Weekly review #88 - 3rd March

ANSP news

• Aireon and Avinor Air Navigation Services Announce Utilization of Space-Based ADS-B for Helicopter Surveillance in the North Sea - Aireon and Avinor announce that an agreement has been reached to deploy space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) to monitor helicopter operations in the Bodo Oceanic Flight Information Region and adjacent relevant airspace.
• More freedom of movement in German aispace - DFS - From Thursday, 25 February, DFS Free Route Airspace will be available around the clock in the entire area of responsibility of the DFS Karlsruhe Upper Area Control Centre (UAC). DFS is offering direct routings to all its customers flying above 7,500 m. Aircraft taking these shortcuts save fuel and produce fewer emissions.
• Oro Navigacjia started using new air traffic control system - On 26 February Oro Navigacija started providing air traffic control services within the airspace of Lithuania using a new air traffic control system. This system is an integral part of technological partnership under iTEC project.

Airports news

• AAI’s Kolkata Airport to get New ATC Tower with upgraded technology and enhanced capacity - With an objective to enhance the capacity and ease the traffic flow, AAI’s Kolkata Airport has undertaken the work of construction of New ATC Tower and Technical Block. The new ATC Tower complex will accommodate all ANS units for efficient air traffic management.
• DFS tests segmented approach in daytime at Frankfurt Airport - From 1 March 2021, DFS will test the use of the so-called segmented approach procedure for incoming flights from the south during daytime at Frankfurt Airport. The GPS-based procedure avoids large cities, which has the potential to reduce noise in the Frankfurt region. 

Market news

• FREQUENTIS acquires parts of the ATM product segment from L3Harris Technologies - Frequentis has announced that it had signed an agreement to acquire the ATM voice communications and arrival management product business from the US company L3Harris Technologies for a purchase price of USD 20.1 million.

Reports and data

• EUROCONTROL Data Snapshot on the market share of cargo flights - The fifth EUROCONTROL Data Snapshot is dedicated to all-cargo flights having 3-4 times their normal market share in Europe, boosted by passenger aircraft flown as cargo.
• Impact of COVID-19 hits FAB CE States hardest of all European regions - FAB CE - Airline traffic levels in the seven FAB CE States were on average close to 70% lower between September 2020 and the start of February 2021 compared to 2019, according to the latest figures from Eurocontrol, making this area of Europe the hardest hit, in terms of aviation activity, of any region in the continent.

Research and innovation

• SESAR partners validate solution to delegate air traffic services - SESAR JU - Partners in the SESAR 2020 Project PJ.10-W2 PROSA have successfully validated a solution to delegate ATM services within a virtual centre environment. The validation made use of a pan-European infrastructure comprised of components of different vendors, demonstrating the feasibility of enabling Europe to move to an interoperable, cost-effective and flexible service provision infrastructure.

UAV and UTM

• Finland signs agreement with Astra UTM for drone traffic situational awareness services - Unmanned airspace - Fintraffic Air Navigation Services has selected Astra UTM to implement initial Unmanned Air Traffic Management centric services in Finland. 
• Novel pop-up UTM for Manna drone delivery programme in Ireland - Unmanned airspace - Irish research organisation U-Flyte, in collaboration with drone operator Manna Technical Team, has released a fully functional pop-up unmanned traffic management comprising airspace architecture and automated drone traffic management for Manna’s current Oranmore drone delivery test-site.
• SKYCORP files patent for ‘drone controlling device’ for internet of drones - Unmanned airspace - Autonomous ecosystem builder SKYCORP has filed a patent submission with the European Patent Office, for its Internet of Drones enabling Drone Controlling Device. 
• Austro Control - First Euroepan LUC certificat issued - Schiebel is the first Unmanned Air System operator in Europe to receive the organisational approval certificate - Light UAS Operator Certificate (LUC).