Brussels, 12 December 2024– A new roadmap, endorsed by the EU and industry, lays the groundwork to transform air traffic management (ATM) and deliver more efficient, resilient and sustainable air transport.

Air traffic management (ATM) is at a crossroads. As a shared and interconnected infrastructure, ATM is under pressure to adapt better to fluctuating traffic, staff shortages and a rapidly evolving security context. At the same time, climate change is adding to the urgency for ATM to accelerate its transition to cleaner, more sustainable operations. Against this pressing backdrop, the SESAR Joint Undertaking has today released the European ATM Master Plan 2025, the roadmap for modernising air traffic management and making Europe the most efficient and environmentally friendly sky to fly in the world by 2045.

Air transport supports millions of jobs, drives economic growth, and connects people and businesses across Europe. Its trans-regional nature and critical safety and security requirements demand high levels of coordination, harmonisation, and interoperability across all stakeholders and close civil-military cooperation. This means that no single country or organisation can develop and implement alone the digital ATM solutions envisioned in the Digital European Sky¹, which are key to reducing aviation emissions and delivering resilient and scalable air traffic services.

The result of extensive stakeholder collaboration, the ATM Master Plan 2025 provides important strategic direction for investments and regulatory decisions. The plan outlines 10 investment priorities for the next decade, supporting the twin transitions of digitalisation and sustainability. A major change is the adoption of a data-driven, cloud-based service-delivery model ² , enabling faster deployment of new features and better interoperability.

The plan also underscores the need for continued research and innovation, outlining 12 development activities that must be prioritised to help accommodate new users like drones and higher airspace operators, introduce higher levels of automation, and strengthen the security posture of ATM.

The transformation outlined in the plan holds significant value for the economy and society at large. A more efficient and reliable air transport system will enhance connectivity, boosting economic growth and development across the continent. It will also play a key role in the sector’s green transition. By 2040, there should be a return on investment of EUR 7 for every euro spent and up to 200 million tonnes of CO2 emissions will be saved. By 2050 those figures rise to EUR 17 for every euro spent, and up to 400 million tonnes of CO2 emissions saved - equivalent to nearly three years of Europe’s total aviation emissions.

Welcoming the plan, the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas said: "I envision transport leading Europe’s transition to a sustainable and competitive future, benefiting all Europeans. Aviation faces significant challenges, including security threats, increasing demand for flights, the urgent need to cut emissions, and inefficiencies in air traffic management. This new Master Plan is a united, forward-looking response, propelling the sector into the digital age while building a more resilient and efficient air transport network.”

Andreas Boschen, Executive Director, SESAR JU added: “Today marks the beginning of more focussed and urgent work on ATM modernisation. This roadmap is a game-changer. For the first time, it prioritises deployment objectives to guide investments and accelerate uptake. And in another first, it looks in detail at the remaining development priorities to achieve the Digital European Sky. We are aware of the challenges that lie ahead. To achieve our goal, we need a fit-for-purpose economic and technical regulatory framework, support for early movers, and the involvement of the entire ATM workforce in managing the transformation. The next ten years are crucial because without real progress, particularly on the service delivery model, the system will not cope with the expected traffic demands³. So, let’s seize this opportunity to move forward together with clarity and conviction, ensuring Europe becomes the most effective and environmentally friendly sky to fly in the world by 2045.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About SESAR Joint Undertaking
The SESAR 3 JU brings together the EU, Eurocontrol, and more than 50 organisations covering the entire aviation value chain, from airports, airspace users, air navigation service providers, drone operators and service providers, the manufacturing industry and the scientific community. The partnership also works closely with the regulatory and standardisation bodies, notably EASA and EUROCAE, as well as key stakeholders such as professional staff organisations, the space and military communities and global partners.

Find out more about the SESAR JU

About the European ATM Master Plan 2025

Set within the framework of the Single European Sky (SES), the Master Plan is the European planning tool for defining ATM modernisation priorities and ensuring the Digital European Sky becomes a reality. The Plan provides the strategic framework for development and deployment activities, ensuring that all phases of the SESAR lifecycle remain connected. Highlights from the 2025 edition include:

• The twin digital and green transitions are the central focus of the plan, which is structured around five technological levers for transformational change: trajectory-based operations, greater data volumes through better air–ground and ground–ground communication, higher levels of automation between the flight deck and the ground, human-machine teaming, and dynamic airspace.

• Until now, the ATM service delivery model has typically evolved every 10 to 20 years through major upgrades to the core ATM system. A new data-driven and cloud-based service-oriented architecture (SOA) delivery model will shift the focus from assets to services, enabling the quicker deployment of new features and improving interoperability across air navigation service providers and other stakeholders.

• Ten strategic deployment objectives (SDOs) address safety-critical features such as runway/taxiway incursions (SDO 1), environmental benefits for airports (SDO 2) and for all flights thanks to trajectory-based operations (SDO 5), improvements of capacity and scalability (SDOs 3, 4, 6 and 8) as well as the uptake of innovative air mobility (SDO 10). The transversal objectives related to air–ground connectivity (SDO 7) and to communication, navigation and surveillance (SDO 9) complete the selection.

• The final phase of the Digital European Sky is defined for the first time, by detailing 12 development priorities to address the following challenges: the vision of making Europe the most efficient and environmentally friendly sky to fly in the world; the further integration of innovative air mobility; the emergence of higher airspace operations; the integration of the next generation of aircraft for zero-/low-emission aviation by 2035; the new security context for ATM in Europe.

• It is estimated that every euro invested in deploying SESAR solutions will generate a return on investment of EUR 17 by 2050. Factoring in broader socioeconomic benefits, this figure rises to an impressive EUR 53 per euro invested by 2050.

• In terms of sustainability, implementing the plan could save up to 400 million tonnes of CO2 by 2050—equivalent to nearly three years of Europe’s total aviation emissions. Milestones include a reduction of 100 million tonnes by 2035 and 200 million tonnes by 2040, highlighting the plan’s critical role in aviation’s green transition.