April saw the EUROCONTROL Network Manager launch the first A-CDM Coordination and Harmonization Working Group (A-CDM CHWG), which met for the first time on 11 April at EUROCONTROL’s Brussels HQ, bringing together representatives covering the whole spectrum of A-CDM stakeholders - air traffic control, airport operators, aircraft operators, ground handlers, slot coordinators and the EUROCONTROL Network Manager.
Collaborative decision-making helps NM by improving network predictability and reducing delays. The Group provides an exchange forum for the European A-CDM community to share experience and best practices regarding A-CDM implementation. With 32 airports represented and more than 80 members, this group is the biggest of its kind in Europe, drawing additionally on consolidated and coordinated inputs from the airline community via the participation of IATA’s Airline A-CDM Coordination Group (AACG).
Besides facilitating open discussions and promoting collaboration, the Group’s mission is to identify and agree where needed additional or refined harmonized procedures, processes and best practices to complement the existing ones, to be used by stakeholders in the implementation of A-CDM. Among the topics addressed were harmonizing the start-up procedure, streamlining the A-CDM information airports share with NM, clarifying the relation between this information and the flight plan data, and developing a EUROCONTROL A-CDM Specification.