Single European Sky Initiative Research Articles

Development of the Single European Sky

The objective of the research is to present the development of the Single European Sky initiative and to outline its importance for the European economy and the European aviation industry. The paper reviews in detail the concept of the Single European Sky, the economic factors that have led to its formation and the European regulatory framework comprised of a set of EU-wide rules on Air Traffic Management (ATM) safety, on the provision of ATM services, on airspace management and on interoperability within the network, as well as financial support to the technological modernization programme (the SESAR project). It presents the rulemaking activity of the European Commission to deal with the inefficiency of the European ATM System due to the fragmented character of international airspace, fragmented into smaller air traffic control centres divided by the national boundaries, effectively limiting integration, interoperability, and economies of scale, and leading to induced delays, excessive air-traffic control costs and uneconomical flight trajectories. The applied research methodology includes content analysis, analysis of statistical data, historical data, conclusions, and generalizations. The hypothesis is that the strategic goals of the Single European Sky initiative and its implementation are beneficial for the competitiveness of the European aviation industry, and the common rules and the introduction of a harmonized legislative framework will contribute to improving the efficiencies of ATM while accounting for the interests and singularities of all stakeholders in the European aviation value chain.

Advancements in VDL and CPDLC: revolutionizing European aviation communication

The paper is focused on the transformative impact of VDL and CPDLC on aviation safety, efficiency, and reliability. Tracing the historical evolution from radio systems to the adoption of VDL and its integration within Europe's unified airspace initiatives, this paper deals with key theories including VDL Mode 2, ACARS, Aeronautical Telecommunication Network, ADS-B, and CPDLC. Emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle communication challenges, the paper spotlights CPDLC's evolution integrating AI, Machine Learning, cybersecurity protocols, and technological integrations like 5G and satellites. Human-Computer Interaction research underscores user-friendly CPDLC interface designs. Methodologies encompass operational analyses, communication protocols, avionics technologies, and usability testing. Aligning with the Single European Sky initiative, the integration of VDL and CPDLC anticipates emerging trends while addressing challenges like interoperability, training complexities, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities through proposed solutions. The paper offers a comprehensive understanding of advancements shaping the modern aviation communication landscape.

The effect of the Croatian Free Route Airspace implementation on the Air Traffic Complexity

It is well known that the increase in air traffic brings some negative connotations regarding delays, airspace capacity, air traffic controller workload, etc. To mitigate those problems, the European Commission has issued a development plan through the Single European Sky initiative, which yields a dozen solutions through the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research Joint Undertaking. Some of which is Free Route Airspace which enables aircraft operators to fly and plan direct routes through the airspace. Since this solution changes the way that the aircraft flies through airspace, different and new airspace routes have emerged. In this paper, the authors used fast time simulations with the PRU complexity model to observe how air traffic complexity was affected through Free Route Airspace implementation. It was observed that the increase in occupancy followed the increase in air traffic complexity, but not all results could be explained through the increase in the occupancy count. Also, to verify suspected claims the pre-FRA traffic from the 2016 was run on the FRA airspace and the reduction of complexity was observed. The authors concluded that the Free Route Airspace helped reduce the overall air traffic complexity, but further research and validation are still needed to concisely confirm those claims.

SESAR: The Past, Present, and Future of European Air Traffic Management Research

The Single European Sky Air Traffic management (ATM) Research (SESAR) project is the technological pillar of the European Commission’s Single European Sky Initiative to modernize ATM. Here, we describe the process of establishing SESAR and the main parts of the project: the research and development (R&D) part, which is led by the SESAR Joint Undertaking; the deployment part, which is managed by the SESAR Deployment Manager; and the European ATM Master Plan, which collects and lays out both the R&D and deployment needs. The latest European ATM Master Plan was adopted just prior to the current pandemic. The huge loss in air traffic due to the pandemic, and the speed of the recovery of the aviation industry will require reprioritization, but the main elements that have been established—particularly those in support of the environment—remain valid.

Shattering the Single European Sky: Argument from authorities in dealing with the SES initiative

ABSTRACTThe article scrutinises the European Commission’s Single European Sky (SES) initiative from a neoinstitutionalist epistemic governance perspective. The focus is on the rhetorical tools actors deploy in accounting for SES and the problems in it. We argue that the slow progress made in realising SES is not simply due to conflicting national interests. Member states are not uniform actors with a single, easily defined will or interest but rather, several entities appeal to national interests and other shared values to defend their position in the process. The delay in realising SES does not stem from the Commission’s inability to reconcile the distinct stakeholder interests but it is due to diverse discursive skirmishes the SES project has triggered. These skirmishes amount to a persuasion game whereby various actors account for SES in ways that do not endanger their own interests in the initiative, thus constantly transforming the SES project and its outcomes.

Single European Sky and the functional airspace blocks: Will they improve economic efficiency?

The paper examines the potential economic efficiency of on-going changes in the European air traffic control system. Air navigation services in Europe are undergoing a process of consolidation and technological changes known as the Single European Sky initiative. The ultimate aim is to shift the industry from a paradigm based on national borders, to one where operational efficiency is the goal. One of the key components of the movement toward this is the notion of functional airspace blocks (FABs) whereby blocks of airspace are combined as a precursory to total unification of the system. To study the effects that those changes might have on the economic efficiency of the system, a data envelopment analysis framework is used. Although these FABs are not yet deployed, it is possible to simulate, ceteris paribus, how these different systems would have ranked in terms of economic efficiency by using data for each individual air navigation service provider.

Liberalisation of Air Traffic Services in Spain

The aim of the European Commission's Single European Sky initiative is to promote a series of structural changes within Air Transport to help improve its efficiency, continuity and sustainability. One of the key elements of the air transport system is Air Traffic Services (ATSs), which must guarantee safe and fluid operations. The Single European Sky initiative puts in place a series of mechanisms to replace the existing public monopolies with free market models. Taking advantage of this new framework, Spain has initiated a process of liberalisation of ATS Services, which may provide a business opportunity for operators with an interest in the area of air transport, and European providers who wish to expand their markets. This document sets out the new legal framework that has been put in place in Spain to promote this process, indicating the motives of these actions and the main implications the process will have, whilst maintaining the objective of guaranteeing continuity of service, and avoiding any barriers to entry, which changes of this type can give rise to.

An Integrated Decision-Making Approach for Improving European Air Traffic Management

We develop a multistakeholder, multicriteria decision-making framework for Eurocontrol, the European air traffic management organization, for evaluating and selecting operational improvements to the air traffic management system. The selected set of improvements will form the master plan of the Single European Sky initiative for harmonizing air traffic, in an effort to cope with the forecasted increase in air traffic, while maintaining safety, protecting the environment, and improving predictability and efficiency. The challenge is to select the set of enhancements such that the required performance targets are met and all key stakeholders are committed to the decisions. In this paper, we develop and implement a model to identify a preferred set of improvements to the arrival and departure procedures to and from airports. We provide an integrated approach for valuing a large number of alternatives, while considering interactions among them. The model combines quantitative and qualitative expert assessments of the possible enhancements and identifies commonalities and differences in the stakeholders' perspectives, ultimately recommending a preferred course of action. The model is currently being adopted by Eurocontrol as the formal trade-off analysis methodology supporting all enhancements' decision-making discussions throughout the construction of the master plan.

Capturing emerging complex interactions: Safety analysis in air traffic management

The future development of air traffic management (ATM), set by the ATM 2000+ Strategy, involves a structural revision of ATM processes, a new ATM concept and a system approach for the ATM network. This requires ATM services to go through significant structural, operational and cultural changes that will contribute towards the ATM 2000+ Strategy. Moreover, from a technology viewpoint, future ATM services will employ new systems forming the emergent ATM architecture underlying and supporting the European Commission's Single European Sky Initiative. Introducing safety relevant systems in ATM contexts requires us to understand the risk involved in order to mitigate the impact of possible failures. This paper is concerned with some limitations of safety analysis with respect to operational aspects of introducing new systems (functionalities).