Boeing

Boeing [NYSE: BA] will lead the U.S. 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 European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., Airbus and Thales), the Boeing Phantom Works Advanced Air Traffic Management team is working with U.S. companies Honeywell and Rockwell Collins to ensure that global system interoperability and standardization objectives are achieved, and to plan near-term development projects.

"A significant focus of our work is on helping the new ATM system for Europe maintain interoperability with the current and next-generation air traffic control system being developed by the United States," said Kevin Brown, Boeing Phantom Works vice president and general manager of Advanced ATM. "Interoperability is essential for a globally seamless and efficient ATM system that can meet the tremendous demands of future growth safely."

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 organizational work program for 2008 to 2013.

Since the 2003 Paris Air Show, Boeing and the Air Traffic Alliance have worked together on key issues that affect the interoperability of future air transport systems around the world. As well, Boeing has been a partner with EUROCONTROL and other European groups on projects critical to transatlantic collaboration on air traffic management.

"Boeing is fully committed to our partnership with Europe and our joint efforts to achieve global interoperability," Brown said. "Many of the technologies necessary to transform global ATM are installed on modern commercial transports. We want airlines to be able to fly worldwide without needing special equipment, procedures and training for each different region. That makes for safer and less costly air transportation."

In the United States, Boeing is working with industry partners and the Federal Aviation Administration on a number of key ATM projects, including System-Wide Information Management (SWIM) and the Global Air Traffic Interoperability program (GATI).

SWIM is a network-centric system architecture that enables information to be shared across existing and future ground and airborne automation systems for advanced, high-precision operations.

The GATI initiative uses operational trials along oceanic routes to demonstrate international air traffic efficiency improvements. Boeing will work with the Air Traffic Alliance to fully demonstrate the intercontinental benefits of the GATI program.

Additionally, Boeing, NASA and the FAA are developing next-generation arrival procedures that simultaneously reduce fuel, emissions and noise with trials in the San Francisco Bay area. Boeing, the Air Traffic Alliance, Airservices Australia and Qantas Airlines are conducting similar demonstrations in Australia.