Operational & Technical Evaluation of The FF-ICE/Execution Strategic Phase Across Boundaries

Abstract

To perform Trajectory Based Operations (TBO) effectively and efficiently in the future, extensive collaboration between Airspace Users (AU) and ATM Service Providers (ASPs) will be necessary. The International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Flight & Flow Information for a Collaborative Environment (FF-ICE) provides a framework for that collaboration to occur with the aim of overcoming the limitations of today's flight planning as well as to provide flexibility for a future where users share information in real time, leading to better strategic planning and operational efficiency. The ICAO Air Traffic Management Requirements and Performance Panel (ATMRPP) developed the Manual on FF-ICE and released it as ICAO Document 9965. Subsequently it developed the Provisions, Implementation Guidance, and amendments for the first step of FF-ICE, called FF-ICE Planning (FF-ICE/R1), which focused on increased interoperability, efficiency, and capacity in the pre-departure phase of flight using mostly automated ground-ground exchanges. The ATMRPP is further developing the FF-ICE concept to include the FF-ICE during post-departure execution (FF-ICE/R2). FF-ICE/R2 development focuses on Strategic collaboration and the transitions between Strategic and Tactical.To prepare the National Airspace System (NAS) and the global aviation community for the adoption of FF-ICE/R1, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) successfully validated FF-ICE/R1 Provisions and Implementation Guidance both within a single and multiple Enhanced ASPs (eASP) in a 2018 project named International Interoperability Harmonization and Validation (IIH&V).To further assist in scoping and defining the FF-ICE/R2 concept, FAA conducted the FF-ICE/Execution (FF-ICE/X) demonstration project. Completed in June 2020, the project explored the FF-ICE/R2 Strategic phase, the transition from Planning to Execution, and the transition from Strategic to Tactical (terms explained later in paper). The FF-ICE/X demonstration project included two demonstrations: the first demonstration was within the National Airspace System (NAS) and focused on different levels of automation between the Planning and Execution phases; while the second demonstration incorporated international and oceanic environments involving multiple eASPs, including strategic boundary coordination between FAA and both Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) and NAV CANADA. The FF-ICE/X demonstration project matured operational concepts and technical approaches to FF-ICE/R2. FF-ICE/X also documented findings related to using FF-ICE/R2 inside the NAS and across multiple eASPs, including how FF-ICE affects boundary coordination.