Airbus ProSky and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Collaborate to Enhance Air Traffic Efficiency

A further important step in strengthening the collaborative partnership between the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Airbus ProSky was taken today with the signing of a Research Collaboration Agreement (RCA) between Mr Yap Ong Heng, Director-General of CAAS, and Mr Eric Stefanello, President of Airbus ProSky, to jointly develop a Concept of Operations for Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) based on Collaborative Decision Making (CDM). The RCA follows the foundational Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on Air Traffic Management (ATM) research and development collaboration that was signed in November 2012. The MoC is part of CAAS' larger effort to advance ATM research and development in Singapore under its Centre of Excellence for ATM initiative.

The Asia Pacific, being the world's fastest growing region for air travel, will face increasing complexity in the operating environment due to rapid growth in air traffic. Under this RCA, CAAS and Airbus ProSky will embark on a joint research project to address the challenges of air traffic flow in the context of the specific operational dynamics of the region. A technology testbed that runs on the Harmony ATFM solution platform will be built in Singapore for the development, experimentation, demonstration and refinement of the ATFM Concept of Operations. The Harmony solution suite has been successfully deployed for similar ATFM research and development projects that were conducted in the United States, South Africa and Australia. This joint research project will be the first to be undertaken under the MoC collaboration framework as well as the Centre of Excellence for ATM initiative.

"CAAS is pleased to partner Airbus ProSky in ATM research and development, and specifically this important first research endeavour to develop a novel Air Traffic Flow Management Concept of Operations that is unique to Singapore and the Asia Pacific region. It will pave the way for the eventual application of advanced air traffic flow management solutions that will benefit the aviation community. Customised for the region based on coordination and cooperation, these solutions will provide for better management of the rising air traffic volumes in the Asia Pacific," said Mr Yap Ong Heng, Director-General, CAAS.

Dr. Kiran Rao, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Future Programmes, Airbus said: "Airbus recognizes the strategic importance of optimized and efficient Air Traffic Management". He added: "The partnership between CAAS and Airbus ProSky will enable long term research and development of ground breaking ATM solutions that will safeguard the continued growth of this vibrant region."

Eric Stefanello, CEO, Airbus ProSky said: "This project is an exciting opportunity to start deploying seamless airspace concept that our industry has talked about for quite some time."