The members of the Administrative Board of the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU) have formally approved the 2015 edition of the European ATM Master Plan - the main planning tool for air traffic management (ATM) modernisation in Europe. The latest edition presents the SESAR vision of ATM - a critical element in the future air transport system - and details the development and deployment activities necessary to achieve this vision between now and 2035. The plan follows the recent adoption by the European Commission of a new aviation strategy, giving fresh impetus to the competitiveness of this important industry for Europe.
Set within the framework of the Single European Sky (SES), the Master Plan is the main European planning tool for defining ATM modernisation priorities and ensuring SESAR Solutions become a reality. Both pragmatic and ambitious in its design, the Plan provides a high-level view of what is needed in order to deliver a high-performing aviation system for Europe. It also sets the framework for the related development and deployment activities, thereby ensuring that all phases of the SESAR lifecycle remain connected.
Built over a period of 12 months in strong collaboration with the SESAR JU founding members and all aviation stakeholders, this latest edition provides a comprehensive vision of the future ATM system, which sees increased levels of automation, digitisation and virtualisation and the management of the entire flight end-to-end. In doing so, the vision promises a system which will be more customer-centric, intelligent, agile and responsive to meet future aviation performance requirements in areas such as safety, security, environment, cost efficiency and capacity.
Deployment synchronisation of critical changes is also reflected in the Plan, ensuring convergence of timelines across stakeholders. Through this collaborative and holistic approach to planning and reporting, European stakeholders have demonstrated once again their commitment to lead the way in the global ATM and aviation market. In this global arena, the plan will remain instrumental for aligning priorities and planning across world regions to ensure harmonisation and interoperability.
“This latest edition of the Master Plan is an important milestone in European and global ATM modernisation. With a clear vision and common roadmap, the plan succeeds in connecting performance and technology, thereby offering stakeholder an important tool for preparing their future investment decisions,” says Henrik Hololei, Director-General, DG MOVE, and Chair of the SJU Administrative Board.