European industry group the Air Traffic Alliance (ATA), formed to meet the challenges and opportunities created by the Single European Sky (SES), successfully lobbied the European Commission in March for involvement in the SES project as a stakeholder group. Founded by Airbus, EADS and Thales, and now joined by AMS Technologies, BAE Systems and INDRA, the ATA is working with Boeing Air Traffic Management and the US Federal Aviation Administration to try to ensure the beginning of global air traffic management (ATM) systems interoperability as both sides of the Atlantic prepare long-term ATM strategies. The ATA has won Eurocontrol funding for the research and technology needed to implement both medium- and long-term agency strategy enabling the SES goals, and calls the project Sesam. ATA vice-president strategy and communications Dr Soeren Fischer says Sesam is the project to define, to about 2020, "where we want to go, how we want it to operate, and the transition - how we get there".
Source: Flight International
