The political will to develop and harmonise air traffic management (ATM) systems either side of the Atlantic was formally signalled on 19 July at Farnborough, when European Commission vice-president Jacques Barrot and US Federal Aviation Administration administrator Marion Blakey signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). This commits both governments to develop - respectively - the Single European Sky (SESAR) programme and Next Generation Air Transport System (NGATS) compatibly both in terms of systems interfaces and the rate at which they progress.
Eurocontrol senior director Jean-Jacques Sauvage says that, although Eurocontrol and the FAA signed a technical co-operation agreement in September 2004 and have met twice a year since, the MoU signals a major change for Europe. He says: "US industry has been allowed to participate at Eurocontrol forums, but European industry was excluded from US [NGATS] forums."
Blakey says: "As the FAA moves forward with its aggressive air traffic modernisation efforts, it's vital that we co-ordinate with our global partners. This memorandum provides the framework for a more seamless, performance-based air transport system in the USA and Europe."
The European Union has a similar agreement with Russia to ensure systems interface and compatible progress.
Source: Flight International
