COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE: Aviation Needs  a Changeover

The air transport industry has developed a new operational concept for the
Air Traffic Management (ATM) system, which involves dramatic changes to the
airplanes, infrastructure, and ground systems. The current ATM system (based on
ground navigational aids, radar, and voice communications) will be unable to
cope with the expected air traffic growth.

The industry has responded by developing an operational concept known as the
Future Air Navigation System (FANS), which relies on space-based navigation and
communication to provide the improvements needed in communication, navigation,
and surveillance (CNS) to efficiently cope with future traffic levels and to
provide a level of efficiency to current operations.

The
FANS concept broke new technical ground, as it required industry to consider ATM
as a system with ground components, space components, and airborne components.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) FANS committee also
committed to certain technical solutions for improvements to CNS such as
Aeronautical Telecommunications Network (ATN), GPS navigation, and satellite
communications. The ATM system must not only be considered as a system; it must
also be considered as an investment opportunity.

The concept moves the airspace concept from a centralized command-and-control
system between pilots and air traffic controllers to a distributed system that
allows pilots, whenever practical, to choose their own route and file a flight
plan that follows the most efficient and economical route.

Key Elements of the Proposed CNS ATM Infrastructure

n Communications:
Transition to digital air/ground communications from today’s analog radios

n Navigation: Transition
to a Global Positioning System (GPS)-based navigation and landing and subsequent
decommissioning of ground-based navaids and precision approach aids.

n Surveillance: Transition
from ground-based surveillance to dependent cooperative surveillance of
GPS-derived position

n Air Traffic Management: Transition
from existing en route and traffic management to common Air Traffic Management
(ATM) platforms, consistent user interfaces, and common of support software.

The other principal transitions are:

n Transition of existing terminal
automation infrastructure to new systems, based on commercially available
hardware and software

n Implementation of new
capabilities such as conflict probe, conflict resolution, and collaborative
decision making.

n Transition to integrated
displays and information processing in air traffic control towers.

n Replacement of existing oceanic
automation/displays and introduction of data link to allow reduced separation
standards in the oceanic domain.

n Installation of flight service
automation to enable pilots to plan and file flight plans without reliance on
flight service specialists.

These new systems will support free flight operational capabilities at a
significantly lower cost than operating a ground-based CNS infrastructure.

The transition to CNS/ATM systems will be one of the largest undertakings
ever carried out by the aviation community, not only because of the immense
scale of the change but also because the transition will fundamentally affect
how aviation administrations provide air traffic services.

A broad indication of how the transition might proceed:

n 2000-2005: Full CNS/ATM
services available in parallel with existing systems so that appropriately
equipped aircraft can have maximum operating benefits from the CNS/ATM systems.

n 2005-2010: The
international terrestrial system not required for the CNS/ATM systems
progressively dismantled

n 2010: The CNS/ATM
systems are the sole systems for international use. In any such transition
timetable, there will be a period when the CNS/ATM systems and the existing
terrestrial systems are operating in parallel. While this period allows for
aircraft operators to change their equipment, and for service providers to phase
out those ground facilities which will no longer be required, maintaining two
systems is very costly. The costs associated with the transition are therefore
an important component of the economic assessment of the CNS ATM systems.

The providers of air traffic control services, the users of these services,
and financing organizations all need to be advised of the financial
implications, and convinced of the economic viability, of the new CNS/ATM
systems.

The international developments happening are in the implementation of the
National Air Space (NAS) architecture of the US, Eurocontrol of European
Consortium and parts of Asia-Pacific have completed Phase 1 of FANS. The
standard development organizations involved are FAA, ICAO, ARINC, SITA, RTCA,
IATA, EUROCONTROL and INMARSAT.

Efficiency Benefits due to CNS ATM

n The improved navigation,
communications and surveillance brought about by implementation of CNS/ATM will
allow more direct routing of aircraft, which will generate savings in fuel cost
and other aircraft operating costs. The amount of these savings will depend on
the reduction in the number of aircraft-hours flown in the airspace as a result
of CNS/ATM and on aircraft operating costs per hour.

n Communications and navigation
improvements, which produce more direct flight paths and less delay from
airspace congestion, will reduce the passenger travel time for a given journey.
If passengers value these time savings, they represent an additional benefit.

n FANS will revolutionize the
economics of airline operations whilst offering enormous benefits to air traffic
control agencies, as well as to national economies.

n Through FANS implementation,
the rising demand for air travel will be met, at a higher level of safety

n Congestion and delays should
decrease, with airport and airspace capacity being used as efficiently as
possible.

n Airlines will be able to fly
more efficient routes, thus reducing their fuel and other operating costs.

n Air navigation service
providers will be able to reduce the number of expensive ground based navigation
aids. Improved air transport efficiencies will make a positive contribution to
economies.

Sanjeev Goel CEO and technology
trainer Center for Technology Training