BRENDAN GALLAGHER
Three European companies have announced the creation of Air Traffic Alliance (ATA) – and they have ambitions far beyond the boundaries of Europe.
"We are open to partners from the USA," says Airbus chief executive Nöel Forgeard. "Any solution must be interoperable worldwide." His view was echoed by Thales chief executive Denis Ranque: "Our long-term aim is similar to Boeing's with its ATM programme. The ultimate goal must be discussions with Boeing, but first we had to create a European grouping that they could talk to."
Movements
John Hughes, Thales chief operating officer for aerospace and information technology, says ATA was designed to create an air traffic management system capable of coping with a projected tripling in air traffic movements by 2020. "The challenge is to handle this level of traffic with minimum delays and constraints for the passengers while maximising safety and security."
Hughes says the alliance was not so much concerned with brand-new technology as with putting together existing systems so that they would work together to increase safety and delays.
"We're trying to create an ecosystem of companies to advance air traffic management," he says. "The aim is to put an end to airframe manufacturers producing aircraft and systems that are not synchronised with emerging ATM developments, and vice-versa. The key will be globally accepted standards to ensure worldwide interoperability."
The work of ATA will be based initially on a co-located team with a Thales core and additional resources from the other two partners. It will focus in the short term on data communications between pilots and controllers, improved surveillance measures to continuously deliver real-time information on aircraft trajectories to the ground, and new navaids such as satellite-aided landing systems supported by ground-based augmentation.
Large-scale concept validation work could begin as early as next year, according to the partners, and continue to 2006. It would call for trials based on 50-100 in-service aircraft and three or four upgraded ATC centres and airports.
The longer-term aim is to work towards an integrated R&D policy ensuring that all ATM systems work together and are synchronised with aircraft developments. "We seek worldwide interoperability – it's no use being European-only," said Hughes. "We are going to invite in other European partners soon, and will then open up to companies from elsewhere to build a community that plans its products in a cohesive fashion."
ATA's longer-term timetable sees a high degree of air and ground integration by 2010, with full integration by 2018.
Management
Technologies to be emphasised include aircraft separation assurance by ADS-Broadcast, en route satellite navigation based on augmented GPS and Galileo, co-operative flight-data processing and traffic flow-control systems, and integrated airport surface management.
The alliance is also looking to dismantle today's compartmentalisation of companies into airframe manufacturers and ATM authorities, service providers and equipment manufacturers and move towards truly integrated ATM development, Hughes says.
Source: Flight Daily News
