Last month I attended my first SESAR Annual Conference on behalf of NATS. It was a fantastic event, with world-leading innovation and cross-industry collaboration on full display. 

As part of our contribution towards the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) programme, we have been working on the next phase of the Increased Flexibility in Air Traffic Controller (ATCO) Validations (IFAV) project.

New technologies provide a huge amount of data – how we use that data is part of several European-wide SESAR 2020 projects in which NATS has been involved. In particular, the projects have been exploring how enhanced communications between aircraft and air traffic controllers (ATCOs) could enable environmental, safety, efficiency and cost benefits for the aviation industry.

While there are acute differences between our oceanic and domestic operations, there is a great deal we can learn from one to build on the other.