The Fly4D consortium – led by Airbus with Cassidian, Honeywell, Lufthansa Systems and Sabre Airline Solutions– has been awarded a contract to perform SESAR sub-work package 11.1 (Flight and Wing Operations Centre). This challenging work addresses the definition, the development and the validation of Airspace User’s future flight planning and control systems and procedures in support of the SESAR ATM Target Concept. The selected consortium consists of world leaders in this domain, and will be working closely with the SESAR JU Members and overall the airspace user community on this critical topic. First validation results are already expected by the end of 2012. The contract is signed by EUROCONTROL on behalf of the SESAR Joint Undertaking.

Following contract award, a Global Kick-Off meeting for SWP11-1 was held at SJU premises on the 29th June. The meeting agreed the timings for the individual project initiations in SWP11.1. The first two operational projects will be kicked-off on 22nd August 2011, with the remaining projects kicked-off in late 2011/ early 2012. A key objective of the project initiation phase will be to achieve an effective integration of SWP 11-1 with the rest of SESAR.

Patrick KY, Executive Director of the SESAR Joint Undertaking commented: “We are the first in the world to start to integrate ATM future concepts with airlines operations. This is truly a breakthrough in our sector of activity.”