Flying Smarter: How tech is driving cleaner, more efficient airspace

The aviation industry is on a crucial journey toward net zero emissions by 2050. At the heart of this mission is the urgent need to make airspace operations more efficient and environmentally friendly.

Earlier this year, we rolled out the Air Traffic Management Portal, ATM-P for short, a cutting-edge platform designed to enhance collaboration between the Flow Management Team at NATS, who ensure airspace sector capacity is safely balanced with demand, and Aircraft Operators (AOs).

ATM-P enables real-time sharing of information and data, allowing flight plans to be optimised efficiently, saving time, fuel and emissions. It analyses each flight plan in detail, evaluating distance, flight time, fuel consumption, navigation charges and potential delays.

It does this by integrating data from multiple sources, including the Network Manager’s systems in Brussels, European meteorological data and airline schedules. Then, it compares the airline or operator’s requested route with alternative routing options to identify more efficient paths.

The ATM-P tool was first piloted at our Prestwick Control Centre in early 2024, specifically focusing on Free Route Airspace flights above 25,500ft.  Following the pilot’s success, ATM-P has now been deployed across all FMP positions at both our Swanwick and Prestwick Centres. The results so far show remarkable improvements in both airspace efficiency and operational management.

If a better flight route is found, the system highlights it to the FMP position who can then share it with the aircraft operator – directly and in real-time – before the flight even takes off. This immediate feedback loop means airlines can file smarter, more environmentally friendly routes, reducing unnecessary fuel burn and emissions.

One of ATM-P’s most powerful features is its ability to facilitate cross-border coordination. Our teams in Swanwick and Prestwick seamlessly collaborate with their counterparts across Europe and this joint effort uncovers route improvements that might otherwise be missed, sometimes saving hundreds of miles and significantly cutting carbon emissions.

If the tool’s pre-flight check feature spots a potential saving of seven nautical miles or more, it flags the opportunity for review. For example, one flight was rerouted through Maastricht-controlled airspace, trimming 158 nautical miles (roughly the distance from London to Liverpool) and 23 minutes off its journey, reducing fuel burn by around 200 kilograms for a single flight. Multiply these savings across thousands of flights, and the impact is substantial.

Recently, the portal’s capabilities have been expanded to help avoid delays in congested airspace. Operators are now presented with options to sidestep delays, opt for emissions-optimised routing, or find a balance between the two.

The tool also offers robust reporting, tracking how often rerouting proposals are accepted by airlines. Impressively, uptake rates have reached up to 85% in some months, proof of the strong collaboration between air traffic managers and airlines.

The Jet2 Flight Planning Team have made great use of the tool. They said:

It is very helpful for us to identify where our system is not necessarily suggesting the best routes and enables us to investigate and improve the efficiency of our route planning.

We really value the proposals we receive through the ATM-P. We may not accept every single one of them, but we do analyse every one and more often than not we see great benefits through them!

While ATM-P doesn’t replace the expertise of our Airspace Efficiency Advisors or Route Management teams, it empowers them with deeper insights and enables more direct engagement with airlines.

By leveraging technology like ATM-P, we’re proud to contribute to a cleaner, smarter future for air travel. Every mile saved means less fuel burned and fewer emissions released – an essential step on the journey to greener skies.

Simon Edsforth, NATS Airspace Efficiency Manager, sums it up:

ATM-P is a powerful addition to our toolkit as we navigate complex, busy airspace. It’s a shining example of how collaboration between air traffic control and airline operators can unlock significant savings, reduce aviation’s environmental impact and help bring us closer to net zero emissions.