A6 Alliance widens its cooperation to the air navigation service providers (ANSPs) of Switzerland, Hungary and Romania

Widening the A6 Alliance (from left): Thomas Hoffmann (COOPANS); Valentin Cimpuieru (ROMATSA); Klaus-Dieter Scheurle, Chairman of the A6 Alliance; Maurice George (DSNA and for Consortium with Skyguide); Janusz Niedziela (PANSA and for Consortium Romatsa/HungaroControl); Klaus Meier (Skyguide)

FAREHAM, UK, 22-Dec-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — The A6 Alliance of air navigation service providers (ANSPs) across Europe who are committed to modernise the European ATM system – has widened its cooperation to the ANSPs of Switzerland, Hungary and Romania and has also agreed on the new chairmanship of the A6 Alliance for the year 2018.

At its latest meeting on  December 12th the Steering Board of the A6 Alliance formally appointed Roberta Neri, CEO of the Italian ANSP ENAV as chairperson of the A6 Alliance in 2018. Ms. Neri follows Prof. Klaus-Dieter Scheurle, CEO of the German ANSP DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung, who chaired the A6 Alliance during the last two years.

Furthermore the Steering Board widened the Alliance. Switzerland’s ANSP Skyguide has joined the A6 Alliance through a consortium with French DSNA. In addition the Alliance signed a cooperation agreement with HungaroControl and Romatsa for the SESAR Deployment Manager Function through a consortium led by PANSA.

Strive for partnership and efficiency

The A6 Alliance strives for an open partnership and for keeping its ability to act efficiently.

Therefore, the CEOs of the A6 Alliance have signed further agreements, confirmimg their cooperation in order to achieve the goals set by the Single European Sky (SES) and deliver an even more efficient and safe European ATM system. The A6 Alliance has set up its 2018 roadmap, reaffirming the core role of ANSPs as one of the main drivers to successfully deploy SESAR technology and operational concepts, thus strengthening the competitiveness and sustainability of the entire EU air transport value network.

A6 expertise, an essential support to innovation in ATM

Since the launch of SESAR 1, A6 Alliance members, together with their SJU partners, have achieved significant results (development of 63 successfully completed SESAR solutions). In SESAR 2020, the A6 partners are engaged in all 25 projects (leading eight of those) ensuring the development of 46 new operational solutions.

The A6 Alliance, core investor in SESAR deployment roadmap

The SESAR Deployment Alliance (SDA) industrial consortium, that performs the role of the SESAR Deployment Manager for the European Commission (SDM) and was founded and operated by the A6 and other partners, has reached an important milestone in its progress towards transitioning to operate as a legal entity starting from January 1^st 2018.

By the coordination of the SDM, a co-funding of 69 projects with a co-fund sum of EUR 261 million under the 2016 CEF Transport Call has been concluded. SESAR is now the leading Horizontal priority under CEF (it represents more than EUR 1.4 billion of cumulated grants).

The projects to implement the Pilot Common Project (PCP) requirements completed by 2017 represent more than EUR 1.3 billion of investments into Europe’s ATM modernisation, a major part of which are ANSPs’ investments, co-funded by the EU with EUR 670 million. A6 members are also strongly involved in supporting the SDM for the Data Link implementation management and have defined a solid roadmap for the further evolution of this critical enabler for the European ATM.

Feeding European ATM strategy

The A6 offered key expertise to the SESAR Joint Undertaking to help completion of the  comprehensive draft of Common Project 2 regulation by November 2017. The A6 was able to feed this work with its collaboratively elaborated Surveillance Strategy Outcomes (cross border synergies, Mode-S Clustering, Mode A/C decommissioning, ADS-B Mandate enlargement) which demontrates the committment of ANSPs to modernise and transform ATM in Europe. The A6 has also taken the leadership in setting up a SWIM Governance based on four objectives: interoperability, trust, a collaborative approach and implementation support. Complementing these activities, a successful collaboration is on track with 41 ANSPs and EUROCONTROL for the new pan-European network service (NewPENS) and the A6 Alliance will secure an efficient governance of this structuring common service.

Trust is at the core of the successful collaboration of the A6 Alliance, trust between its members and trust in its capacity to deliver tangible benefits to SESAR and wider SES. This philosophy will stay at the core of A6 action in 2018.

SOURCE: A6 Alliance