On 25 March 2015, João Aguiar Machado, the European Commission’s Director-General for Mobility and Transport and Chair of Administrative Board of the SESAR Joint Undertaking, had the opportunity of seeing SESAR first hand aboard the flight deck of a British Airways’ flight and at London Heathrow Airport.

Before take-off, Mr Aguiar Machado was greeted by British Airways’ Captain Neil Crawley and joined the crew in the jump-seat of the Airbus 320 cockpit. During the 45-minute trip to London, Mr Aguiar Machado had a chance to see the challenges facing ATM actors - such as the 13 different frequency changes by the crew gate-to-gate. This clearly demonstrated the need for enhanced automation through e.g. data link.

On landing at London Heathrow, Mr Aguiar Machado visited the recently-opened SESAR Airport Operations Centre (APOC) observing the efficiencies gained through having representatives from key airports stakeholders under the same roof. His visit also coincided with the start of the NATS Time-Based Separation trials - a SESAR Solution which allows the busiest dual-runway airport in Europe to sustain its high capacity during strong winds.

Visits to the Heathrow Tower also allowed for introduction to the use of Extended Arrival Manager (E-AMAN) and Performance Based Navigation (PBN) in congested airports and complex airspace, such as the London terminal area.