SESAR deployment must be performance driven, synchronised and industry-led. This was the main message from speakers in a session on the SESAR programme at the TEN-T Days 2013 on 16 October in Tallinn, Estonia.
Chaired by Massimo Garbini, Chief Executive Officer of ENAV, the Italian Air Navigation Service Provider, the panel explored the political context for the deployment phase of the SESAR programme, as well as the planned governance structure, funding mechanisms and the central role of the industry in the process.
Opening the session, Maurizio Castelletti, Head of the Single European Sky Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Mobility and Transport, noted that substantial economic, social and environmental benefits would be achieved through a timely and synchronised deployment of SESAR. Any negative departure from the timeline set out in the European ATM Master Plan, the roadmap detailing the essential operational and technological changes required from all stakeholders to achieve the performance objectives set by Single European Sky (SES) - could put these benefits at risk. Equally, a desynchronised implementation would also jeopardise these benefits, warned Mr Castelletti.
The need for synchronisation and timeliness is at the heart of work underway to activate the deployment process. The European Commission is currently screening possible ATM functionalities that could be included in a ”Pilot” common project (PCP), namely the technological and operational improvements that together make a strong business case and that can be deployed in the short-to-medium term. These have been put forward by the SESAR Joint Undertaking in its Pilot Common Project proposal to the Commission. A stakeholder consultation on the PCP is expected for mid-November with a view to adoption in early 2014. The European Commission is also putting in place governance mechanisms, which foresees the involvement of all stakeholders and the relevant EU bodies, where clear responsibilities are defined on three levels: policy, management and implementation. At the management level, the deployment manager will translate common projects into detailed deployment activities.
Mr Castelletti finished by noting that some 65% of the investments for the PCP deployment is expected to come from ANSPs. Targeted EU financial incentives will aim to ensure commitment of the operational stakeholders. The funding for these incentives is likely to come from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the financial instrument for the future TEN-T Programme. The CEF can support a multitude of actions related to deployment and, in addition to grants, has some very innovative financial instruments available. These include equity instruments, such as investment funds with a focus on providing risk capital for actions contributing to projects of common interest; loans and/or guarantees facilitated by risk-sharing instruments, including enhancement mechanism to project bonds.
In his presentation, Carlo Borghini, Deputy Executive Director at the SESAR JU, noted that while still in its development phase, the SESAR programme is progressively delivering validated technological and operation solutions to modernise the ATM system, which is proven by content of the PCP. He also noted that the deployment of these initial “common projects”, identified within the PCP, are likely to yield EUR 2.4 billion net benefits, which already goes above the R&D investment initially made in the SESAR programme.
Olaf Dlugi, Chairman of Industry Consultation Body (ICB), echoed the remarks of support for a synchronised deployment, underlining the need for this phase to be managed according to the three levels of governance outlined by the European Commission. The industry is fully behind the SESAR programme, noted Mr Dlugi, who called for sustained momentum to ensure that deployment is a success.
Nicolas Warinsko, Advisor to the Chief Operating Officers of the airlines that make up the “A4” joint initiative, said that after ten years of SES, airlines and passengers were still picking up the bill for the inefficiencies in the ATM system. It is clearly time to evolve the SESAR into an operational benefits-driven programme, noted Mr Warinsko. The deployment manager is an unprecedented opportunity to establish the joint management of implementation activities. The “A4” Group is therefore keen to take proactive role, together with rest of the ATM industry, in the management of this deployment phase, which is a necessary condition for airlines to fly more efficiently and survive.
The Chair, Mr Garbini concluded the workshop further confirming the maturity and commitment of ANSPs and ATM industry at large towards a timely and synchronised deployment of the SESAR Programme Solutions. He underlined the need that the expected governance and financing mechanisms are properly designed and timely put in place to start deploying.
