Weekly Review #266 - How to sell the absence of accidents

Picture of Vincent Lambercy
Posted October 30 2024 by Vincent Lambercy

How do you sell the absence of something? How can you convince potential customers and decision-makers that your system or idea will prevent incidents and accidents from happening in the first place?

 

One of my favourite books of all time is The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman. In it, there is a chapter about a human bias called 'Absence Blindness'. It explains how humans tend to have difficulty realising that 'something isn’t there' and, in turn, how 'prevention' can often be 'under-appreciated'.  This can be directly applied to air traffic management (ATM). The whole objective of the ATM industry is to prevent incidents, accidents or delays. So, how do we convince decision-makers to invest in something that prevents even more of these things?

Of course, we can't play 'the cost card'. It would be insensitive for a salesperson to bring up how investing in the system is more cost-effective than the cost of an accident. The same goes for trying to sell to someone straight after an incident or accident has occurred. It's bad practice to build a sales pitch around this kind of event, especially if a root cause hasn't been established yet. 

 

So, how do those selling the absence of accidents achieve success? At FoxATM, we have some ideas and best practices around this. If you'd like to know more, don't hesitate to get in touch and we'd love to have a conversation about it with you. 

 

If you missed Radar Contact podcast, you'll certainly enjoy our latest episode. We spoke to Juliette Bonet, Airside Operation Manager at Paris Airport, and Pierre Berolatti, Deputy Chief of Operations at DSNA. We discussed how Aéroport de Paris and the DSNA managed the traffic during the Olympic games in Paris this summer. You can listen here.

 

Please also note that the link we've included to The Personal MBA is an Amazon affiliate link, so we get a little commission if you decide to purchase via this link, at no extra cost to you.

 

Vincent

ANSP news

  • AirNav Ireland Celebrates First Anniversary and International Day of the ATCO- AirNav Ireland marked two significant milestones: the first anniversary of its establishment and the celebration of International Day of the Air Traffic Controller on 20October, 2024. These events highlight a year of remarkable progress, underscoring AirNav Ireland’s unwavering commitment to safety, innovation, and excellence in air traffic management.
  • UK’s summer of air traffic growth continues into September - NATS- NATS safely handled 230,974 flights in September, an increase of 2.7 per cent on the same month last year. Non-transatlantic arrivals and departures had most growth, with 3.8 per cent more flights compared to September 2023. The busiest routes were to Spain, France and Italy.
  • Brussels South Charleroi Airport also got its Digital Tower camera mast- This week a camera and antenna mast has been installed at Brussels South Charleroi Airport as part of the ‘Digital Tower Project’ by skeyes, in close collaboration with SOWAER (Société Wallonne des Aéroports). This innovative and complex project should be fully operational by the end of 2026. From then on, air traffic at both Liege and Charleroi airports will be managed remotely from a digital air traffic control centre in Namur. Here, SOWAER, the company responsible for developing the Walloon airports, and skeyes are jointly building Belgium's first digital tower centre. Earlier, on 20 November 2023, a similar mast was installed at Liege airport.
  • FAB CE ANSP News: Collaboration between BHANSA and Naviair- In exceptional recognition of Bosnian-Herzegovinian expertise, the knowledge and experience of BHANSA is proving useful and insightful to Naviair for a challenging project of taking over air traffic management over Greenland from Canada and Iceland. It is worth noting that EUROCONTROL, recommended BHANSA to Naviair for the purpose of sharing their expertise and experiences.
  • skeyes CEO discusses Remote Towers with EUROCONTROL - skeyes' CEO, Johan Decuyper, recently sat down with EUROCONTROL to discuss our innovative DITO (Digital Tower) project, focused on the future of Remote Tower operations. The interview highlights how this pioneering technology is transforming air traffic control, enhancing safety and efficiency for airports.
  • dans enters strategic partnership with DFS Group of Germany- As per the agreement DFS Aviation Services will supply functional and administrative personnel related to air traffic management activities for a period of five years, starting from 1 January 2025.
  • Intelligent Approach Customer Summit showcases product updates and new features - NATS Blog- This week saw our third annual Intelligent Approach Customer Summit, with representatives from NAV CANADA and LVNL – as well as from ANSPs in Europe and the Middle East – joining us in our UK head office.
  • Airservices Australia collaborates with Wisk for airspace of the future - Airservices Australia has signed a memorandum of understanding with global aerospace manufacturer Wisk Aero which will help both organisations gain insights into the future airspace management needs of Advanced Air Mobility operations, such as air taxis.
  • The A6 Alliance Steering Board Meeting in Brussels - The Board discussed the most important issues related to the relationship between the operational stakeholders and the Network Manager, the update of the ATM masterplan and required planning activities, the achievements of SESAR deployment and the future of SESAR beyond 2027. Particularly, the A6 partners identified areas of improvement for more efficient and resilient airspace network in summer 2025 and beyond.
  • M-NAV, GOJSC Skopje and SMATSA LLC have signed the new Service Level Agreement for the shared use of radar sensor data- SMATSA LLC and M-NAV signed a new Service Level Agreement following Eurocontrol guidelines for SLA. The primary objective of this new SLA is to enhance mutual cooperation through bilateral data sharing. By improving radar coverage and the availability of radar data in the Flight Information Regions under the responsibility of both ANSPs, this new agreement elevates the quality and accessibility of surveillance data provided by both organizations. The new SLA agreement introduces functional enhancements that will expand surveillance coverage and provide additional sensor data, thereby improving situational awareness as a support tool for air traffic controllers.

Airport news

  • New milestone for Poland’s planned mega hub project – Airport World- The company behind the plans for Poland’s new CPK mega hub, which will contain an airport, railway station and public transport interchange, has announced that the project has entered “the design acceptance process”. It has received the construction design for the project from the master architect and notes that the design acceptance process has begun and is expected to be completed by the end of the year, potentially paving the way for construction to start in 2026.
  • London airport plans could add 'another Heathrow' to capital's aviation capacity- The article discusses the potential impact of airport expansion plans in London, highlighting the possibility of adding an equivalent of Heathrow in terms of aviation capacity. The plans are set to significantly increase the capital's air travel capabilities.

Market news

  • Aerocivil of Colombia advances aeronautical message handling system with FREQUENTIS virtualisation technology- Frequentis and the Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronáutica Civil de Colombia (Aerocivil) are undertaking a transformative aeronautical message handling system (AMHS) upgrade project, with FRISSON Technologies serving as the prime contractor. This upgrade will elevate Aerocivil’s message handling capabilities to the forefront of modern aviation technology through an innovative virtualised solution.
  • NASA and Partners Scaling to New Heights in Air Traffic Management- NASA, in partnership with AeroVironment and Aerostar, recently demonstrated a first-of-its-kind air traffic management concept that could pave the way for aircraft to safely operate at higher altitudes. This work seeks to open the door for increased internet coverage, improved disaster response, expanded scientific missions, and even supersonic flight. The concept is referred to as an Upper-Class E traffic management, or ETM.
  • Turkish firm develops software to improve efficiency in Kyrgyzstan aviation operations- Software developed by Haritaevi Aviation Engineering aims to manage physical obstacles for airports, air traffic control units, airlines, following International Civil Aviation Authority standards.
  • FREQUENTIS and PCCW Global successfully showcase advanced air traffic management system in Hong Kong- Frequentis, in collaboration with PCCW Global, recently highlighted the benefits of advanced air traffic management technology for the Asia-Pacific region during an event in Hong Kong. The demonstration emphasised the practical advantages of utilising system-wide information management (SWIM) technology over the common regional virtual private network. This joint initiative is a significant step towards modernising air traffic management in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • AAI signs MoU/ agreements with Government of Madhya Pradesh for development of Shivpuri Airport under Regional Connectivity Scheme - The article discusses the recent agreement signed between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Government of Madhya Pradesh for the development of Shivpuri Airport under the Regional Connectivity Scheme. The partnership aims to enhance connectivity and accessibility in the region, benefiting both travelers and the local economy.
  • ERA a.s. - ERA´s system WAM West in Poland has gone operational- ERA company (a member of OMNIPOL group) celebrated the closure of its latest project in Poland, called WAM West. ERA, cooperating in the consortium with the ATC Branch of the local company GISS, delivered a Wide Area Multilateration/ADS-B system to cover the airspace above the western part of Poland, including the Terminal Manoeuvring Area of the Poznan airport. The system will be operated by PANSA.
  • Lektor Aero and Skyguide Partner to Enhance ATC Training- Lektor Aero, a pioneering company in Air Traffic Control training solutions, and Skyguide, a leading Air Navigation Service Provider from Switzerland, are proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership to enhance Air Traffic Control education and ensure greater student success. This collaboration brings gamified ATC training as part of Skyguide’s air traffic control BASIC course at the Skyguide Academy, marking a significant step towards modernising ATC training.

Context information

Research and innovation

  • Take a moment to read! Key updates and events from Engage 2 - SESAR JU- Engage 2, The SESAR JU knowledge transfer network, aims is to foster collaboration among aviation stakeholders to drive meaningful change. Take a moment to catch up on the latest developments and mark your calendars for the network’s upcoming events!
  • FAB CE - Free Route Airspace Airspace - Moving forward- Free Route Airspace holds great potential to enable the achievement of cost, environmental and efficiency goals. By reducing the load on air traffic controllers and allowing more direct flights. According to EUROCONTROL, the benefits that will be achieved upon full implementation of FRA within Europe are quite impressive. A reduction of 1 billion nautical miles flown, 6 billion tonnes of fuel utilised, 20 million tonnes of CO2 and €5 billion overall cost savings.
  • Engage 2 shines at the European Researchers’ Night 2024 in Trieste - SESAR JU- Engage 2 recently took part in the European Researchers’ Night 2024, held in Trieste, representing an important step in science communication and public engagement. The event, hosted in the heart of the city, in Piazza Unità, allowed participants to immerse themselves in the world of ATM through an interactive game developed by the University of Trieste. This game enabled attendees to explore data from a typical day at one of several European airports, dynamically selected by an algorithm.
  • Making data access FAIR! - SESAR JU- The SESAR JU project, SynthAIr, is committed to promoting open science practices by adhering to the data principles, know a s FAIR: findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable.
  • EUROCONTROL Think Paper #22 - Decarbonising long-haul flights by 2050: Is there a pathway through sustainable aviation fuel use, fleet renewal and green energy upscaling? - Long-haul flights, accounting for fewer than 10% of all departures, are responsible for over 50% of aviation's carbon emissions. While electric and hydrogen aircraft are progressing as solutions for short-haul travel, they remain unviable for long-haul operations. Utilising the new FlyingGreen platform’s FuellingDecarb module, we estimate the feasibility of producing sufficient sustainable aviation fuels to meet ReFuelEU’s blending mandate for long-haul flights, as well as the volume of electricity necessary to generate the required SAF.
  • Progress made in tackling certification challenges for highly automated technologies in aviation - SESAR JU- The HUCAN project (Holistic Urban Airspace Network Certification), now entering its second year, has made significant progress in addressing the complex certification challenges posed by the increasing use of automation in aviation. As part of SESAR JU’s efforts to ensure the safe and efficient integration of advanced technologies into ATM, HUCAN is pioneering innovative methodologies for certifying both airborne and ground-based systems, many of which incorporate AI-powered automation.
  • AI Flagship event - SESAR Joint Undertaking- Building on the AI Initial Coordination Workshop held in September, this session will focus on deepening our collective understanding of AI in ATM and advancing the regulatory debate in collaboration with EASA.
  • Turning CNS infrastructure into a service - SESAR Joint Undertaking - If communication, navigation, and surveillance infrastructure is the backbone of air navigation services, then data services are its blood. Putting the two together is the CNS DSP project.
  • Sector Traffic Balancing Using Tactical Demand Tailoring - Knowledge and Development Centre Mainport Schiphol- This article discusses the concept of sector traffic balancing by utilizing tactical demand tailoring. It highlights the importance of managing traffic demands strategically to achieve a smoother flow of traffic and minimize congestion.
  • FSF Panel to Focus on AAM Safety Challenges - Flight Safety Foundation- A panel organized by Flights Safety Foundation (FSF) will delve into the safety challenges of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). The discussion will center around strategies to enhance safety in the rapidly evolving field of AAM.

Reports and data

  • The number of flights managed by ENAIRE in September was 6.7% higher than in 2023, a record year- ENAIRE, Spain's air navigation service provider, managed over 220,000 flights (220,844) in September, 6.7% more than in the same month in 2023, a record year. International flights in September (131,333) were up by 8.8%, overflights (48,569), which do not land at or depart from a Spanish airport, 4.8%, and domestic flights (40,942) 2.4%.
  • NAV CANADA reports September 2024 traffic figure- NAV CANADA announced today its traffic figure for the month of September 2024 as measured in weighted charging units for enroute, terminal and oceanic air navigation services, in comparison to the prior year. In September 2024 weighted charging units were higher on average by 4.4 percent compared to the same month in 2023.
  • Good passenger growth in September - The Avinor Group- There were 57,078 commercial flight movements in September. This is 2 percent more than in September last year. There have been 1 percent fewer flight movements so far this year compared to the same period in 2023.

UAV and UTM

  • Poland's DroneTower app registers half a million flights in six months - Unmanned airspace- PANSA reports that the sum of all reported uncrewed aerial system (UAS) flights using the DroneTower application has already exceeded half a million. DroneTower is the official IT system for reporting the intention to perform drone flights which negates the need for UAS pilots to call air traffic control towers to check-in.
  • PANSA supports UAS UTM research project for crisis management operations - Unmanned airspace- PANSA supported student scientific groups participating in the Droniada OBLot training and research project on September 27-29, 2024 in Przasnysz. The aim of the project was for students to develop a proposal for the use of uncrewed aerial vehicles for crisis management. The event took place at the airport of the Aviation and Space Research Center (OBLot) of the Faculty of Power and Aeronautical Engineering of the Warsaw University of Technology.
  • "Navigating U-space and USSP certification: a new era in drone airspace management" - Unmanned airspace- As the global drone industry grows and evolves, managing airspace for unmanned aircraft systems has become a key priority. In Europe, this effort is encapsulated in U-space, a set of services designed to ensure the safe, secure, and efficient integration of drones into shared airspace. Managed by EASA and National Aviation Authorities, U-space offers a framework for providing airspace services-much like ATM for manned aviation but tailored specifically to unmanned operations. Commentary by Amit Ganjoo, Founder and CEO of ANRA Technologies.