Four dimensional Air Traffic Management (ATM)

Airbus has trialled a four dimensional optimised and upgraded air traffic management (ATM) technology on its A320 test aircraft, flying from Toulouse in France to Copenhagen, Denmark and Stockholm, Sweden.

The test was conducted as part of the Initial-4D (I4-D) project which aims to reduce fuel burn and C02 emissions to reduce the environmental impact per flight by 10% whilst also decreasing delays.

Four dimensional air traffic management (ATM) is expected to improve the existing European system, which is reaching its capacity limit, and transform the air traffic management system.

If successful, the system will allow aircraft to plan and fly an optimised and efficient profile without needing the air traffic controllers to provide any vectoring instruction.

It will result in better predictability of traffic flow and facilitate continuous descent operations into airports, reducing the number of aircraft forced to fly in a holding pattern.

Airbus ATM is equipped with a trajectory management system which relies on an aircraft function that predicts and transmits data to the ground, enabling the aircraft to accurately fly a trajectory after coordination with ground systems.

Along with its three dimensions: lateral, longitudinal and vertical, it also includes one target time at a specific merging point.

The trial is part of the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) programme, which aims to resolve increasing traffic density by increasing flight efficiency.

Similar trials are planned to be conducted in 2012 and 2013, with the first I-4D planned to be operational in Europe from 2018.

The other partners in the programme are EuroControl’s Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) and NORACON, Indra and Thales ATM, Honeywell, and Thales Avionics.

The NORACON consortium comprises of Austro Control and the North European ANS Providers (NEAP), Avinor (Norway), EANS (Estonia), Finavia (Finland), IAA (Ireland), ISAVIA (Iceland), LFV (Sweden) and Naviair (DK). LFV and Naviair will participate in the trial.

 

Image: The trial is part of the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) programme which aims to meet increasing traffic density with the efficiency of flights. Photo: Airbus.