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BADA, ATM’s most comprehensive aircraft performance model, just got even better

At EUROCONTROL, we just improved the Base of Aircraft Data (BADA) - our aircraft performance database, which serves both research and operations.

Developed and maintained by EUROCONTROL, with active cooperation from aircraft manufacturers and operating airlines, our updated BADA Family 3 allows users realistically to reproduce in-flight aircraft behaviour for virtually all aircraft types operated in the ECAC area. And if users need highly precise data for modelling and simulating advanced systems and future concepts, BADA Family 4 currently covers 80% of air traffic. And we’ve now added a brand-new BADA category, Family H, dedicated to helicopters.

BADA is the most comprehensive aircraft performance model in the ATM world, used by more than 1,000 users from the aviation industry worldwide.

“We are proud to announce the largest ever update to the BADA Family 3. BADA is the international reference for aircraft performance modelling, and we do everything to provide the highest possible value to our international user community by not only constantly updating it with new models but also responding to changing user needs and requirements.”

Angela Nuić Simulation & Validation Infrastructure team EUROCONTROL

BADA Family 3 now contains 250 original aircraft models, while 1,159 additional aircraft types are covered by so-called synonyms.

The new BADA Family H is dedicated to rotoraircraft. Since the flight dynamics of helicopters are fundamentally different from those of airplanes, we have over several years of research and development developed a specific theoretical model accompanied by a dataset containing parameters for 20 helicopter models.

"The initial release of BADA Family H is just a start: we are looking forward to the feedback from the user community to further validate and improve this model.”

Vincent Mouillet BADA technical lead EUROCONTROL

BADA is also an important enabler of smooth operations of the EUROCONTROL Network Manager’s systems.

“The updated version of BADA will help us improve the accuracy of 4D flight profiles, which are the basis of all NM activities needed to perform ATFCM. Among all the parameters that are taken into consideration to compute a flight profile, precise information on aircraft performance is crucial. This is necessary to create an accurate picture of all traffic, based on around 32,000 flight plans a day.

The EUROCONTROL NM is certainly one of the most demanding customers of BADA because of its specific operations business. For the last 20 years, we have been relying on the BADA team’s expertise and proactivity to provide us with advanced up-to-date data to the benefit of all our partners.”

Thibaud Hadey EUROCONTROL’s Directorate Network Management

Access to BADA is facilitated through a web licencing platform enabling efficient processing of licence requests.

Find out more about BADA

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