Weekly Review #257 - Harmonizing space and air traffic

ANSP news

• Air traffic gradually recovers in the Balearic Islands as traffic management measures put in place to guarantee safety- Air traffic management in the area of the Balearic Islands is recovering gradually, although it is still conditioned by the traffic management measures needed to ensure the safety of all operations. After two very difficult days, during which adverse weather as a result of a cutoff low greatly hampered air mobility in the Mediterranean Arc, and particularly in the Balearic Islands, route traffic and approach maneuvers to the airports of Ibiza, Menorca and Mallorca are returning to normal.
• Malmö Airport launches Remote Tower Centre - Malmö Airport has successfully transitioned to remote air traffic control, managed from the Remote Tower Centre in Stockholm. This change is part of an agreement signed in November 2017 between Swedavia and LFV, covering remote air traffic control for four Swedish airports: Kiruna, Åre Östersund, Umeå, and Malmö. With Malmö now connected to RTC Stockholm, all airports included in the agreement can be controlled remotely. To ensure a smooth transition, air traffic services will be alternated between Malmö and RTC Stockholm for a period.
• Airservices Australia Signs Up to New Simulator Training Tech for Air Traffic Controllers- Australia’s air traffic controllers will soon have their training capability augmented through the introduction of a new cloud-based simulator service. Airservices Australia has signed a three-year service agreement with Airways International Limited (AIL) for their tower simulation product called TotalControl ATC Simulation. Under this trans-Tasman partnership, operators in New Zealand will remotely create and operate exercises for Airservices’ air traffic controllers with photo-real graphics delivered via an intuitive interface.

Airport news

• London City expansion approved but no curfew lift- The government has approved passenger expansion plans for London City Airport (LCY/EGLC) but stopped short of allowing extra weekend flights. The approval means that London City can operate with up to 9 million passengers annually as opposed to the previous cap of 6.5 million.
• Airservices Australia calls for community feedback on new Brisbane flightpath options to reduce aircraft noise - Airservices- Airservices Australia is today launching five new sets of flightpath options developed by specialist airspace design consultants Trax International which may change where aircraft operate over Brisbane. The proposed flightpath concepts, which form part of Airservices’ Noise Action Plan for Brisbane, have been designed to reduce the concentration of flights over several Brisbane communities. The Plan was developed to address aircraft noise impacts resulting from changes to Brisbane’s airspace, following the introduction of Brisbane Airport’s new parallel runway in July 2020. Now, Airservices is calling for Brisbane residents to provide feedback on the flightpath options.
• Perth Airport to begin A$5bn construction works - British Aviation Group- Perth Airport in Australia is starting construction work on its A$5bn capital investment program of infrastructure projects that are intended to provide the capacity for Western Australia’s growing aviation sector and passenger base. The project list includes two multi-story car parks, a new terminal, an expanded international terminal, the airport’s first-ever airport hotel and a new runway.

Market news

• LFV Aviation Consulting AB and IBG sign framework agreement- LFV Aviation Consulting AB and Independent Business Group Sweden AB have signed a framework agreement to collaborate on international projects, strengthening ties between the two companies. The agreement comes at a time when the global aviation market is rapidly recovering post-COVID, with a growing need for modernizing airspaces to enhance efficiency, capacity, and safety around airports.

Research and innovation

• The Benefits of Flight Information Displays (FIDs) in Air Traffic Control and Aerodrome Flight Information Services- Flight Information Displays (FIDs) can play a pivotal role in enhancing the efficiency and safety of air traffic control and aerodrome flight information services. By leveraging advanced electronic conspicuity technology, these systems provide crucial situational awareness for both ground and airborne operations.

Reports and data

• UK says space-related risks remain 50 percent above average - Unmanned airspace- The National Space Operations Centre says that overall risks to UK interests in space and on Earth from space-related threats, risks, and hazards were lower in July than in June with fewer re-entry, conjunction and space weather alerts issued. Whilst the number of re-entry events meeting the alert threshold reduced from a high in June, the number of re-entries monitored remained above average for 2024.
• NAV CANADA reports July 2024 traffic figure- NAV CANADA announced today its traffic figure for the month of July 2024 as measured in weighted charging units for enroute, terminal and oceanic air navigation services, in comparison to the prior year. In July 2024 weighted charging units were higher on average by 5.3 percent compared to the same month in 2023.
• Passenger Traffic Reaches Post-Pandemic High at Airport Authority Hong Kong in July- Flight movements increased to 31,100, up 29.3% compared to July 2023.
• Aerothai announced numbers for flight movements - July 2024 - AEROTHAI sumarized flight movement in July 2024
• Queen Alia Airport sees 7.5% drop in July passenger numbers- Airport International Group has announced that Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) registered 7,592 aircraft movements and handled 6,924 tonnes of cargo, down 6.8% and up 32.1%, respectively, against the previous year.
• Strong half year performance by Zayed International Airport – Airport World- The gateway welcomed 13.7 million passengers between January and the end of June – a significant 33.8% rise on the same period last year. This growth was complemented by a 24.3% rise in flight movements, recording 84,286 movements during H1 2024.
• New safety data released for May - July 2024 - CANSO- New CANSO Safety Dashboard metrics are out for the period of May – July 2024. The increase in TCAS in North America coincides with the increase in summer general aviation traffic. This global chart with 12 months history clearly indicates this uptick in the summer months with a decrease in cooler weather and less GA flights.
• Zurich Airport sees 7% passenger growth in July 2024, nearing pre-pandemic levels- Air traffic movements rose by 4% year-on-year to 24,617, reaching 96% of July 2019 levels.
• NATS records its busiest day since the pandemic- NATS last month recorded its busiest day since 2019 with 8,238 movements on Monday 15 July. It is the clearest sign yet that air traffic is almost back to pre-pandemic levels.
• Aena's airports in Spain recorded over 31.9 million passengers in July - Airport Suppliers- In July 2024, Aena received 31,900,662 passengers, 7.2% more than in the same month of 2023; it handled 259,841 aircraft movements. In terms of operations, the airport with the most movements in July was Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, with a total of 37,773 (+9.6% compared with 2023), followed by Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, with 32,768 flights (+6.9%); Palma de Mallorca, with 31,243 (+4.5%); Málaga-Costa del Sol, with 18,399 (+6.2%); Ibiza, with 13,082 (-0.5%); Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández, with 12,139 (+14.7%) and Gran Canaria, with 11,231 landings and take-offs (+6%).
• Fraport Traffic Figures – July 2024: Noticeable Cargo Increase in Frankfurt, Passenger Growth Slowing- With 40,515 takeoffs and landings, the number of aircraft movements remained almost unchanged from the same month last year (down 0.3 percent)

UAV and UTM

• Australia to publish drone and eVTOL air traffic management strategy later this year - Unmanned airspace- Australia will reform the administration and management of its national airspace by 2030, which will include airspace arrangements that allow for the increased use of drones and other new aviation technologies, according to the government’s new Aviation White Paper. The document, released on August 26, includes 56 policy initiatives covering 10 key areas.
• First permanent vertiport in the UK receives planning permission - British Aviation Group- Skyports Infrastructure has unveiled designs for what it claims will be the UK’s first permanent vertiport testbed for the electric air taxi industry, alongside partners Bicester Motion, the 444-acre future mobility estate in Bicester, Oxfordshire and electric vertical take-off and landing company Vertical Aerospace.
• Port of Rotterdam sees 'unprecedented increase in drone activities' - Unmanned airspace- Amsterdam Drone Week reports that the Port of Rotterdam has seen a substantial increase in drone activities since its inception of a U-Space prototype over a year and a half ago. “Initially launched with around 15 drone operators, the system now supports over 50, with nearly 300 flight requests processed in the past four months alone,” Amsterdam Drone Week says. “These requests primarily involve inspections, mapping, and marketing, with each flight potentially lasting up to eight hours.”
• How 5G technology could contribute to the safe integration of drones   - Unmanned airspace- Researchers, industry and organisations have demonstrated how 5G technology could be harnessed to integrate drones into the airspace, enabling safe operations alongside manned airspace.
• NASA and FAA consider safe integration of public safety UAS with commercial drone activity - Unmanned airspace- NASA recently gathered representatives from the FAA, police and fire departments, and commercial industry to discuss beyond visual line of sight operations for public safety drones. As the FAA works to authorise these types of flights, NASA is helping ensure the operations are safe and efficient. 
• CAA selects six projects to trial drone operations across the UK - Unmanned airspace- Six projects have been selected for trials under a new UK Civil Aviation Authority scheme that will test drone use in deliveries, inspections of infrastructure, emergency services and flights to remote locations.
• FAA's initial roadmap for AI safety assurance says UAS could help shape policy - Unmanned airspace- FAA has released its initial Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence Safety Assurance, which recognises the growing use of AI technologies in the aviation sector, including autonomous systems.
• Graz Airport and AIRlabs investigate requirements for BVLOS operations - Unmanned airspace- In a joint project, Graz Airport and AIRlabs Austria have investigated the requirements for drone operations near airports, especially for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights.