The need for European airports to become more operationally efficient is fundamental as forecasts show that passenger numbers across the continent will rise an average of 3.3% per annum to reach 3.9 billion by 2036. The project develops concepts, tools and procedures that increase the predictability and resilience of airport operations, improving the punctuality of flights in a safe and environmentally sustainable manner. The aim is to improve airport/network integration for large and medium/regional airports, improve airport airside/landside integration, reduce the impact of MET aspects on airport operations, make further investigations about how environmental aspects could be monitored and managed in day-to-day airport operations.

This is achieved through increasing the coordination between Airport and the Network, validating the concept of regional connected airports. On the airport side, the project has a focus on the airport hypervision concept, and how airport operations could be better predicted with anticipated impact, managed in a pro-active way and synchronised in various situations. This includes the development of performance and role-based dashboards as well as what-if, prediction and impact assessment tools. Here data-driven airport operations management and digital technologies are required enablers, as connected, data-based, intelligent toolboxes supporting all airport stakeholders must be developed.

To ensure that full benefits are achieved and that the expected performance improvements are realised in the context of overall ATM Network, close coordination was taken place with other projects, particularly those addressing network management, airport airside and runway throughput, enhanced arrivals and departures as well as the overall integration within the programme.