SESAR Deployment moves forward – and airports are leading the way

Barbora Smolikova, ACI EUROPE’s liaison officer to the SESAR Deployment Manager, highlights the strong progress made under SESAR Deployment. With the project on track to deliver a 2x to 3x return on investment over the next 10 to 15 years, the collaborative efforts of all aviation stakeholders – including airports – are turning Europe’s air traffic management modernisation goals into operational reality, well ahead of schedule.

Almost three years ahead of its deadline, set for the end of 2027, the implementation of Common Project 1 (CP1) – the first EU Regulation mandating a set of synchronised technological investments for aviation stakeholders across the Union – is already delivering tangible results.

By the end of 2024, around 46% of the Regulation’s scope had become an operational reality. This included – inter alia – critical airport technologies such as Airport Safety Nets, Departure Management, the initial Airport Operations Plan (AOP) and information sharing with the Network Manager, all of which are already in daily use at some of Europe’s largest airports.

Even more notably, the completion rate for the elements mandated up to the end of 2024 has already exceeded 88%, and is on track to achieve at least a 95% in the coming months. This represents an unprecedented success for Implementing Regulations in the aviation sector, particularly considering the series of challenges that airports and other Air Traffic Management (ATM) stakeholders have faced since 2020.

Beyond what is already operational, an additional 45% of the CP1 scope – including the extended AOP and its full integration with the Network Operations Plan – is currently being implemented under the coordination of the SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM). These elements are expected to be deployed in the coming months, marking yet another significant milestone.

First established in 2014, the SDM is a unique partnership of operational stakeholders entrusted by the European Commission to support and coordinate the ATM industry’s deployment of new technologies in a harmonised and synchronised way. Airports are represented by ACI EUROPE within this partnership, joining forces with major European Air Navigation Service Providers and airlines, and the Network Manager.

In recent years, SDM has supported over 20 airports in their deployment efforts, facilitating access to over €260 million of EU funding that has accelerated their technological investments.

Mariagrazia La Piscopia, SDM Executive Director, noted: “These implementation activities are not just essential to ensure compliance with the EU requirements, but have been organised with the ultimate goal of improving the performances of Air Traffic Management operations across the Network, both in the air and on the ground, with airports being the essential nodes where passengers and freight begin and end their journeys”.

By design, CP1 encompassed a set of technologies aimed at boosting airport and airspace capacity, reducing delays, and minimising the environmental footprint of aviation. Altogether, these benefits are estimated to translate into € 52 billion of operational savings for the industry between now and 2040.

When looking at the airport dimension, this means a 2x/3x return on investment in the next 10-to-15 years, thanks to an optimisation of airport capacity, increased predictability of operations (with less delays and cancellations), the increase of safety standards, and an overall improvement of the passenger experience.

Focusing on airports specifically, this means a 2x–3x return on investment over the next 10 to 15 years – thanks to optimised capacity, increased predictability of operations (with fewer delays and cancellations), improved safety standards, and an overall better passenger experience.

The past decade of airport engagement in ATM modernisation has set an example – and a precedent – for the coming years. The SESAR project has demonstrated its overall value, and similar – if not higher – benefits would stem from its continuation in the future. The combination of the availability of EU grants in support to airport technological investments, a strong involvement of all the industry in setting the overall objectives and the pace of modernisation, as well as a coordinating function – provided by SDM – which is there to assist stakeholders in their efforts, are all key elements that must be preserved as cornerstones of ATM’s future evolution.