NEURON project launches to shape the next generation of airport operations

The NEURON project officially kicked off on 24-25 June with a hybrid meeting hosted by project coordinator Indra in Madrid, bringing together representatives from the consortium's 25 partner organisations, members of the SESAR Joint Undertaking and the project's Advisory Board.

Funded by the SESAR Joint Undertaking under the Horizon Europe programme, NEURON aims to design, develop and validate a next-generation airport platform that will enhance operational efficiency, safety and sustainability through advanced automation, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technologies.

During the two-day meeting, consortium members aligned on the project's technical roadmap, governance structure, validation strategy and first implementation activities. The discussions also covered the initial project deliverables, performance assessment framework, standardisation activities and the communication, dissemination and exploitation strategy, laying the foundations for effective collaboration throughout the project's lifetime.

NEURON will develop and validate four complementary solutions addressing key operational challenges across airport operations:

• Solution 1: Integrated Management of Sustainable Taxiing Operations
• Solution 2: Cost-effective Aerodrome Traffic Awareness and Surface Movement Awareness System (SMAS)
• Solution 3: AI-based Automated Tracking for Digital Towers and Aerodrome Operations
• Solution 4: Airport Operational Planning and Network Integration

These solutions will be developed collaboratively by the consortium, with each solution led by a different project partner, reflecting the multidisciplinary expertise brought together under NEURON.

With a strong deployment-oriented approach, the project brings together airports, air navigation service providers (ANSPs), industry, research organisations and academia to ensure that the developed solutions respond to real operational needs while supporting the implementation of the Digital European Sky and the evolution of Europe's airport ecosystem.

The launch of NEURON marks the beginning of a collaborative effort to accelerate innovation in airport operations and contribute to a safer, more efficient, resilient and sustainable European aviation system.