A proposal setting out the priorities for the next phase of coordinated air traffic management (ATM) deployment across Europe was presented to the European Commission on 12 October in Brussels. Developed by stakeholders from across the European ATM community, led by the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU), the proposal identifies the technologies, services and operational improvements that need to be introduced in a synchronised way across Europe to help passengers and businesses benefit from more efficient, reliable and resilient air travel.
Known as Common Project 2 (CP2), the proposal comes at a time when Europe’s ATM system is facing growing pressures. Traffic growth, evolving security conditions and workforce constraints are placing increasing demands on capacity, resilience, sustainability and cost efficiency. It sets out where coordinated action at European level is needed to ensure that the different parts of the ATM system evolve together, avoiding fragmented deployment, misaligned timelines and delays to the benefits of modernisation.
The proposal, which was presented to Magda Kopczyńska, Director-General for Mobility and Transport at the European Commission, during the SESAR JU Annual Conference, is intended to guide the implementation of CP2 across the 27 EU Member States, with Norway and Switzerland also covered. It identifies the timeframe for deployment, running between 2028 through to 2040, with specific timelines for each of the proposed areas. The aim is to ensure that the technologies, services and procedures needed for modernisation are introduced in a coordinated way across Europe, rather than at different speeds or in isolation.
A cost-benefit analysis estimates that this next wave of deployment would result in approximately EUR 53.5 billion in benefits against EUR 9 billion in quantified investment and operating costs between 2028 and 2050. The benefits would come from fewer delays, more efficient flights and greater ATM productivity, delivering gains for passengers and airspace users while strengthening European aviation’s competitiveness.
The coordinated deployment supports the wider direction being set by the European Commission through its forthcoming EU Aviation and Aeronautics Strategy, helping translate our ambitions for a competitive, resilient and innovative European aviation sector into practical improvements in how people and businesses travel by air.
Seven areas for coordinated deployment
CP2 identifies seven ATM functionalities, corresponding to Strategic Deployment Objectives (SDOs) in the European ATM Master Plan – Europe’s roadmap for ATM modernisation:
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ATM Functionality A – Airport data services and integration with the network (SDO 2)
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ATM Functionality B – Dynamic airspace configuration (SDO 3)
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ATM Functionality C – Transformation to trajectory-based operations (TBO) (SDO 5)
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ATM Functionality D – Virtualisation of operations (SDO 6)
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ATM Functionality E – Enable innovative air mobility (IAM) and drone operations (SDO 10)
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ATM Functionality F – Transition towards high-performance air-ground connectivity (multilink) (SDO 7)
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ATM Functionality G – Service-oriented delivery model (data-driven and cloud-based) (SDO 8)
Together, these functionalities support more efficient trajectories, better use of airspace and operational resources, and greater flexibility in how air traffic services are provided. The proposal focuses on areas where network effects and interdependencies require stakeholders to move in a coordinated way.
The proposal builds on lessons from the first Common Project. One of these is that agreeing implementation obligations is not enough if the standards, certification provisions and industrial products needed to meet them are not available. CP2 therefore addresses both industrialisation and implementation, linking deployment obligations to clear prerequisites and readiness milestones.
“This proposal is an important step towards the next phase of coordinated deployment across Europe. It brings together the priorities identified by stakeholders across the European ATM community and provides a common direction for turning them into reality. It will give industry and operational stakeholders the confidence to invest, and ultimately deliver more efficient, reliable and resilient air travel for Europe. It also confirms that the ATM sector is able to transform research results into operational reality thanks to the support by the EU, which is also required for delivering the Common Project 2.” said Andreas Boschen, Executive Director, SESAR Joint Undertaking.
The European Commission is now expected to transform this proposal into an Implementing Regulation under the Single European Sky.