Airbus Acquires Metron Aviation

Airbus has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Metron Aviation, a leading provider of advanced Air Traffic Management (ATM) products and services for the global aviation industry. This acquisition strengthens Airbus’ strategy to accelerate and support ATM programs that will dramatically improve global air transportation capacity, efficiency and environmental sustainability. The transaction is subject… Continue reading Airbus Acquires Metron Aviation

What a way to run a railroad – the FAA is shutting down!

The writing has been on the wall for some time. Approval of the reauthorization bill (the all important act of Congress that ensures funding to the FAA) has been a convoluted process year after year and there have been a few near misses already. But this time they have done it! The FAA went into… Continue reading What a way to run a railroad – the FAA is shutting down!

Meet EDA – The Efficient Descent Advisor

You will have heard of Tailored Arrivals… they are nice and work well but they often also need to be broken off prematurely when conflicts between aircraft arise. Now here is a tool that pre-empts the conflicts and releases the full power of tailored arrivals. Meet EDA, the Efficient Descent Advisor being developed by NASA.… Continue reading Meet EDA – The Efficient Descent Advisor

Enhanced Surveillance of Aircraft and Vehicles – 2011 (ESAV '11)

Island of Capri, Italy 12-14 September 2011 Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems and airport systems are rapidly evolving to meet increased efficiency, safety, security, environmental and business demands. A deep evolution with radical changes of the current Air Traffic Management System is going on both in Europe, with the SESAR program, and in the USA… Continue reading Enhanced Surveillance of Aircraft and Vehicles – 2011 (ESAV '11)

Pioneering and progressing: Assessing the progress of SESAR with Florian Guillermet

The SESAR programme was launched on 3 June 2009. Now almost two years since its launch, It’s a good time to take stock of the status of the programme’s 300 projects, assess progress in the execution of the first SESAR release and the first project deliverables. In a short interview, Florian Guillermet, SESAR JU Chief… Continue reading Pioneering and progressing: Assessing the progress of SESAR with Florian Guillermet

When Titans speak

Mid-March Aviation Week published a double interview in which Canso director general Graham Lake and Air Traffic Control Association president/CEO Peter F. Dumont spoke their minds about air traffic management developments on both sides of the Atlantic. The interviews were refreshing and revealing. They both spoke about the prospects of SESAR and NextGen frankly and… Continue reading When Titans speak

Big brother in the sky

Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) is only now starting to make inroads as a surveillance means more accurate and cost-effective than traditional radar. With the ground infrastructure slowly being built, someone has already come up with a new idea: why not put the ADS-B receivers on satellites and start a surveillance service that covers… Continue reading Big brother in the sky

FAA Funds ADS-B for JetBlue

Low-cost carriers are not known for their willingness to pay for extra equipment that may be required to improve air traffic management. In this respect they are very much similar to their legacy brethren… Even when there is a clear business case, the mad rush to equip is usually conspicuous by its absence. There are… Continue reading FAA Funds ADS-B for JetBlue

Do you really understand – Trajectory based operations (TBO)?

There is a misconception in some air traffic management circles that trajectory based operations is simply business as usual except that the current, notoriously imprecise ground generated trajectories are replaced by more accurate, 4 D trajectories and that is all there is to it. Some will add that parts of this 4D trajectory might be… Continue reading Do you really understand – Trajectory based operations (TBO)?