FAB CE News

The FABCE management team has produced a consolidated response to the Study on Functional Airspace Blocks (FABs), compiled for the European Commission (DG MOVE) earlier this year.

The study concluded that “FABs have not met the high level policy objectives set by the Single European Sky legislation, despite the substantial efforts undertaken for their implementation” and proposed a series of recommendations to improve FAB performance.

“We think the recommendations for further development could represent a positive step towards clarifying the Commission’s position on FABs,” said Matej Eljon, director of FAB CE Aviation Ltd. “But we also believe that some of the specific recommendations related to FAB CE are already resolved or in the process of being resolved and that the general recommendations should be clearer, more focused and should remove the significant overlap between one other. We believe that progress has been made by FABs.”

The Study identified a number of perceived blockages which were slowing the development of FABs as envisaged in the Single European Sky II package of 2009. These included the adoption by FABs of the consensus principle, which has slowed the speed of decision-making; a lack of political will among States, which has meant air navigation service providers (ANSPs) have prioritized industrial partnerships over FABs; and a lack of sufficient consultation with customers, especially airlines.

“The proposal to allow decision making on a majority basis was considered at length in the development of the governance arrangements,” said Matej Eljon. “But we concluded that such an arrangement would be impossible in a regime in which individual enterprises are responsible for their own risk and liability of ANS services. However, specific decision making mechanisms might be needed to enable some activities only beneficial to a subset of FAB members, to prevent blocking the pursuit of these by other partners.

“FAB CE States have invested a lot in FABs and there is very real political will for FABs,” said Matej Eljon. “For obvious and very practical reasons States cannot be involved in all operational and technical matters of FAB decision making, and it should be seen as a positive and complimentary outcome that Industrial partnerships have emerged.“

Finally, in its letter of response to the Commission, the FABCE management team pointed out that while it supported strong airspace user involvement this relied on having the appropriate resources, background and understanding to develop and implement solutions. Some airspace users, in FAB CE’s experience, have lacked an understanding or willingness to find solutions to ANS challenges - for example, in the slow uptake of VDL2 and ADS-B equipage.

The letter of response asked for the Commission to provide a clear EU level articulation as to the policy objectives, priorities and expectations which should explain how the various elements of SES policy are envisaged to fit together - such as the performance scheme, FABs, competition and industrial partnerships.

On June 7/8 an Interfab Communications Workshop took place in Langen on the premises of DFS. Representatives from all FABs took the opportunity to discuss planned or ongoing communication activities, best practices as well as a interfab communication strategy.

It was noted, that the FABs are performing well, but that this information is not reaching the public. FABs should focus on 2-3 main messages which include punctuality, common projects and overarching topics that influence ATM such as weather and traffic volatility. Communications of these main messages should be intensified by all FABs, in order to gain more public recognition.

FAB CE Communication Managers had two presentations. Markus Pohanka gave an introduction to the new FAB CE Communication Strategy, describing the main milestones, including the newly developed communication process, the identification of relevant target groups, the intensification of social media activities and the relaunch the FAB CE Website. Peter Schmidt in his presentation focused on the recently published EU FAB Study and its implications in terms of communications.

Other items on the agenda included presentations on best practices in communications by the Baltic FAB and Blue Med FAB as well as on performance related issues such as “Different views on performance benchmarking EU/USA”.

It was concluded, that in order for FABs to be heard it is important they speak with one voice and focus on common messages. Progress is being made and FABs have the results to prove it. The Interfab Communications Workshop was a first important step.

FABCE is finalising its contribution to the 2016 European Commission’s Reference Period (RP2) Monitoring Report, due on 1 June 2017.

In the Key Performance Area (KPA) of safety there were, as for the previous year, no deviations from the targets established in the FAB CE Performance Plan.

In the capacity domain, FAB CE has significantly exceeded the target for en-route air traffic flow management (ATFM) delay per flight - 0.08 minutes per flight against a target of 0.29 minutes - despite the fact that in some FAB CE States traffic was significantly higher than expected. The crises in Ukraine and Syria meant that in Hungary service unit traffic was 18% above forecasts.

“The overall performance of all FAB CE states is constantly excellent, without any major disruptions or industrial actions,” said Matej Eljon, director of FAB CE Aviation Ltd.

The target value for the horizontal flight efficiency for FAB CE in 2016 of 1.94% was not reached as the calculated value was 1.97%. Nonetheless, the Network Manager (NM) evaluated that FAB CE met its commitments with respect to the environmental target in 2016 and said that FAB CE’s environmental performance criteria are in line with the expected European targets. The Network Manager recommended that the current implementation plans should be maintained, including cross-border free route airspace (FRA) implementation projects with adjacent functional airspace blocs.

Significant initiatives have been implemented focusing on further improvements in this area which will enable FAB CE to meet and exceed the target in the future. Other major achievements have been accomplished by implementing important milestones of SEEN FRA (South Eastern Europe Night Free Route Airspace), SAXFRA (Slovenian Austrian Cross-Border Free Route Airspace) and SEAFRA (South-East Axis Free Route Airspace) initiatives.

The FAB CE-wide measure of planned trajectory efficiency - although not targeted in RP2- shows an improvement from 3.41% in 2015 to 3.33% in 2016, showing the positive impact of permanent airspace design improvements such as free route and direct routeing implementations.

In terms of cost-efficiency, all States met or exceeded their targets for Determined Unit Cost (DUC) except for Slovenia, where lower inflation had a negative impact on the DUC despite the actual costs being lower than the target determined costs. Nevertheless, the aggregated FAB CE DUC is still well below the target.

The first FABCE Social Dialogue meeting of 2017 took place in Bratislava on 19 May, with Pavol Gelinger of LPS in the chair and Nataša Sumirat Adikusumah, President of the Croatian Air Traffic Controllers Union, co-chairing. Thirty-five representatives of staff and FABCE management discussed a number of workplace issues.

Matej Eljon, director of FAB CE Aviation Ltd, outlined the detailed projects and strategic goals of the many cooperative programmes underway among the seven air navigation service providers of FABCE.

Specific workforce issues were then discussed, including differences in national government policies towards retirement age and pension entitlement, progress towards a common competence scheme for air traffic safety electronic personnel (ATSEP) (See “Meeting EU requirements for the ATSEP common competence scheme”, 18 May), the workforce implications of the A4 Airlines Group minimum ATS service proposal and an update of the FABEC social dialogue process, highlighting the parallel functional airspace bloc social forum work going on in other European States.

The EU released new legislation in March 2017 which requires member states to adopt a common competence scheme for the Air Traffic Safety Electronic Professional (ATSEP) from January 2020.

Regulation (EU) No 373/2017 harmonises the ATSEP personnel requirements including the training and competence keeping requirements, and replaces the patchwork of national regulation and/or intra-company rules relating to ATSEP training, competences, and authorisations.

The ruling reflects work already underway by FAB CE member states to facilitate harmonisation of personnel requirements for ATSEPs across the region. The Human Resources Sub Committee (HR SubC) developed a baseline plan for the implementation of the Common Competence Scheme, known as Deliverable 11 (D11), in 2015. HR SubC is now tasked with updating this document in line with the latest ruling, and with setting up a task force to prepare and deliver an ATSEP common competence scheme for FAB CE member states. “The same criteria applies to all ANSPs for the recruitment, training and assessment of ATSEPs, so it makes sense to do this work together,” says Matej Eljon, FAB CE Programme Manager and Director of FAB CE Aviation Services, the body set up to run FAB CE activity. “Each ANSP can benefit from a wider pool of qualified engineers, and be confident they operate to recognised standards.” FAB CE was the first FAB to publish a baseline ATSEP plan and continues to lead the delivery of a common competence scheme.

D11 set out the requirements and processes for obtaining and maintaining ATSEP personnel competency across FAB CE ANSPs. It created a ‘raw model’ for the harmonisation of recruiting, training and authorisations for ATSEP staff based on the existing practises already in use by member states. HR SubC has also carried out a gap analysis to see where practices by individual states are at variance with the raw model. The SubC is now working with ANSPs to define the scope of a common scheme, for example identifying common requirements to enter the profession, common training content, and common qualifications. The SubC is also working through the Social Dialogue forum. Participants in the Social Dialogue provide information and views on all FAB CE developments and issues, in particular focussing on those directly affecting employees. On the employer side, the FAB CE ANSP CEO Chair represents FAB CE ANSP management, while FAB CE staff are represented by bodies representing FAB CE employees. After each meeting, CEOC and staff representatives issue joint and agreed communication through appropriate channels to the FAB workforce.

A workshop during Q4 2017 will review different scenarios, and enable the HR SubC to set up a project plan and appoint a task force with assign resources. The workshop is an important milestone in setting the future pathway for a common competence scheme.

HR SubC chairman Zoran Jakšić says the project delivers a number of FAB CE Strategic Objectives (FSO), set out by the FAB CE Steering Committee. In addition to common training amongst ANSPs, it contributes to a common approach to technical operation and preventive maintenance of systems, rendering the service quality more predictable while potentially making instructor cost savings available.

The ATSEP common competence scheme also benefits from an initiative set up by FAB CE, subsequently expanded to include some FABEC members, to harmonise assessments for ATSEP INITIAL training. The QUestionnaire for ATSEP Standard Assessment Routine (QUASAR) aims to develop a standard questionnaire to assess the level of ATSEP training achieved. The initiative has attracted a lot of ANSP interest since it formed in 2015 - NATS UK recently joined - with ANSPs exchanging question banks and sharing assessment material. QUASAR achieved a milestone in March 2017 when it finalised a questionnaire designed to assess if an engineer has passed the BASIC level of training. It can be used to determine if an ATSEP can progress to domain qualification training in more specialised fields of ATC maintenance. On acceptance of the final version, all member countries will be able to start with implementation of the QUASAR standard assessment for ATSEP-BASIC. The task force also intends to make the assessment public so it can be promoted to other interested organisations.

“The QUASAR task force is a trans-FAB group which over the years has been working very successfully as a self-organised, active group,” says Jakšić. “The task force is now looking to set up a generic working concept for QUALIFICATION training.” It aims to populate question banks for each of the DOMAIN training areas including communication, navigation, surveillance, data processing, and system monitoring and control will need added contribution from individual members. The task force is also looking to enlist the support of the Project Support Office (PSO), which provides administrative and consultative support to FAB CE Aviation Services.

Further support for the ATSEP common competence scheme is provided by the FAB CE Technical Sub Committee (TEC SubC). This includes providing ATSEP expertise as needed and verifying tasks are aligned with current practice. Input from ATSEPs ensures the common competence scheme is based on operational experience, and reflects the practical requirements of ANSPs. The HR SubC is already well versed in the process, having already completed the common competence scheme for air traffic controllers (ATCOs), airspace management position (AMP), and flow management position (FMP) staff in 2015. This was achieved well in advance of EU regulation 340/2015 which came into force in January 2017.

The HR SubC plans to include National Supervisory Authority (NSA) participation from member states in 2018, starting with a follow-up workshop during Q1/Q2 2018 which will review draft content prepared by the task force. The aim is to prepare a final version of the ATSEP common competence scheme for ANSP review in Q4 2018, followed by approval from the Steering Committee and CEO Committee by the end of the year.

The completion at the end of April of FAB CE’s major study into the introduction of Free Route Airspace (FRA) throughout the FAB CE area (“Free Route Airspace – from the Black Forest to the Black Sea”) is a significant work of research, with important findings for FAB CE airspace alliance members and beyond.

FRA is a pivotal element of the European Commission’s Single European Sky programme and according to Implementing Regulation (EU) No 716/2014 FRA will be implemented throughout Europe from 1st of January 2022. The study is an integral part of the work programme managed by FABCE Aviation Services Ltd, the legal entity responsible for supporting the implementation of the FAB CE programme.

Within the FRA concept aircraft operators can freely plan a route between a defined entry point and a defined exit point without reference to the air traffic services (ATS) route network; every aircraft operator defines its user preferred trajectory according to its business intentions. For all aircraft operators the introduction of FRA, in theory, offers better flight predictability and shorter routes – which means less time in the air, less fuel burn, lower costs and a reduced environmental impact. Savings in distance from these improvements – if applied throughout Europe - could be as much as 25,000 NM a day, according to Eurocontrol figures, which would lead to annual savings of 45,000 tons of fuel, 150,000 tonnes of emissions and EUR 37 million in operational charges to airspace users.

FAB CE members have led the way in introducing the concept within Europe – especially in the challenging areas of cross-border (“X -Border”) operations.

The key benefit expected from the project is to create a clear definition of the operational end technical pre-conditions for a conceived FAB CE X-Border Free Route Airspace.

The study aims to define the operational and technical pre-conditions to implement
the FAB CE Free Route Airspace, including Concept of Operations (CONOPS), the necessary related validation exercises and the required developments and upgrades of ATM systems by FAB CE members. Time frame of the study was September 2015 – April 2017.

Validation exercises of FAB CE CONOPS were divided into Fast-Time Simulations (FTS) - to calculate horizontal and vertical inefficiencies - and Real-Time Simulations (RTS) - to assess specific operational procedures. Special attention was given to the adequacy of ATC support tools, capacity analysis and the situation with active military airspace areas. Throughout the RTS the effects on controllers’ workload and situational awareness were measured.

The results of the simulations led to the following conclusions:

1. The unrestricted FAB CE level cross-border FRA concept provides the desired benefits for airspace users in terms of horizontal flight efficiency while no difference could be identified in vertical flight efficiency.
2. The non-FRA specific and both versions of the tested FRA specific operational procedures proved to be adequate to handle all – including military – operations.
3. The tested versions of areas-of-common-interest concepts cannot be distinguished by significant difference in workload or situational awareness values during their application.
4. The different mitigation techniques may need to include a combination of modified sector boundaries, regulation (channelling) of traffic flows and regulation of traffic demand.
5. Implementation of additional ATM tools will probably have a beneficial effect on controller workload and situational awareness.

“We also examined the vertical inefficiency in climb, cruise and descent, but we did not find significant difference with the introduction of FRA, which strengthens the assumption that the vertical profiles will not be degraded,” said Martin Stieber, Austro Control, Project Manager of the study.

The Final Simulation Report also concludes that the sector occupancy was an important predictor of the workload, although it was not the only contributor. The distribution of the conflict points, the traffic complexity, the lateral boundaries of the sector and the available system support tools in the system also played key roles in changes of the workload and situational awareness figures.

Multiple recommendations have made by the report for ATC support tools such as variances of the probe function and specific, map-based or time-based support tools that could be essential for handling FRA operations within the areas of common interest.

The study itself has been developed as a baseline evaluation of the feasibility of implementing FRA in the FAB CE area. “It provides the participating ANSPs with a framework for the individual implementation activities rather than a ‘big bang’ implementation approach to FRA,” said Martin Stieber. “We believe a step-by-step approach is considered as the preferred implementation path.”

The study allows now FAB programme management to assess the feasibility of the potential extension of FAB CE FRA operations to neighbouring functional airspace blocks (FABs) as well - particularly to FABEC and Danube FAB.