is on the path to adoption. The same is true for 1206/2011 (ACID IR).

SESAR Deployment Manager launched its survey to Implementing Partners to garner a more precise picture, in the current context, of the challenges faced by the European ATM Community as well as the efforts made towards the delivery of a modern, more performant, environmental-friendly and scalable ATM system. Moreover, this survey also aims at identifying key practical solutions to mitigate, as much as possible, the impact of this crisis on implementation projects.

SESAR Deployment Manager was slated to participated to the World ATM Congress, taking place from the 10th to the 12th March 2020, as a part of the Europe for Aviation team. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WAC2020 was canceled.

The ADS-B Implementation Plan edition 2019 was delivered to the European Commission. The Plan was elaborated with support from Eurocontrol/Network Manager on matters covering performance monitoring and general operational and technical coordination. It provides an updated view of Airspace Users’ implementation plans, the progress of implementation in the airborne domain, increases the representativeness of the basis of planned compliance data and includes cost-benefit analysis.

Similar to other industries, European ATM is becoming more digital information interdependent each day. The ATM Masterplan shows a clear vision of digitalisation, automation and virtualisation. Remote Towers, ATM virtual centers and drones are clear examples of the digital transformation happening in ATM today. This first Newsletter on the SES Digital Backbone informs ATM stakeholders on what the initiative is about, who is involved, how you can get involved, where we stand today and what is coming up.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all Air Traffic Management stakeholders! Today we celebrate 5 years of delivering SESAR deployment together. Reason enough for saying A BIG THANK YOU to all involved stakeholders. Thanks to YOU #SESARdelivers benefits to European ATM, passengers, economy and environment. Let’s keep on delivering ATM modernisation together.

The Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) has launched today a call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for Transport funding instrument, which makes a total of €1.4 billion available for projects aiming to build, upgrade and improve European transport infrastructure. €20 million is available to support SESAR deployment.

Report on the workshop jointly organised by SESAR Deployment Manager and the European Space Agency - New satellite-based communication system Iris offers a resilient and complimentary solution towards ATM modernisation. Satellite-based communications systems such as Iris, a Data Link Service (DLS) system funded and promoted by the European Space Agency (ESA), will add a safe, resilient, and secure solution to the ongoing Air Traffic Management (ATM) modernisation program in Europe’s congested airspace.

SESAR Deployment Manager took part in the Digital Transport Days 2019 held in Helsinki, Finland, and spoke during the session: “Digitalisation of TEN-T: from research to deployment” on Wednesday 9 October between 9:00 and 10:30.

On Wednesday 2 October 2019, from 09:00 – 17:00 CET, SESAR Deployment Manager and the European Space Agency organised an event to update all ATM stakeholders on Iris, a solution for satellite-based air-ground communication for ATM; Iris represents a solid option as a complementary technology, both in terms of performance and fast operational availability. SESAR Deployment Manager remains objective and only co-organizes this event focused on Iris as being one of the possible options and within the scope of its mandate on Data Link Services and AF6.

SESAR Deployment Manager has launched a website focused on the implementation of Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) in Europe at https://ads-b-europe.eu/. The new website’s goal is to provide a frequently updated snapshot of the ADS-B deployment status in Europe and inform how it helps to achieve the Single European Sky goals and contributes to a safer and more sustainable air transport.

The European Court of Auditors (ECA) just published a report on the EU’s intervention in the deployment of SESAR. While the report acknowledges the EU-added value of common projects, the report also claims that EU funding in support of ATM (Air Traffic Management) modernisation was often not necessary. SESAR Deployment Manager’s work has been a pioneer initiative to put in place ATM research solutions and the rules governing the project have always included a review clause to adjust any shortcomings.

European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) plays a key role on the European scene for the development of standards for Aviation, including Air Traffic Management.

Air Traffic Management (ATM) modernisation projects overseen by SESAR Deployment Manager (SESAR DM) will deliver a cut of over 552,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of planting one million trees, by 2030, delegates heard at the SESAR: Delivering the Future of Aviation Together Conference in Bucharest, Romania, last week.

SESAR Deployment Manager was present at the World ATM Congress 2019 as a part of the Europe for Aviation team to deliver key messages on ATM modernisation.

The European GNSS Agency (GSA) and the SESAR Deployment Manager signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the World ATM Congress in Madrid on 13 March on future cooperation to modernise EU Air Traffic Management by leveraging Galileo and EGNOS.

SESAR Deployment Manager delivered a factsheet on SESAR deployment as well as a video on the benefits delivered to EU passengers.

Air traffic passengers across Europe are benefitting after the number of completed modernisation aviation projects being deployed by SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM) and supported by all operational stakeholders, reached the 100th milestone.

Since 2017, 35 stakeholders have been involved in Data Link Services (DLS) through 10 implementation projects, supported by 29 million euro public EU money. The results so far confirm SESAR Deployment Manager’s added value through a defragmented and well synchronised approach against years of fragmentation and diversity of baseline local scenarios: substantial increases of DLS performances, through an effective Multi-Frequency upgrade, are reported by the Network Manager.

On Wednesday 19 December 2018, the 2018 edition of the SESAR Deployment Programme was officially approved by the European Commission College in accordance with Articles 11 and 12 of Regulation (EU)409/2013.

On 19 December 2018, INEA and SESAR Deployment Manager signed the 2017 CEF Transport SESAR Call. This brings the partners deploying SESAR in Europe to 94. It brings 49 new ATM modernisation projects in 22 EU states for an investment of 458 million euro with 228 million euro of INEA support.

The aim of the SESAR Deployment Manager Annual Meeting is to provide stakeholders with an overview of status of the on-going Actions as well as share the processes including relevant roadmaps for the upcoming activities (e.g. 2019 ASR, etc.)

As first step related to the Action ”SESAR Deployment Programme implementation – 2017” the meeting provides the Action Beneficiaries with the overall information on the Action execution phase. The CEF Transport Call 2017 brings 49 new ATM modernisation projects, 58 partners implementing these projects, in 22 EU member states, 458 million euro of total investment and 228 million euro of EU support.

The European Commission (INEA) has just announced the CEF Coordination Committee Decision including the results regarding the Funding Objective 3.1, “Single European Sky – SESAR”. A total of 290,3 m euro of EU funding will be devoted to modernising European air traffic management. All in all, 14 projects under which the project “SESAR Deployment Programme implementation – 2017” – including no less than 49 implementation projects in one action submitted by SESAR Deployment Manager have been awarded.

The data of August 2018 provided by the Network Manager shows the lowest level of Provider Aborts (loss of connectivity between aircraft & ground) since the start of DLS implementation (4.4). DLS is well underway to reach the end target under the coordination of the SESAR Deployment Manager as the Data Link Implementation Project Manager.

With this cooperation agreement, SESAR Deployment Manager and EUROCONTROL join forces in areas such as project coordination/management, global interoperability, cost-effectiveness/cost-benefit analyses, performance assessment, and the identification of innovative financing mechanisms.

SESAR Deployment Manager has received a boost after all 19 members of the SESAR Deployment Alliance, representing airports, airlines, and air navigation providers, signed a joint letter developing proposals for optimizing SDM role and calling for an extension of SDA in SDM’s role beyond its current mandate ending in 2020.

SESAR Deployment Manager and the European Space Agency (ESA) have today signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) marking the start of the collaboration between both organisations. The MoC will see both organisations coordinate over the deployment of the satellite-based communication system (Iris) and SESAR Deployment in Europe.

The objective of the workshop on the implementation of the SPI Implementing Regulation is to present and discuss the result of EASA’s rulemaking group RMT.0679 and to present and discuss the status of deployment and integration of ADS-B ground stations in the RDP/FDP ground systems, and status of aircraft equipage.

During the session on Aviation “Building tomorrow’s innovative air traffic system” held at TENT-T days today in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the Director-General of DG Move Mr Henrik Hololei stated that ‘it is hard to find a better success story of EU industry & public institution cooperation when you know SESAR’. In his closing notes he also mentioned that putting the industry in the driving seat of SESAR deployment has been the right decision.

SESAR attended the Ten-T Days in Ljubljana in Slovenia. SESAR Deployment Manager and SESAR Joint Undertaking were represented in a SESAR stand under the umbrella of the EC and showcasing the interactive SESAR tool. Furthermore, SESAR is organising a session on Aviation: “Building tomorrow’s innovative air traffic system” on Wednesday 25 April from 11:15 – 13:00.

The Application “SESAR Deployment Programme implementation – 2017” has been successfully submitted in response to the 2017 CEF Transport call for proposals on 5 April 2018, before the INEA deadline set on 12th of April. The Application integrates a total of 55 PCP related implementation projects (60 IPs when split with multiple co-funding rates) for a potential total investment of € 592,451,563 (€ 274,618,011.80 of CEF funding) and the involvement of 59 applicants under the coordination of SDM.

The airline Ryanair officially joins the SESAR Deployment Alliance as the 19th member.

SESAR: from innovation to deployment The visitors of the World ATM Congress 2018 got a taste of the transformation that is underway in air traffic management thanks to SESAR stakeholders through a series of walking tours. This was the opportunity to meet with experts from the SESAR community and see first-hand the wide variety of solutions that are being delivered and deployed across Europe.

The SESAR Deployment Manager received a mandate from the European Commission’s DG MOVE to act as a Data Link Services (DLS) Implementation Project Manager. In just 15 months, SDM was able to fulfill this role successfully. In accordance to the DLS Recovery Plan, the SDM and all partners succeeded in achieving substantial progress of the deployment of the DLS transitional solution through a harmonized approach.

The Romanian ANSP ROMATSA and the Hungarian ANSP HungaroControl officially became members of the SESAR Deployment Alliance in January 2018.

Nicolas Warinsko was appointed as General Manager to lead the SESAR Deployment Alliance (SDA), in its role as the SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM) on behalf of the European Commission from 1 January 2018.

The 2016 CEF Call – Kick Off meeting to successfully launch the Action Execution Phase provided Action Beneficiaries with the overall information on the Action execution phase, including two focus groups on monitoring process and financial management of the Action as the first official step after the signature of the SGA related to the Actions No: 2016-EU-TM-0117-M and 2016-EU-TM-0113-M

On 17 November 2017, the website www.datalinkservices.eu was launched. The website aims to be your single point of reference for all info on Data Link Services implementation in Europe. The information presented on the website is the result of joint activities of all official DLS partners and is updated regularly.

The SESAR Deployment Manager held its Annual Meeting one year after the Kick-off meeting of the Action for an update on the overall progress of the Action together with the next steps.

European Commissioner for Transport and Mobility Violeta Bulc launched 15 projects co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility programme (CEF) at the Digital Transport Days 2017 in Tallinn. The projects are expected to develop digital solutions and upgrade the European rail, road, maritime and air transport network.

The European Commission (EC) proposed to allocate 2.7 billion euro investment in 152 projects, including projects in the Funding Objective 3.3.1, Single European Sky – SESAR. Selected projects will contribute to modernising rail lines, removing bottlenecks and improving cross-border connections, installing alternative fuel supply points, as well as implementing innovative traffic management solutions.

The European Commission has mandated SESAR Deployment Manager and SESAR Joint Undertaking respectively to review progress in modernising European air traffic management and to prepare for the next wave of technology implementation.

SESAR Deployment Manager formally delivered the SESAR Deployment Programme edition 2017 to the Directorate General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission (DG MOVE) on 31 May 2017.

To successfully manage the synchronised and coordinated implementation of Air Traffic Management Modernisation in Europe, SESAR Deployment Manager engages with a wide range of stakeholders within the aviation community. A step further is taken with the implementation of Memoranda of Understanding with all the Manufacturers having expressed their interest to cooperate with SESAR Deployment Manager as a result of the call published in March 2016.

The Network Manager the SESAR Deployment Manager have signed a Cooperative Arrangement in the presence of Mr. Henrik Hololei, Director General of DG Move. This agreement formalises the strong cooperation that has been taking place between the two organisations since early 2015.

“Partnering for excellence in global aviation” is the theme of the activities taking place at the SESAR stand and theatre during the World ATM Congress. SESAR and its support of the Single European Sky is recognised in the EU Aviation Strategy as key to boosting Europe’s economy and secure its leading role in international aviation.

On 27 February INEA organized an Info Day providing all details on the 2017 CEF Transport Blending Call for Proposals launched on 8 February. SESAR Deployment Manager is the project coordinator for all project proposals falling under category 1 Common Projects within Funding objective Single European Sky – SESAR within this particular Call.

The purpose of this publication is to provide a high-level summary of the current state of progress towards achieving the necessary level of harmonisation and global interoperability between NextGen and SESAR.

On 16/03/2016, the SESAR Deployment Manager launched a Call for Expression of Interest to the Manufacturing Industry. 20 ATM-related manufacturers expressed their interest to cooperate with SESAR Deployment Manager within the deadline. In December 2016, SESAR Deployment Manager and 20 members of the Manufacturing Industry signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen Air Traffic Management modernisation.

As the first official step after the signature of the SGA related to the Action n° 2015-EU-TM-0196-M the meeting provides Action Beneficiaries with the overall information on the Action execution phase, including two focus groups on the monitoring process and financial management of the Action.

As the first official step after the signature of the SGA related to the Action n° 2015-EU-TM-0197-M the meeting provides Action Beneficiaries with the overall information on the Action execution phase, including two focus groups on the monitoring process and financial management of the Action.

As the first official step after the signature of the SGA related to the Action n° 2015-EU-TM-0193-M the meeting provides Action Beneficiaries with the overall information on the Action execution phase, including two focus groups on the monitoring process and financial management of the Action.

SDM spoke about the indispensable dialogue between the European decision-makers and the high-level industrial stakeholders in order to prepare the future of the European aeronautics industry

The SESAR Deployment Manager organised the “DP Implementation – Call CEF 2014” Annual Meeting in 2016, one year after the Kick-off meeting of the Action, for an update on the overall progress of the Action together with the next steps.

SESAR Deployment Manager has been mandated by the European Commission to act as Data Link Services Implementation Project Manager.

The Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) launched the “2016 CEF Transport Calls for Proposals” on 13th October, which includes a budget of 400 million euro to support SESAR deployment. The amount is split into a general (300 million euro) and a cohesion (100 million) envelope. Indicatively, 80% of the funding available under Priority “Single European Sky – SESAR” will be dedicated to Pilot Common Project (PCP) implementation under SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM) coordination.

The SESAR Deployment Programme 2016 is available on our website, after having been delivered to the European Commission for approval. The high-level "SWIM Action plan" was also delivered as a part of the Deployment Programme.

The TEN-T Days 2016 featured a dedicated “Investors Conference” on how to boost funding and financing in transport infrastructure. Both SESAR Joint Undertaking and SESAR Deployment Manager welcomed visitors on the SESAR stand.

SESAR Deployment Management and the Federal Aviation Administration established an Action Plan promoting global interoperability with respect to deployment, followed by technical workshops on Data Link and SWIM implementation.

SDM delivered the “Deployment Programme 2016 Intermediate Draft” and “Financing Mechanisms Report Intermediate Draft” to its Stakeholder Consultation Platform (SCP). A draft selection decision on the results of the 2015 CEF Transport Calls for Proposals was received with 145 implementing projects awarded.

In order to facilitate the industrialisation processes related to the products necessary for the deployment of ATM functionalities and to ensure the timely availability of standards and products according to the Deployment Programme, the SESAR Deployment Manager sought the assistance of ATM Manufacturers and launched a Call for Expression of Interests to conclude Cooperative Arrangements with relevant ATM Manufacturers.

SESAR Deployment Manager submitted 3 clusters successfully to the 2015 CEF Transport Calls

2016 was an exciting year for SESAR as the Deployment Manager is up and running and the Joint Undertaking prepares a new wave of research and innovation (R&I) projects within the framework of SESAR 2020. The 2016 World ATM Congress in Madrid was a perfect opportunity for all our ATM stakeholders to find out more about these stimulating developments.

SESAR Deployment Manager kicked off with some key figures on deployment at the World ATM Congress. The activities performed by the Implementing Partners, within the respective projects, led to the achievement of actual results which are expected to bring tangible benefits to the aviation sector and, in general, to the community.

The SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM) and the European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation. The MoC provides the principles and sets a framework for efficient cooperation and communication between the SDM and EUROCAE with regard to SESAR deployment, in light of Regulation 409/2013.

The Vice-President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Pim van Ballekom and Managing Director of the SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM) Massimo Garbini signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to reinforce and expand cooperation between the two organisations. In view of the focus on Air Traffic Management (ATM) modernisation shared by the European Commission, the EIB and the SDM are working together to offer a range of financial products to the industry.

SESAR participated in the ACI Airport Exchange in Istanbul from 8-10 December in the Operation and Safety conference, with an opening keynote from Massimo Garbini, Managing Director of the SESAR Deployment Manager, and hosted a dedicated SESAR workshop and an Exhibition stand in area F75. The objective of SESAR participation at ACI Airport Exchange was to communicate and raise awareness on how SESAR can improve the capacity, efficiency, safety and environmental gains in all sizes of airports. Demonstrating that connecting airports to European network operations can bring tangible benefits to European airport management is the key message of SESAR.

This workshop was dedicated to all stakeholders involved in the preparation of proposals to the CEF 2015 Transport Call under the category “Common Projects” of the priority “Single European Sky – SESAR” and gave an intermediate update and feedback on all projects received and their clustering by SDM for submission.

The STAR tool replaced the temporary Online Consultation Platform to enable SESAR Deployment Manager and its stakeholders to share, consult and comment on documents on a secured platform.

SESAR Deployment Manager surveyed the European Air Traffic Management industry on their intentions to submit Pilot Common Project-related projects in the upcoming CEF Transport Calls for Proposals 2015. Close to 400 potential projects were put forward to SDM. Judging by the big success of this exercise, operational stakeholders are ready to invest in ATM modernisation.

This event gave a sneak preview on the 2015 CEF Transport Calls for Proposals launched at the beginning of November to ensure dedicated support for all stakeholders.

SESAR Deployment Manager formally delivered the final version of the SESAR Deployment Programme 2015 (DP 2015) for approval to the Directorate General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission (DG MOVE).

The European Commission has granted 329 million euros in co-funding to Air Traffic Management projects around Europe as a result of the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) CEF Transport Call 2014.

Jorge Domecq, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency (EDA), and Massimo Garbini, Managing Director of the SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Its purpose is to establish efficient cooperation and support between the two organisations with regard to SESAR deployment.

Massimo Garbini, Managing Director of SESAR Deployment Manager, formally delivered the first SESAR Deployment Programme to the Directorate General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission (DG MOVE). This is a significant milestone, a move from the research and development phase, to the modernisation of European Air Traffic Management technology.

The 1st Steering Group Meeting of the Stakeholders Consultation Platform took place on Wednesday 22 April 2016. The Stakeholders Consultation Platform ensures the buy-in of the stakeholders into the Pilot Common Project.

The Preliminary Deployment Programme v1 (PDP v1) has been unanimously endorsed by the Supervisory Board (SB) of the SESAR Deployment Alliance acting as the SESAR Deployment Manager and delivered to the European Commission on 31st March 2015 for information.

The E-news is a digital newsletter sent by SESAR Deployment Manager to inform all its stakeholders on a regular basis.

The SESAR Joint Undertaking and the SESAR Deployment Manager have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. This agreement provides a platform on which to build cooperation for the smooth and timely delivery and deployment of SESAR Solutions to the ATM community.

SESAR Deployment Manager attended the World ATM Congress 2015 alongside SESAR Joint Undertaking to deliver workshops to visitors on the SESAR initiative and ATM modernisation.

The SESAR Deployment Manager Welcome Event delivered a first warm welcome to all stakeholders. SESAR Deployment aims to achieve ATM modernisation to ensure Europe’s aviation industry and economy are able to grow, safely and sustainably.