Abstract

Free Route Airspace is an operational concept for the modernization of the airspace, addressed to improving the efficiency of the flights. It also aims at the environmental friendly performance area by reducing the emissions from fuel burnt. But these benefits should not derive in a loss of safety. Several areas are introducing free route as part of the Single European Sky Airspace Research programme (SESAR). This paper assesses the Northern Europe Free Route Airspace deployment, where two SESAR solutions are combined: the Free Route Airspace and the Functional Airspace Blocks. This assessment is produced using fast-time simulations and presented from a safety perspective using two indicator sets: the aircraft loss of separation and the airspace complexity. The number of potential separation losses, together with complexity metrics, such as adjusted density, potential horizontal, vertical and/or speed interactions, are presented for different free route deployment status. Results reflect that from the safety perspective the free route deployment in North Europe did not present notable changes in terms of the selected indicators, despite of the increase of traffic of last years. Peer Reviewed

Abstract

Implementation of Air Traffic Management (ATM) MasterPlan-defined projects represents a prerequisite for thesuccessful implementation of the Single European Sky initiativedefined by the European Commission in 2004. Theimplementation of ATM-related projects is currently under the responsibility of the Single European Sky Research Programme Deployment Manager. While the definition of projects is being performed at the European Network level, theimplementation is performed through sub-regional grouping of Air Navigation Service Providers in a form of Functional Airspace Blocks. This paper analyses the level of implementation of ATM-related projects in the Functional Airspace Block Central Europe and their relation to other Functional Airspace Blocks defined in Europe. From this paper it is obvious that even though the planning of Single European Sky projects is based on the collaborative implementation of Functional Airspace Block level, the real implementation is fragmented and based on national levels. Document type: Article