Highlights

Short-term ATFCM measures: building on the local flow management process
Since the introduction of the Enhanced Tactical Flow Management System (ETFMS), traffic predictability has continuously improved.
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Paving the way in environmental standards
Air traffic management affects when, how far, how high, how fast and how efficiently aircraft fly. These factors in turn influence how much fuel an aircraft burns, the release of greenhouse and other gases from its engines and how much noise it makes. ATM enhancements, through the optimisation of...
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Towards worldwide interoperability
Figures published by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) for the end of 2010 show a robust recovery of the aviation industry for that same year. Airlines of the 190 ICAO Member States carried approximately 2.5 billion passengers and international travel grew by 8.8%. EUROCONTROL performance review figures from 2009, on the other hand, tell us that out of a total of 9.4 million flights in Europe (IFR flight movements in the EUROCONTROL area), 1.7 million were international into or out of Europe.
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SESAR Release: DSNA conducts first validation exercises
With the SESAR Release, the SESAR Joint Undertaking reveals first components of the future air traffic management system to be delivered by the end of 2011. In February, DSNA with the support of Airbus, Eurocontrol and NATS experts started with the first Release validation exercises on the generalisation of Auto Pilot / Flight Director TCAS (AP/FD TCAS). Improving TCAS will contribute to increasing aviation safety. Read the interview with Jean-Marc Loscos (Project leader, DSNA) about this project.
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Optimising tracking of aircraft
Following the tragic loss of Air France Flight 447 over the Atlantic in June 2009, the European Commission asked the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) to find solutions for the better tracking of aircraft in oceanic and remote low density airspace. The consortium responsible for the Oceanic Position Tracking Improvement & Monitoring (OPTIMI) project now delivered their report to the SESAR Joint Undertaking with recommendations regarding technical, operational, economic and regulatory changes. 
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Focus on: Safety
Safety is not an accidentSafety surely is the highest priority for all aviation actors. Consequently, one of the key performance targets of the SESAR work programme is to improve the safety performance by a factor of ten while air traffic is expected to triple. Within SESAR, safety is tackled from an operational point of view, Safety Cases are built and improvements of safety methods are being elaborated. In all this, SESAR takes a holistic approach towards safety: involving equipment, procedures and humans.
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