Common Project 1 regulation published by EC to ensure sustainable ATM modernisation

The European Commission (EC) has published the Common Project 1 (CP1) regulation, which aims to steer air traffic management (ATM) modernisation in Europe, into the European Union (EU) Official Journal. The regulation will come into force on 22 February 2021.

The SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM) will now break down the CP1 into a brand new SESAR Deployment Programme 2021. This will turn the regulation into a concrete manual to guide operational stakeholders on what has to be done, how, where and by when, with the aim of accelerating the digitalisation of European ATM towards a greener aviation industry.

Nicolas Warinsko, General Manager of the SESAR Deployment Manager, said: “It is a truly historical day in air traffic management modernisation, as CP1 is a key regulatory stepping stone, ensuring the smooth continuation of ATM modernisation in Europe. I am proud that the SDM teams and our stakeholders have strongly contributed to feeding this regulation and will now ensure and guide stakeholder commitment in applying CP1 on day-to-day ATM operations.”

From PCP to CP1

The Pilot Common Project (PCP) represented a first exercise for common projects in the deployment of the Single European Sky. The first SESAR Deployment Programme, delivered in 2015, kicked off the Pilot Common Project deployment, and defined how ATM in Europe could be modernised. SDM has played a leading role in the coordination, synchronisation and monitoring of SESAR Deployment projects in Europe.

While 2020 was impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, the intense pilot phase of implementing new technological and operational ATM solutions will now evolve to CP1, accelerating the digitalisation of European ATM towards a greener aviation industry.

SESAR Deployment Programme 2021

From March to July 2021, the SDM will elaborate and consult a new proposal for the SESAR Deployment Programme (SDP) 2021. The document will represent the blueprint for all ATM investments to deploy CP1, defining a common roadmap and an agreed work plan for implementation in Europe.

Moreover, the SESAR Deployment Manager will release the SDP Planning View 2021, a complementary document – to be updated yearly – that will further detail the content of the SDP. Both documents will be released to the European Commission by the end of July 2021.

“The new SESAR Deployment Programme 2021, that we will deliver in July, will guide all aviation stakeholders on what, how and when modernisation projects need to be implemented in order to ensure a more sustainable digitalised Single European Sky,” stated Warinsko.