FAB CE CEOC Meeting held in Vienna - Director Network Management gives presentation on future of ATM Network
The 34th FAB CE CEO Committee Meeting was held in Vienna on October 15th with a special presentation by Iacopo Prissinotti, Director Network Management, Eurocontrol.
One of the main topics on the agenda was the Airspace Architecture Study (AAS) and possible opportunities for FAB CE involvement. Under the chair of Austro Control Managing Director Valerie Hackl the FAB CE CEOC welcomed new Network Management Director from Eurocontrol Iacopo Prissinotti, who gave a presentation on his approach to the implementation of Airspace Architecture Study concepts, which includes focusing on HOT SPOTs for airspace re-configuration and operational excellence programs between 2020 and 2025. The CEOC went on to discuss the possible participation of FAB CE in a „Large Scale Demonstration“ and offered support by FAB CE for validation activities.
For CEOC Chairperson Valerie Hackl this represents an opportunity for FAB CE: “We are fully prepared to cooperate with the Network Manager, supporting the planning and implementation of proposed concepts in a network centric approach and the implementation of Digital European Sky functionality”.
Additional topics on the agenda included the ongoing development of the FAB CE Strategy, focusing on the FAB CE Strategic Objectives (FSOs) such as capacity/environment, resilience and cost-efficiency. The new FAB CE strategy is set to be adopted at the next CEOC in January.
We took the opportunity to talk to Iacopo Prissinotti, Director Network Management, and ask him about a wide range of topics:
Mr. Prissinotti, the first question is in regard to this summer. I am sure you already had time to analyse ATM performance – what did you find and how did this summer compare to 2018?
Summer 2019 looks much better than 2018 for a number of reasons. First of all based on the experience from last year we prepared what we call Network Management measures, which was essentially to move some of the most frequent city-pairs out of the congested areas in order to enable the best usage of the network. Combined with that, we implemented what we call the Summer Coordination Cell. So every Monday we had a very effective discussion with all the operational stakeholders on how the previous week went and what actions are to be put in place to do as best as possible. We had better weather conditions overall and we also had better procedures to address weather conditions. We had fewer strikes, only two big strikes one in France, one in Belgium and all in all there was a cultural change underway resulting in better coordination with the operational stakeholders, enabling us to do much better. We are going to close around 1,57 Minutes delay per flight this year, which is still far from an optimal situation. So we are still putting these measures in place, which are in essence mitigation measures, to ensure the network operates as best as possible. But we need to do much more, that is why for next year we will start some structural implementations both in terms of airspace design as well as at the operational level.
One of the main challenges for the future will be to provide the needed ATM capacity. There are quite few proposals on the table – the Airspace Architecture Study, the Report of the Wise Persons Group. What, in your opinion, are the most promising proposals short term as well as long term?
First of all you need to have a structured approach, because if you only focus on the short-term you lose sight and in the long run could even make the situation worse. So I have defined a few major principles. First, it is not all about capacity, but also about scalability to ensure that the network is able to meet the business demand, which has to take into account the volatility of aviation. The other principle is to make sure that there is operational leadership, which often was not the case in the past. And as I mentioned, the structured approach, where we look at short term measures combined with a medium to long-term structural approach, which means on the one side the implementation of the first five years of the Airspace Architecture Study, with operational excellence on the one side and airspace reconfiguration on the other. On the operational excellence, we are looking at standardising sector throughput, ATCO usage, technological implementations and of course the best use of flow measures, military coordination and weather management. On the airspace reconfiguration we already have a plan in place, which already is producing results. The first part is on technology, the second part is the dynamic sector configuration, which will be starting in the next couple of years.
Staffing has become an issue, we are all looking for air traffic controllers…
Staffing is twofold – yes there are some areas with staffing issues but it is also fair to say, that is not only about staffing but also about the way you use the staff, the flexibility, the rostering and also the sector throughput standards. That’s why the cross-border sectorisation is important, it would enable in a partnership way to make better use of this common asset, the airspace. Again, the infrastructure needs to be scalable, and to be scalable you need some flexibility in the usage of ATCO resources, otherwise you will never be able to meet the demand in the most efficient way.
What role can FABs such as FAB CE play in this respect?
On the one side there is the original idea of the FABs to create mergers, which was never achieved. And I believe that will never be achieved. The issue of sovereignty remains a key principle, which is also correct. So the initial objective was not met, and probably wasn’t even the right objective to begin with. On the other side FABs make a lot of sense, when you talk about operational coordination and operational improvements to streamline from the more central Network Manager towards the regions, the FABS and the local level. So FABs can actively become a value, if they are seen in this direction. So the main focus should be on the operational side and we are working very well with the FABs such as FAB CE. In this way FABs can be an important asset.
