First up, we have news from the UK with plans to bring Gatwick Airport's northern runway into regular use. If the plans are approved, the runway could be operational by 2030. As Gatwick aims to handle around 75 million passengers a year by that time, the runway will go a long way in helping it meet future demand.
Next, there's exciting news from Belgium where Brussels Airport and skeyes are working together to reduce aviation's environmental footprint. The collaborative research project, supported by Eurocontrol, will analyse a new landing procedure with the hope of determining if landings with steeper descent gradients have an advantage in reducing local noise impact, CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.
From Central America, we're hearing news of advancements in the form of standardised ATM systems. Indra is set to upgrade the Approach Control Centres of Central America and the Area Control Centre of Corporacion Centroamericana de Servicios de Navegación Aerea over a six-year period. The project is estimated to cost 24.6 million euros and will make regional air traffic more efficient and sustainable.
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ANSP news
- Papua New Guinea expands use of Aireon space-based ADS-B data - The entire flight information region of Papua New Guinea – from the ground to 60,000 feet – will use Aireon space-based ADS-B data to manage aircraft, under an agreement signed by NiuSky Pacific Limited, the air navigation service provider of Papua New Guinea, and Aireon.
- Kick-off meeting of the control center upgrade project in Belize - The CEO of COCESNA, began a meeting with the personnel of the Corporation and the participation of the Director of the DGAC of Belize and Mr. Stanley Gideon, as well as representatives of Indra Sistemas with the purpose of holding a launch meeting and communicate the scope, planning, organization and main activities of the Central American Control Centers Update Project, including the APP/TWR Control Center and Voice Communications System of the Belize International Airport.
- Twentieth meetings of the DANUBE FAB governing bodies - The DANUBE FAB Governing Bodies met in Sofia for their twentieth meetings, marking the continuous efforts of Bulgaria and Romania to shape the strategic direction and priorities for the FAB and to progress further their cooperation with key projects for the benefit of safe and efficient provision of ANS.
Airports news
- Plans to bring Gatwick's Northern Runway into regular use likely to be submitted within weeks - British Aviation Group - The application to bring the existing Northern Runway into regular use is being finalised now. If approved, the runway could be operational by 2030, helping the airport to meet future demand as it seeks to grow to around 75m passengers a year by the late 2030s. He said the plans, which he described as fully in line with Government policy to make best use of existing runways, would help unlock new capacity, improve resilience and deliver new global connections.
- skeyes and Brussels Airport work together on a new landing procedure that can reduce environmental footprint of aviation - Brussels Airport and skeyes are investing together in research to develop new landing procedures that can improve the local environmental quality. The research that will be conducted by skeyes and Brussels Airport, with the support of Eurocontrol, is one of the components of the HERON project, led by Airbus. This project will analyse whether landings with steeper descent gradients have an advantage in terms of reducing the local noise impact, as well as CO2 emissions and fuel consumption.
- Ayodhya will get an airport this summer - Ayodhya will get an airport this summer i.e., “Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram Airport.” It has been designed to reflect the spiritual ethos of this pilgrim city that is expected to attract lakhs of devotees. Spread over 6,000 square meters, the terminal will have a peak hour capacity of handling 300 passengers with the annual capacity being six lakh flyers. The building will shine aesthetically and functionally, displaying a perfect mix of local architecture with a modern architectural note.
Market news
- Indra set to standardize Air Traffic Management systems and reinforce the single sky in Central America - The Approach Control Centers of Central America and the Area Control Center of Corporacion Centroamericana de Servicios de Navegación Aerea will be upgraded and harmonized over a six-year period at a cost of 24.6 million euros to keep their air navigation systems on a par with the world's most advanced countries. The project will make regional air traffic more efficient and sustainable by improving routes and significantly reducing aircraft emissions and fuel consumption.
- Cayman Islands Airport Authority renews contract with Airport Coordination Limited - Airport Coordination Limited enters three-year contract providing schedules facilitation services at Owen Roberts International Airport after competitive tender process.
Reports and data
- EUROCONTROL aviation network update - There were 28,444 daily flights – only +0.3% above Week 17, but this reflected the fact that industrial action on 1 May saw a one-day drop of 1,700 flights. As a whole, the week saw 92% of 2019 pre-pandemic traffic.
- Growth in overall air traffic but domestic traffic decreases - The Avinor Group - There were 50,137 commercial aircraft movements in April 2023. This is 1 per cent fewer movements than in April of last year. Compared to April 2019, there has been a drop in the number of aircraft movements of 6 per cent.
- Fraport Traffic Figures – April 2023: Passenger Demand Grows Steadily - Aircraft movements rose by 9.8 percent year-on-year to 35,503 takeoffs and landings.
- Approved Interim Financial Report as at 31 March 2023 - Enav - Air traffic volume above pre-pandemic levels. En-route and terminal traffic at +26.8% and +22.5%, respectively, in terms of service units, compared to the first quarter of 2022.
- Firsth quarter: Growth in air traffic - The Avinor Group - The first quarter of 2023 was significantly affected by precipitation in the form of sleet and snow. This led to an increase in weather related delays. March was particularly affected by this, with a 223 per cent increase – three times higher – in weather related compared to 2022. The number of flight movements increased by 10 per cent during the same month.
- Nearly 1.9 million passengers at Brussels Airport in April, an increase of 18% compared to 2022 - The number of flight movements in April 2023 rose by 8% compared to 2022. The number of passenger flights increased by 10% in comparison with 2022 and there was an average of 141 passengers per flight compared to 130 in April 2022. The number of cargo flights decreased by 4% compared to April 2022.
Research and innovation
- First public deliverable for Machine Learning Application Approval (MLEAP) research project - An EASA AI Roadmap 2.0 project - EASA announced the release of a 260-page report as part of his research project MLEAP. This project is one of the main projects of EASA AI Roadmap 2.0 and is part of the Agency's ongoing efforts to promote the safe integration of new and emerging technologies in aviation.
UAV and UTM
- 2023 UK drone survey results revealed - Civil Aviation Authority - Every year we conduct a survey of the public and drone users to gauge their understanding of the rules covering drone flying. We also seek their views on the future for drones and other areas of innovative aviation, such as electric vertical take and landing flying taxis.
- UK public expects drone deliveries to accelerate but drone user registrations fall – new CAA study - Unmanned airspace - The UK CAA in this year’s survey of the public’s view of the commercial drone industry has recorded that most people believe the biggest growth areas for commercial drone use is considered to be in deliveries and travel with the general public expecting both services to continue to grow over the next 20 years. However, the number of drone users registered continues to drop, including those who have registered in the last 12 months.
