Three outstanding SESAR projects have been recognised at the Digital European Sky Awards 2026, celebrating excellence in research, innovation and operational demonstrations. The HERON project emerged as the big winner of the ceremony, taking home both the Demonstrators Award and the People's Choice Award.
The winners were announced on 12 October during the SESAR Joint Undertaking Annual Conference in Brussels, bringing together Europe's aviation community to recognise the projects and people turning the vision of a Digital European Sky into reality.
From artificial intelligence supporting air traffic controllers to more predictable flight trajectories and greener aircraft operations, this year's winners reflect the breadth of innovation taking place across the SESAR programme and its potential to deliver tangible benefits for European aviation.
Following an evaluation by a jury representing stakeholders from across the aviation and research community, awards were presented in three categories: exploratory research, industrial research, and demonstrators. A fourth award, the People's Choice Award, was decided by conference participants through a live audience vote.
The Digital European Sky Awards celebrate not only technological achievements, but also the collaboration, expertise and dedication of the teams working to modernise Europe's air traffic management system.
Exploratory Research Award: ORCI – Optimised Runway Centreline Interception
The ORCI project received the Exploratory Research Award for its innovative approach to improving aircraft arrival management using artificial intelligence.
The project, coordinated by ISA software, is developing an AI-based decision-support tool to help air traffic controllers determine the optimal moment to issue vectoring instructions to arriving aircraft. By providing more accurate information on aircraft spacing during final approach, the solution aims to improve runway throughput, reduce controller workload and enable more efficient arrival operations.
The research demonstrates the potential of AI to support controllers in increasingly complex and busy airspace environments, while contributing to improved capacity, operational efficiency and environmental performance.
ORCI was shortlisted alongside ASTRA and E-CONTRAIL.
Industrial Research Award: ATC-TBO – Advancing trajectory-based operations
The ATC-TBO project took home the Industrial Research Award for its work on advancing trajectory-based operations, a cornerstone of the future European air traffic management system.
Coordinated by EUROCONTROL, the project brings together a broad consortium of air navigation service providers, research organisations and airspace users to develop and validate solutions enabling more predictable and efficient flight trajectories.
By improving the exchange of trajectory information between aircraft and the ground, and enhancing conflict detection and resolution capabilities, ATC-TBO supports more efficient climb and descent operations, with fewer tactical interventions and unnecessary level-offs.
The project's work is helping to pave the way for more predictable flights, reduced fuel consumption and emissions, and improved air traffic management performance across Europe.
ATC-TBO was selected from a shortlist that also included FASTNet and HARMONIC.
Demonstrators Award: HERON – Highly Efficient Green Operations
The HERON project was recognised with the Demonstrators Award for its contribution to making aviation operations more environmentally sustainable.
Led by Airbus, HERON brought together aviation stakeholders from across Europe to demonstrate how existing and emerging technologies can reduce the environmental footprint of air transport, both in the air and on the ground.
Through 23 large-scale demonstrations, the project explored a wide range of operational improvements, from more efficient flight trajectories and greener descent procedures to single-engine taxiing, hybrid towing vehicles and improved airport surface operations.
The demonstrations have shown how closer collaboration, better use of flight data and innovative operational procedures can help reduce fuel consumption, CO₂ emissions and noise while maintaining or improving operational efficiency.
HERON was shortlisted alongside ÉALÚ-AER and U-ELCOME.
People's Choice Award: HERON wins over the audience
It was a double celebration for HERON, which also received the People's Choice Award, voted for live by participants at the SESAR JU Annual Conference.
All nine shortlisted projects competed for the award, giving the audience an opportunity to recognise the innovation and achievements they found most compelling.
HERON's second win provided a fitting recognition of its extensive demonstration activities and the importance of bringing sustainable aviation solutions closer to operational implementation.
Congratulations to ORCI, ATC-TBO and HERON, and to all nine shortlisted projects, for their outstanding contributions to the Digital European Sky.