Strategy and development
The ATM Network Manager function was created by the European Commission in 2011 to optimize the performance of the aviation network in Europe.
EU Regulation No 677/2011 of 7 July 2011 - amended by EU Regulation No 970/2014 of 12 September 2014 - lays down detailed rules for the implementation of air traffic management (ATM) network functions in accordance with Article 6 of Regulation (EC) No 551/2004 in order to allow optimum use of airspace in the single European sky and ensure that airspace users can operate preferred trajectories, while allowing maximum access to airspaces and air navigation services.
Coordination of the various functions of the network, development of consistent optimisation solutions, ensuring the required level of performance is a ‘service of general interest’ that will contribute to the sustainable development of the air transport system in Europe. The need to coordinate these activities and to perform them by a single body materialized with the creation of the Network Manager function.
Besides the binding legal acts governing the network management functions and tasks of all actors involved, the NM needs to develop the tools to execute those functions and tasks and accomplish the Strategic Objectives as defined in the Network Strategy Plan.
Among the contributors are the Network Strategic Projects. They are the main operational and technical evolutions led by the NM. They include network-wide deployment of those technological developments and operational procedures in the course of a Reporting Period. The Projects planned to date fall into seven areas: information systems, airspace, capacity, ATFM, airports, safety, and CNS optimisation.
The Network Strategic Projects are:
Flight Efficiency Initiative more | |
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Description |
Objectives & benefits The FEI also contributes to a strategic and continuous improvement of the airline operators’ route catalogue; the filing of flight plans is continuously improved.
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Free Route Airspace more | |
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Airspace Management and Advanced FUA | |
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Description
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Airport and TMA Network Integration | |
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Description
The implementation of airport operations centres at the largest airports facilitates coordinated planning as well as improving data exchange and coordination between NM and airports. |
Objectives & benefits Better coordination will allow us to organise and plan operations in an optimum manner and avoid as far as possible the application of ATFM measures – especially through Cooperative Traffic Management procedures – so helping to reduce overall delays. Implementation of traffic management tools and improved navigation performance will make for better traffic flows, bringing efficiency improvements and strengthening better management of environmental impact. |
Cooperative Traffic Management more | |
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Description Cooperative Traffic Management is the collaborative process of determining and implementing optimal solutions for network operations through continuous information-sharing of individual and local preferences, in both the planning and execution phases of ATM. The project addresses:
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Objectives & benefits The Cooperative Traffic Management (CTM) project aims at optimising the delivery of traffic for the best use of ATM resources and to further reduce the need for ATFCM regulation. |
Initial Trajectory Information Sharing | |
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Description FF-ICE will be used by the ATM Community as the basis on which ICAO’s Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS) will be developed in order to ensure that they will be implemented globally in a consistent way. It will therefore describe the ‘future flight plan’ in the global context, both in terms of format (FIXM) and procedure (SARPS). The project’s objective is to implement flight planning improvements in line with ICAO’s requirements and based on SESAR findings. As such, it will determine the European requirements and the resulting detailed deployment with regard to implementation in NM’s systems and services of the procedures and processes related to FF-ICE Phase 1, Extended Flight Plan and OAT flight plan integration and distribution. The European requirements are expected to encompass the requisite support for associated Stakeholder implementation in addition to filling the holes identified in a ‘gap’ analysis of operational requirements, which were not addressed by FPL2012 or have developed since the elaboration of FPL2012 changes in 2006-7. |
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European ATM Information Management System (EAIMS) | |
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Description In order to achieve these objectives, state-of-the-art services and supporting systems, compliant with the System Wide Information Management (SWIM) concepts, will be deployed. While implementing new generation systems, EAIMS will take the legacy systems into consideration so as to ensure a smooth migration and transition to the new service. |
Objectives & benefits EAIMS will deliver a consistent, accurate and up-to-date ATM data set. It will provide reliable access to this common source of pertinent information, with safety, operational and efficiency benefits. |
NM Ops service platform (n-CONECT) | |
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Network Business Intelligence | |
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Description The project’s objective is to strengthen network capabilities in terms of business and operational intelligence. The European ATM Network will be supported by system-wide information sharing of pre- and post-operations ATM information from all stakeholders. It will serve all users’ needs in these pre- and post-operations processes (e.g. forecasting and operations planning, deployment planning, performance reporting, regulatory monitoring). It will be stronger by being more consistent, better integrated, broader-based, more rapid and more widely shared. |
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NM Support to Network Safety Call Sign Similarity Tool (CSST) NM Strategic Project |
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Description CSST - Service Level 2 should deal with the de-confliction of multiple aircraft operators’ schedules by the CSMC. This is a more complex operation and there are a number of challenges that will need to be overcome before centrally coordinated solutions can be introduced. Maximise the number of airlines operating in the Network (to cover at least 90% of flights) and which use the Call Sign Similarity Tool Service Level 1; implement Service Level 2 by the end of RP2. |
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NM Support to Network Safety SKYbrary NM Strategic Project |
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Description SKYbrary provides coherent links from knowledge articles to direct behaviour-influencing applications like toolkits, e-learning modules, videos, posters, and presentations. The safety knowledge base adopts the concept of wiki-media products: anyone can comment, propose modifications to an existing article or submit a new one. However, a robust pre-publishing content control process ensures that quality, impartiality and consistency of stored safety data remains constant. The project’s objective is to have 4 million users annually on SKYbrary by the end of RP2 (up from 1.2 million today). |
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NM Support to Network Safety Safety Tools NM Strategic Project |
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Description
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Objectives & benefits The aim is to have the RAT tool in place over the entire network (the severity part of RAT tool is mandated in both RP1 and RP2 for RWY Incursions, Losses of Separation and ATM Specific Occurrences), and to have the other safety management tools (ASMT, eTOKAI and APF) used in 90% of ANSPs and FABs, by the end of RP2. Benefits There will be economies of scale in developing safety management tools but also in implementing and operating them (they are web platforms e.g. RAT can be accessed from NM server and saves every organisation that is using it). Harmonised tools will improve the process of defining the top five operational safety issues in the network and defining appropriate mitigation actions. The safety tools will help operational stakeholders achieve their own safety performance targets. |