An independent view of the skies

The 23rd annual ATC Global air traffic manage ment conference, exhibition and award ceremony is set to be another landmark gathering. Taking place from 12-14 March 2013 at Amsterdam RAI, ATC Global 2013 is the only neutral forum that continues to unite every stakeholder in the ATM market, regardless of affiliation, including Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), Governments, Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs), regulatory bodies, airports, airport authorities, airlines, training estab – lishments, military, consultancies, industry organisations and associations, manufacturers and technology providers. Each year ATC Global brings together ATM professionals from across the globe; the 2012 event attracted a record number of visitors with over 5,500 from 116 countries. With its position of neutrality, ATC Global provides a unique platform from which all views and perspectives can be heard and represented. As such it is the only event that gives the whole picture of what is happening within the industry and more importantly, what needs to happen to drive the industry forward.

The exhibition

Airport operations will be a major feature of the exhibition where the entire spectrum of ATM-related airport products and services, encompassing all aspects of airport equipment, technology, design and services will be displayed.

There is no better place for visitors to meet face-to-face with potential suppliers including providers of Aeronautical Information Systems, ATC Towers, Displays, Surveillance Systems, Precision Landing Systems, Flight Data Processors, Avionics Equipment, Meteoro – logical Equipment and much more, with theadded benefit of being able to compare multiple products under one roof, over just three days.

With close to 150 exhibitors already confirmed, ATC Global comprises the most comprehensive exhibition of its kind, showcasing a huge and diverse number of companies supplying products and services to the inter – national air traffic management marketplace. Companies with confirmed space on the exhibition floor include ITT Exelis, Northrop Grumman, Intelcan, Azimut, Leosphere, Vaisala, Moog Fernau, Barco, Guntermann & Drunck, Schmid Telecom, Era A.S, Comsoft, Korea Airports Corp., Tern Systems, Rohde & Schwarz, Southern Avionics, VNIIRA and many others.

The VIP and Hosted Buyer Programmes will return for 2013, expanding more than ever before. ATC Global provides financial assistance to pre-qualified ANSPs to attend the event with civil and military delegations from Latin America, Middle East, Asia and Far East already confirmed to attend.

ATC Global is the only ATM event where these organisations benefit from a dedicated team that compiles the desired product and service offerings of each exhibitor and matches them with the investment plans of relevant buyers, allowing all parties to agree on an efficient and well-planned meeting schedule prior to the event.

Alongside the major conference and exhibition, ATC Global 2013 will also feature a number of bespoke seminars and workshops to address a wide range of airport issues.

The workshop programme has been devised to explore lessons learned from recent incidents, allow participants to hear about the latest trends and global perspectives whilst offering the opportunity to ask vital questions about what needs to be done to secure the future of the industry.

The workshops will run over the three days and will include sessions on best practice and regulatory updates. Confirmed themes will focus on the challenges and benefits of auto – mating the ATM system, new technologies and procedures to improve runway safety, regulating safety training in ATM frameworks and the challenge of developing space-based ATM services, amongst others.

A series of seminars hosted by leading ATM suppliers will include a mixture of case studies and best practice discussions incorporating topics, from integrated Video-Audio-Data recording and playback to GBAS as an alternative to ILS and Lidar-aided air traffic management and Airport Airspace Obstruction Analysis tools.

Every attendee, whatever their level or responsibility, will benefit from this engaging schedule which features experts from organisa – tions such as EUROCAE, Thales, Azimut JSC and Honeywell.

The free-to-attend educational programme will run alongside all other ATC Global activities.

The conference

The 2013 ATC Global Conference is set to be the most compelling to date, incorporating a new format with an ambitious agenda borne from extensive research within the air traffic management industry. ATC Global leads the way by asking the questions that get to the heart of the real issues facing the industry. This year’s industry leading conference will therefore focus on ‘real world perspectives driving real world change’.

Now running for three full days, the conference will bring to life the requirements set out by ICAO’s Air Navigation Conference 2012 in November; addressing the progress being made with the ANC 2012 Block Upgrades, evaluating the reality of progress made by ANSPs so far and discussing a real-world time – table of implementation. Over the three days the conference will concentrate on key themes. Day one will examine ANC 2012 Block Upgrades; day two will offer discussions around progress and performance and the third and final day will drill down into delivery and implementation.

The main conference will also discuss how airports and their partners increasingly collab – orate to implement change across the industry. Declan Collier, President and CEO at London City Airport; James Cites, Executive Vice President of Operations at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; Mauricio Boekhoudt, Strategic Advisor for Aruba Airport Authority and the Managing Director of Oslo Airport, Nic Nilsen, are all confirmed participants within the conference schedule. Together they bring an expert insight into how they can work effectively with other ATM sectors.

In addition, the three day conference will host a distinguished line-up of speakers from across the industry including: Maurizio Castelletti, Head of Unit Single Sky and Modernisation of Air Traffic Control, Directorate General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission; Alan Stealey, Divisional Senior Vice President Flight Operations, Emirates Airline; Amadou Ousmane Guitteye, Director General, ASECNA; Jeff Osborne, Managing Director of Technical Operations Support, American Airlines; John Vincent, Deputy Director for Strategic Safety, EASA, Jose Alberto Palermo, Director General, DGTA, Argentina, Gilbert Faure, CEO Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority, Marc Baumgartner, SESAR and EASA co-ordinator for IFATCA, among others. Captain Jeff Osborne commented: “We must achieve an interoperable and seamless system for managing global air traffic, as prescribed by ICAO’s ATM Operational Concept, so that air carriers and governments are assured of the efficient and effective use of available airspace.”

ATC Global Excellence Awards and VIP Gala Dinner

The prestigious ATC Global Excellence Awards will reward and celebrate organisational and individual leadership excellence and outstanding contributions to the improvement of air traffic management over the past 12 months, as well as lifetime careers. “It will place a special focus on people who have made a real difference in delivering ATM performance but whose contributions may not be well known or fully understood to the wider aviation community,” explained Paula Milburn, ATC Global Event Director.

The event will take place in the Grand Elicium Ballroom at the Amsterdam RAI on the evening of Tuesday 12 March 2013 and will be attended by over 300 of the industry’s elite.

A high number of distinguished entries involved in all areas of the ATC/ATM industry have been nominated across all categories, including individuals, national air navigation service providers (ANSPs), technology providers, aircraft operators, airports and large-scale industry partnerships.