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| EU has awarded funding for two major ATM initiatives. Photo: A6 Alliance |
[Avionics Today 02-25-2015] The European Union has awarded the A6 Alliance of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) funding for two projects underpinning the future success of the Single European Sky (SES) initiative. The funding will support work to define the best model for provision of Pan-European Network Services (PENS) 2 and Data Link Services (DLS) — the two main communication infrastructures required to modernize and improve Europe’s Air Traffic Management (ATM) system. The A6 Alliance and Eurocontrol are discussing a cooperation on both studies.
The bid is based on a full collaborative approach with other ANSPs and was supported by the service providers of Italy, the U.K., Germany, Spain, France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, Malta, Greece and Cyprus. The work includes two main activities: NATS is leading work to address PENS, the European ground-to-ground data communication infrastructure, while Germany is leading work on the European air-to-ground data link communication infrastructure.
“We are delighted to have secured this EU funding. This work will play a key role in helping to define a model for two key aspects of Europe’s future air traffic management system. In doing so, it will bring us closer to the Single European Sky, with more efficient and even safer services,” said Ignacio González of Spain’s ANSP, ENAIRE, and chair of the A6 Alliance Steering Board.