EUROCONTROL - European Organization for the safety of air navigation
EUROCONTROL - European Organization for the safety of air navigation
03/19/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 03/19/2024 11:41
Airspace World 2024 ATM Awards: DFS & EUROCONTROL joint iFMP project is the runner-up in the “Reimagining ATM Operations” category
Today's Airspace World 2024 ATM Awards saw iFMP - integrated flow management position - finish runners-up in the Reimagining ATM Operations category.
A joint integration project between German air navigation service provider DFS and EUROCONTROL's Maastricht Upper Area Control (MUAC), iFMP has been commonly deployed at Karlsruhe and Maastricht Upper Area Control Centres (KUAC and MUAC respectively).
Developed by EUROCONTROL and successfully used at MUAC since 2016, iFMP is an air traffic flow and capacity management decision-making tool which offers significant benefits to airspace users. It provides them with traffic predictions up to six hours in advance, as well as sector configuration management, complexity and airspace management, and enables full digital data exchange between air navigation service providers and the EUROCONTROL Network Manager (NM).
The joint project between MUAC and KUAC to implement iFMP at KUAC was kicked off in January 2022 and iFMP was put into operation on 27 April 2023.
"The common iFMP integration at Maastricht and Karlsruhe upper area control centres is a key milestone in the framework of the MAKAN cooperation agreement which we signed with our partner DFS in 2022 and goes a long way towards supporting seamless and efficient air traffic services over one of Europe's busiest and most complex airspace areas"
John SanturbanoDirectorEUROCONTROL MUACBy using iFMP as an integrated flow and capacity management tool, both partners are making the most out of their scarce resources - personnel and airspace. The tool supports a seamless and more precise traffic planning and prediction - which is valuable for the entire traffic management in the cross-border airspace between the two upper area control centres in the heart of Europe. The use of iFMP has significantly improved the efficiency of the ATS service provided.
A retrospective review of the first utilisation phase of iFMP was carried out at KUAC at the end of 2023. A comparison of before and after the introduction of iFMP (2023 vs. 2022) shows significant improvements. Despite the increase in traffic due to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and upcoming summer traffic, the delay (capacity/staffing) was significantly reduced (over 30 percent) in 2023 and the average number of regulations per day was reduced by 12 at KUAC.
About MUAC
Operated by EUROCONTROL on behalf of four States, EUROCONTROL's Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) is the only multinational air navigation service provider in Europe. It provides civil and military cross-border air traffic control in the upper airspace of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and north-west Germany (from 7.5 km or 24,500 feet). Some 1.7 million flights pass through MUAC's area of responsibility each year, making it the third busiest air traffic control facility in Europe in terms of traffic volume. During the summer, peak days see over 5,700 flights. MUAC's international area of responsibility is a perfect example of the simplification and harmonisation of airspace in Europe and is fully in line with the objectives of the Single European Sky. As a tangible example of a successful multinational project and a working demonstration of a functional airspace block, MUAC offers considerable benefits to aircraft operators, its Member States, the European network and aviation as a whole.
More information on the website www.eurocontrol.int/muac
About DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung
DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, the German air navigation service provider, is a State-owned company under private law with 5,600 employees as at 31 December 2022. DFS ensures the safe and punctual flow of air traffic over Germany. Around 2,200 air traffic controllers guide more than three million flights through German airspace in peak years, up to 10,000 every day. The company operates control centres in Bremen, Karlsruhe, Langen and Munich as well as control towers at the 15 designated international airports in Germany. The subsidiary, DFS Aviation Services GmbH, markets and sells products and services related to air navigation services, and provides air traffic control at nine regional airports in Germany and at Edinburgh Airport in the United Kingdom. DFS is working on the integration of drones into air traffic and has set up a joint venture, Droniq GmbH, with Deutsche Telekom. Other subsidiaries include R. Eisenschmidt GmbH, which markets publications and products for general aviation, and Kaufbeuren ATM Training GmbH (KAT), which provides training for military air traffic services personnel. The joint venture FCS Flight Calibration Services GmbH offers flight inspection services.
More information on the website www.dfs.de