1. Towards a Performance Based ATM
Worldwide Symposium on Performance of the Air Navigation System / ICAO
Presented by
Serge BAGIEU
Senior ATM Manager
Towards a Performance Based ATM
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a pleasure for me to provide you a presentation regarding Airbus perspective on performance based Air Traffic Management and its related elements in the area of Communication/Navigation and Surveillance.
The timing of this symposium is perfect as major industry initiatives to which we contribute (e.g at global level the Industry Road map, the Industry Safety plan but also at European level SESAR project) have delivered to the community important contribution in direction of the Performance Based approach.
Today, I will provide you with an overview of Airbus involvement and commitment towards Performance Based ATM
An industry perspective

2. CONTEXT
Today, the growth of traffic and the limits of existing systems cause:
Airport congestion
Delays at arrival
Longer routes
Non optimized speed and flight level
Resulting in:
Money loss for airlines and airports
Traffic is expected to grow at an average of 4.6% over the next 10 years.
Airbus is very involved in the improvement of Communication Navigation Surveillance / Air Traffic Management systems to:
Ensure safety of traffic in air and on ground,
Enhance operational flexibility,
Increase airspace capacity.
First of all a quick overview of the Current situation.
We are facing extraordinary challenges: Traffic is expected to grow globally at an average of 4.6% over the next 10 years (and even more in some region: India for example is already facing a sustainable growth of 24% since 2004)
But limits exist in current ATM system:
- airport congestion is the most crucial aspects (specially in western countries where it is partly due to emerging environment constraints).
- longer routes and non optimized speed and flight level are other important factors to be considered
All this translates into a fragile Air Transport Value chain.
Airbus is involved in the global ATM improvement, in order to:
- First, and above all, ensure Safety of traffic in the air and on the ground
- then to Enhance operational Flexibility
- and also support airspace capacity increase
ATM - Towards a Performance Based ATM - VA - Ref. PR Issue 1
19/04/2019

3. AIRBUS vision: Performance based ATM
Guiding principal of the Airbus vision is performance based ATM, enabled by continuous performance improvements of Airbus products, namely that ATM services should fully exploit the evolution of aircraft performance based capabilities:
More autonomous and safe aircraft, i.e. the ability of the aircraft to operate more independently of ground infrastructures in lower equipped airspace/airports and with increasing awareness in dense traffic area and bad weather condition.
More precise aircraft navigation, i.e. the ability of the aircraft to navigate planned four-dimensional profiles with increasing precision.
More communicative aircraft, i.e. the ability of the aircraft to increasingly collaborate with the airline operation and the ATM system to improve operational efficiency.
For all these reasons, Airbus firmly believes in Performance Based ATM, enabled by full exploitation of aircraft performance based capabilities.
3 main points should highlighted:
- More Autonomous and safe aircraft
- More precise aircraft navigation
- More communicative aircraft
ATM - Towards a Performance Based ATM - VA - Ref. PR Issue 1
19/04/2019

4. Pre-requisites
Airspace re-designed to support more precise aircraft navigation
A dense network of narrow 3D (three dimensional) tunnels (navigation containment) with more options to support various aircraft performances and preferred procedures
Planned and integrated schedule to fully exploit precision aircraft navigation
Based on pre-planned 4D (four-dimensional) trajectories, taking into account airline preferences, weather forecasts and airport/ATC constraints.
But these 3 basic principles require community improvements:
Airspace re-designed to support more precise aircraft navigation (to support various aircraft performances and preferred procedures)
Planned and integrated schedule, to fully exploit precision aircraft navigation
ATM - Towards a Performance Based ATM - VA - Ref. PR Issue 1
19/04/2019

5. more autonomous and safe aircraft
At airport surface
The aircraft will operate more efficiently and more safely in dense airport and bad weather condition due to increasing onboard awareness : cockpit airport moving map, surrounding traffic, taxi clearance, runway incursion alert, complemented by enhanced and synthetic vision on head up display
In flight
The aircraft will operate more efficiently and more safely due to capability to fly final approach in particular in lower equipped airports (geometric guidance and GPS based approach, complemented by enhanced and synthetic vision on head up display). Awareness and automated flight system will enable the aircraft to maintain precise spacing to increase safety and optimise flow capacity.
Let’s give some precision on each of the 3 main points I have introduced.
First More Autonomous and Safe Aircraft, that means the aircraft will have the ability to operate more independently of ground infrastructures in lower equipped airspace/airports and with increasing awareness in dense traffic area and bad weather condition.
What does it mean?
- At airport surface first: increasing the onboard awareness, will allow to operate more efficiently and more safely in dense airport and bad weather condition
- In flight: capability to fly final approach in any airport type will allow to operate more efficiently and more safely.; in addition, awareness and automated flight system will enable to increase safety and optimize flow capacity.
ATM - Towards a Performance Based ATM - VA - Ref. PR Issue 1
19/04/2019

6. more precise aircraft navigation
At airport surface
The aircraft will perform timely predictable taxiing and take off according to the agreed taxi plan thanks to data link and cockpit display
The aircraft will minimize runway occupancy time and maximize runway throughput using innovations such as Brake to Vacate
In flight
The aircraft can select from a wide variety of 3D tunnel options according to their performances
The aircraft will fly arrivals and departures according to lateral and vertical navigation performance
The FMS will manage the flight to meet absolute scheduled Required Time of Arrival (RTA). Time based spacing (relative time) is used to optimise separation and maximise capacity.
Second element is More Precise Aircraft Navigation in both areas: Airport surface and In flight. So that the aircraft will navigate planned four-dimensional profiles with increasing precision.
At airport surface, we expect to improve predictability thanks to
- global coordination between all actors based on datalink exchanges.
- minimum runway occupancy time based on new on board systems.
In flight, More precise aircraft navigation will allow optimization of separation (may be reduction of En route separation minima) and in consequence capacity increase. On board capability like increase navigation performance, in conformance with the newly developed Performance Based Navigation Concept.
ATM - Towards a Performance Based ATM - VA - Ref. PR Issue 1
19/04/2019

7. more communicative aircraft
At airport surface
Improving datalink will enable the aircraft to increasingly communicate with air traffic control, the airport and the airline to agree a flight plan that is integrated into the overall system.
In flight
The datalink will enable the exchange of the latest information to enable airlines, air traffic control and the receiving airport to refine and adapt their operations to optimise resources and business efficiency.
The control function will evolve to that of planning and monitoring whilst maintaining tactical initiatives for the handling of exceptions and emergencies
The aircraft will perform some operations such as sequencing and spacing on ATC request
Last point, but not the less important one: More Communicative aircraft.
To improve operational efficiency, the aircraft will be able to increasingly collaborate with the airline operation and the ATM system.
At airport Surface, operational efficiency will be improve during the planning and taxi phases.
When in flight, various operations will gain in efficiency to optimize resources and business efficiency.
ATM - Towards a Performance Based ATM - VA - Ref. PR Issue 1
19/04/2019

8. Encouraging approaches
SESAR
European Performance Based ATM project, in full support to the Single European Sky (SES) of the European Commission
AIRBUS is heavily committed
NextGEN
US Air Transport project, in support to the NGATS initiative
Global coordination with SESAR, to ensure seamlessness and global interoperability.
There are already at least 2 regional encouraging initiatives in the direction of Performance Based ATM:
- At European level, SESAR and in the US NextGEN; both have been heavily introduced this morning and I will not come back on it.
ATM - Towards a Performance Based ATM - VA - Ref. PR Issue 1
19/04/2019

9. Milestones of the SESAR Definition Phase
COMPLETED
COMPLETED
The Market
The Market
Its
Requirements
The
Top Product
How to
Build it
Action
Plan
Go!
Define & organise Work Programme
Build the ATM master Plan
Analyse Air Transport value & role of ATM
Deployment sequence analysis
Analyse Air Transport value & role of ATM
Performance targets
ATM target concept selection
I would just make a point on SESAR, in which Airbus (with the other airborne partners like Thales but also Boeing) is more deeply involved.
SESAR has just delivered its second main deliverable called the “Performance targets” ; it is the application at global industry level of the Performance Framework and it will drive the development of the ATM target concept and more globally the ATM Master Plan.
This is an important step for the all community since it will be the first shift from a technology driven approach to a real Performance based approach and management.
24 months
ATM - Towards a Performance Based ATM - VA - Ref. PR Issue 1
March 2007

10. Standards and Interoperability
Airbus recognize all good work done so far:
Global ATM Operational Concept (Doc 9854)
ATM System requirements
Performance Based Transition Guidelines
Global Air Navigation Plan
But we need to follow on, in particular in the CNS area
Global Performance Manual development should continue and establish the Framework for all the 11 KPAs.
Link with technical committee (e.g. EUROCAE and RTCA) should allow development of the necessary technologies.
Out of this work, what is the most important for us, is the global interoperability, specially between the two initiatives I introduced previously.
Even if we are eager to progress in the approach, we have to progress with caution.
We need to develop and maintain global interoperability by establishing appropriate Standards: so far ICAO , specially within its ATMRPP panel, has setting the scene with the Global OCD and its ATM system requirements, the Performance Based Transition Guidelines and more recently with the Global Air Navigation Plan and the Global Safety aviation Plan.
More is still required: ICAO Global Performance Manual will help in this direction providing guidance on the performance based approach; the expectation will be the reconciliation of the different perspective so far considered: I am here referring to the Economical and Safety dimensions that should fit within the Global Performance Manual; if not, clarification and detailed explanation should be provided.
Will it be enough?
Not sure!
We definitively need to address the Total System Performance which will encompass the so called Required Com, Nav and Surveillance Performance.
Who should take care of that part? How to link with Industry bodies more used to technical subjects? These will be important aspects to consider during the conclusion of this symposium and more will be said on that on Tuesday during the so called “Infrastructure Performance” session.
I will not recalled the example given yesterday by Mr Erwin Lassooij in the Navigation area with the RNP and PBN development, but I would like really to insist on the industry need to have the appropriate standard in due time to support the evolution, otherwise technology will push again and we will fail.
ATM - Towards a Performance Based ATM - VA - Ref. PR Issue 1
19/04/2019

11. Conclusion Change is required,
Traditional way of working is not an option
Performance Based ATM is our future
To conclude, I will simply say
in face of the big challenge in front of us (specially to face capacity wall but also to appropriately respond to the Environment challenge) a Change is required in the way we manage ATM;
Business as usual is not an option
It is the reason why we think Performance Based ATM is our future, and we have to start NOW!
ATM - Towards a Performance Based ATM - VA - Ref. PR Issue 1
19/04/2019

12. Thanks you very much for your attention.
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ATM - Towards a Performance Based ATM - VA - Ref. PR Issue 1
March 2007