A new future for air traffic management

Aviation is an ecosystem, no one player exists without the other. Rather, we each depend on the other to grow and transform. Together we face challenges, and together we evolve.

And that is the mindset we must all adopt as we approach this new era for aviation. Our world is changing – from the ground to space – and we each have an important role to play in rebuilding our industry. After all, the route we take is as important as the connectivity we create.

For its part, air traffic management’s (ATM) journey has been an interesting one.

We have served airspace users both in times of boom and gloom – from the highs of 2019 to the lows of 2020. We have worked alongside our partners to weather some of the most challenging periods our industry has ever known.

Now, as we begin to emerge from the current crisis and look towards a new future, we are preparing once again to adapt and find new ways to serve our industry and support our ecosystem.

At the end of June, the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) launched a new vision for the ATM industry it represents – a commitment to adjust to this new era of aviation and develop an industry of the future. 

Aviation is an ecosystem, no one player exists without the other. Rather, we each depend on the other to grow and transform. Together we face challenges, and together we evolve.

And that is the mindset we must all adopt as we approach this new era for aviation. Our world is changing – from the ground to space – and we each have an important role to play in rebuilding our industry. After all, the route we take is as important as the connectivity we create.

For its part, air traffic management’s (ATM) journey has been an interesting one.

We have served airspace users both in times of boom and gloom – from the highs of 2019 to the lows of 2020. We have worked alongside our partners to weather some of the most challenging periods our industry has ever known.

Now, as we begin to emerge from the current crisis and look towards a new future, we are preparing once again to adapt and find new ways to serve our industry and support our ecosystem.

At the end of June, the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) launched a new vision for the ATM industry it represents – a commitment to adjust to this new era of aviation and develop an industry of the future. 

Our vision

Our new vision, ‘shaping our future skies’, recognises that our world is evolving – from fluctuating traffic patterns to new technologies and airspace users – and airspace will need to be managed differently in the future. CANSO has an instrumental role in delivering and maintaining a sustainable future for aviation.

Our vision centres around three key focus areas: creating a blueprint for future skies, delivering a sustainable future for aviation and raising the bar by connecting the ATM industry. Together these will help deliver a more integrated, sustainable and efficient transport network for all in aviation.

For example, one of the biggest tests our industry will face over the coming years is how to safely integrate the variety of new airspace users into our skies. Safely managing the proliferation of different vehicles, all with different capabilities, will require innovation and collaboration across the entire aviation ecosystem.

That’s why we’ve committed to leading the creation of a shared vision for our skies, and have established the Complete Air Traffic System Global Council, comprising leaders from across the entire aviation community. The council is an inspiration and is already well on its way to creating a vision and building blocks for what our future skies could look like in 2045.

We’ve also committed to taking a more proactive role in delivering zero carbon aviation. While we cannot do this alone, we can take responsibility for ensuring the ATM industry plays its part in developing our industry’s ecosystem sustainably and provides strong and clear leadership.

Our approach will be regionally tailored, include targets, draw on global data, and encompass both the operational elements of the services we provide, and the facilities we run.

Finally, we are committed to being the best partner we can be, raising the bar for ATM performance to help deliver benefits industry-wide.

CANSO brings the industry together to leverage best practice, technologies and innovation, and ultimately deliver the best possible service within the air transport community. So, whether that’s optimising traffic flows to minimise congestion on the ground and in the air, enhancing communications between air crew and controllers, or embracing digitalisation, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve safety and efficiency, we’re committed to connecting all ATM players to transform aviation.

Our future

CANSO’s vision for ATM is therefore in service of the future of the aviation industry – our future.

From the air navigation service providers and air traffic management suppliers we represent, to airports, airspace users, and aviation businesses, institutions and governments, our mission is clear: our world needs us, all of us, to replenish, reshape, renew.

Together we need to search for better ways to partner and smarter ways to deliver. We need to continue evolving our strategies for restart and recovery, maintain support and investment of key infrastructure, and continue to develop our highly specialised workforce and skills pipelines.

We also need to learn from other industries and listen to voices outside of our sector that are calling for change and innovation. We need to look at the pace of development around the world, and respond in an agile and flexible manner, scaling our services while safeguarding our high safety standards.

We know that change is coming; technology will develop faster in the next decade than in the past century, and we need to approach aviation with even more commitment to the progress, innovation and societal benefits we can responsibly deliver.

Ultimately, despite one of the most demanding times in our industry’s history, our ecosystem is slowly recovering – from the green shoots of domestic and regional passenger travel to an already flourishing cargo sector.

But we need to navigate this recovery carefully. We need to work together to make sure we’re learning from the past, and creating a truly new future for aviation.

We each have our role, and expertise and insights we can share, and as CANSO embarks on its mission to shape future skies, I look forward to the new path we, the aviation industry, will all forge together.