Building the air traffic control platform of the future

Combining automation, AI, cloud technologies and service-oriented architectures, the SESAR-supported HAVEN project looks to deliver a blueprint for the ATM of tomorrow.

With air traffic set to experience a 50% increase by 2040, European airspace is at a critical juncture.

"As air traffic continues to grow, it will put even more pressure on airspace capacity as well as further increase controller workloads," says Mustapha El Mizeb, Programme Portfolio Manager at Thales.

The challenge is that existing ATM systems are fragmented, inflexible and thus unable to support this future. What controllers need are interoperable, scalable, highly digital solutions that can dynamically adapt to changing traffic demand.

Delivering such interoperability is HAVEN.

By combining advanced automation, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud technologies and service-oriented architectures, the SESAR-supported Highly Automated and Virtualised ATS Platform for En-Route & TMA Operations (HAVEN) project aims to deliver a range of future ATM solutions.

"Our overarching goal of is to design, prototype and validate the next generation of air traffic services (ATS) platforms that will help enable the Digital European Sky from 2030 onwards," adds El Mizeb, who is coordinating the project's consortium of industry partners.

In addition to Thales, those partners include: Nav Portugal, Ecole Nationale De L' Aviation Civile (ENAC), Luftfartsverket (LFV), SITTI, HungaroControl, Direction Des Services De La Navigation Aerienne (DSNA), Sopra Steria Group, Austro Control, AirNav Ireland, and Hrvatska Kontrola Zracne Plovidbe (Croatia Control).

Bringing AI into ATM

As the three-year project has set some big ambitions. That includes bringing AI solutions into ATM systems.

"While future ATM systems must leverage AI, this technology needs to be safely integrated in a way that meets aviation's strict safety, cybersecurity, certification and regulatory requirements," explains El Mizeb.

Here the project intends to build prototype AI-powered modules for conflict detection and resolution, weather avoidance, coordination, clearances and digital communications. It also plans to develop AI-based congestion prediction and demand-capacity balancing tools that can help manage forecasted traffic growth.

Solutions to enable advanced operational concepts

Beyond AI, the project looks to develop an innovative 'digital ATCO' concept that can autonomously perform routine air traffic control tasks while keeping human controllers 'in the loop' and in control of critical decisions. It also hopes to introduce higher levels of automation, as well as create a highly virtualised, fully interoperable and cloud-ready ATS platform.

"Together, these solutions will enable such advanced operational concepts as trajectory-based operations and demand-capacity balancing, both of which will help aviation become more efficient and sustainable," remarks El Mizeb.

The HAVEN project will develop its innovations to a technology readiness level 6 (technology demonstrated in relevant environment).

A validated blueprint for the ATM of the future

Whether it be demonstrating how AI can safely support ATC or implementing interoperable, cloud-based ATM infrastructures, HAVEN will create a validated blueprint for the ATM of tomorrow - one capable of handling the growing demand for traffic, sustainability and security that will define this future.

"HAVEN is ready to build and validate the technological foundations of Europe's future air traffic control platform, combining AI, automation, interoperability and cloud technologies to deliver a safer, sustainable and more scalable Digital European Sky," concludes El Mizeb.

Stay tuned for updates on how the project is accelerating the Digital European Sky!