Eurocontrol wins ATC Maastricht 2004 Award

Eurocontrol won the 2004 ATC Maastricht Jane’s Award for its enhanced tactical flow management system (ETFMS), introduced in February 2002 by the central flow management unit (CFMU).

ETFMS is a second-generation tactical system that processes real-time surveillance data provided by air-navigation service providers, position report data provided by the aircraft operators and meteorological data. Reception of this accurate real-time data allows the CFMU to know the current position and extrapolate the future trajectory of flights across its 41-state area to optimize the use of available capacity. As a result, European airspace users can expect drastic savings in expenses, in addition to fewer delays in the future.

“ETFMS is a key achievement for air-traffic flow management,” said Jean-Robert Bauchet, director of Eurocontrol’s central flow management unit.” It allows all the partners involved–ATC centers, aircraft operators and airports–to have a much more precise assessment of Europe’s air-traffic situation for the hours ahead, thus offering a better basis for the development of collaborative decision-making.”