SESAR marches into Europe

Boeing will lead the US industry team that will help a consortium of European companies and EUROCONTROL devise a new, streamlined air traffic management system for Europe. The project is known as the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) program.

As part of a 24-month SESAR definition phase subcontract awarded by the Air Traffic Alliance (a grouping of EADS, Airbus and Thales), the Boeing Phantom Works Advanced Air Traffic Management team is working with US companies Honeywell and Rockwell Collins to ensure that global system interoperability and standardisation objectives are achieved, and to plan near-term development projects.

The Boeing-led team's efforts will contribute to four milestone deliverables of the SESAR program: a market analysis of air transport value and the role of air traffic management, the setting of performance requirements and standards, the selection of target ATM concepts, and identification of a transition schedule to deploy a new ATM system in Europe.

Work in the SESAR definition phase will result in a master plan through 2020 for the new European ATM system and a detailed organisational work program for 2008 to 2013.