CAAS joins FAA, SESAR, MITRE, Airbus Prosky in air traffic plan

THE Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) has announced the signing of four agreements in support of an initiative to turn the Lion City into a Centre of Excellence for Air Traffic Management (ATM).

A statement said that CAAS has sealed four foundational collaboration agreements with leading American and European organisations. The four organisations are: the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU), The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) and Airbus Prosky.

The four collaborating organisations will help drive the ATM modernisation programmes, such as the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) in the United States and the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) in Europe.

The four agreements were signed on the sidelines of the 12th International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Air Navigation Conference held in Montreal, Canada.

The partnership agreements will set in motion a wide range of collaborative activities, including research & development, test-bedding and validation of ATM concepts, technologies and solutions for the continued safety and efficiency of the growing air traffic in Singapore and Asia Pacific. These include ways and means to maximise airspace capacity, optimise aircraft operations and enhance air navigation services operational and human performance.

With their extensive experience and expertise in ATM modernisation, these organisations will bring significant value to the development of ATM solutions for Singapore and the Asia Pacific region," said CAAS director general Yap Ong Heng.

"Collaborating with partners from other regions will also contribute to ATM harmonisation and interoperability across regions in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation's Aviation System Block Upgrade (ASBU) framework," he said.

NextGen is a US initiative to transform its National Airspace System from a ground-based system of air traffic control to a satellite-based system of air traffic management, to meet future demand in air traffic and to avoid a gridlock in the sky and at US airports. NextGen aims to allow more aircraft to safely fly closer together on more direct routes, reducing delays and providing unprecedented benefits for the environment and the economy through reductions in carbon emissions, fuel consumption and noise.

SESAR is a Europe-wide air traffic control infrastructure modernisation programme to develop a new generation air traffic management system capable of ensuring the safety and fluidity of air transport worldwide over the next 30 years.