ETSI creates new Aeronautical Technical Committee

This committee will deal with interoperability aspects of the European Air Traffic Management Network (EATMN) under the Single European Sky regulation. It will be responsible for developing, under Mandates from the European Commission (EC), European standards satisfying the essential requirements and/or Implementing Rules of the Single European Sky Interoperability Regulation (552/2004/EC). The Regulation gives standards a central role in achieving its objectives, and the standards to be produced by the new committee will be given the status of Community Specifications when referenced by the EC in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). Under the terms of the Regulation, systems, procedures and constituents which meet Community Specifications are presumed to be compliant with the essential requirements and Implementing Rules. ETSI has been active in the aeronautical sector for many years and it has already published a number of aeronautical standards, with much of the work being handled by a Task Group of an existing Technical Committee (TC ERM). ETSI is an active member of the Air Traffic Management Standards Co-ordination Group (ATMSCG). This is a Joint Advisory Group of standards bodies ETSI, CEN and CENELEC, aeronautical bodies EUROCONTROL, EUROCAE and EASA, the European Commission and EFTA, tasked with ensuring compliance with the Interoperability Regulation and co-ordination of the development of Community Specifications for the EATMN. The creation of this new Technical Committee will give ETSI a much stronger identity within the aeronautical sector and provide the aeronautical community with a more specific forum with which to identify. In addition to its role in creating candidate Community Specifications, the Aeronautical Technical Committee will produce other technical standards and reports related to interoperability in EATMN. It will liaise as necessary with other standards organizations, including CEN and CENELEC, and with relevant civil and military aeronautical organizations (such as ICAO and NATO). Specifically, the committee will work in close co-operation with EUROCAE (the European Organization for Civil Aviation Equipment), as explicitly required by the Interoperability Regulation, EUROCONTROL (the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation) and EASA (the European Aviation Safety Agency). It will also take into account the requirements of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the European Conference of Posts & Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) in the production of standards, studies and reports for radio communication, navigation and surveillance systems. The first meeting of the Aeronautical Technical Committee will take place in September this year. Participation is open to all ETSI members in accordance with the Institute's rules. Membership of ETSI is open to all companies and organizations wishing to participate in its work.