ICAO: Upcoming air traffic reforms will reduce delays, emissions

Far fewer flights will be delayed or cancelled following ICAO’s global roll out of Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM), according to the ICAO. Recent airspace closures and severe weather events have demonstrated how vulnerable air services can be, and the influx of new aviation technologies is also increasing the complexity of aviation operations across the board. With these challenges and the dramatic growth in air traffic on the horizon, ICAO is now accelerating the implementation of ATFM as a comprehensive international solution. Comprising of air navigation technologies and new procedures, ATFM improves the reliability of services while reducing fuel consumption and emissions. All flights and everything that impacts their operations are fully coordinated and managed together across international boundaries before they even take off. Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) is among these new procedures. This is a process where airlines, airports, and air traffic controllers exchange real-time information so that decisions like when and how flights take off or land are made together. This directly improves the reliability of flights. The “Total Airport Management” concept further extends this coordination across all airport activities, from baggage and refueling to passenger movements. It’s also about making more space available. The gradual adoption of “free route airspace” will enable pilots to select the most direct and efficient path rather than following pre-established routes. Entire portion of controlled airspace can be dynamically managed to traffic need following the ATFM “flexible use of airspace” principle. The implementation of ATFM is already required in many circumstances, and now the challenge is to ramp up and expand its general usage. Today, ICAO convened stakeholders representing all areas of operations around the globe for international talks to find the way forward. A top priority is ensuring that every region and airport can accurately measure and manage airspace and airport “capacity,” which is the maximum number of aircraft that can be safely handled during a given time. ICAO is also renewing focus on the optimisation of minimum aircraft separation distances to safely increase the maximum capacity of airspace. “Together, we will deliver a truly connected network for air traffic flow management, enabling every flight to operate in a predictable and efficient manner while enhancing safety and sustainability,” said ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar as he welcomed delegates to ICAO Headquarters in Montréal. “By the end of this week, we should ensure we have coherent and practical plans, working side by side in coordination with our neighbours and partners.” The talks will conclude on 9 October. The findings will inform ICAO’s updates to the guidance it provides to Member States and the activities it undertakes to help States with implementation. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]