Thales, Aireon Team To Improve Air Traffic Flows in Asia-Pacific

With the Asia-Pacific aviation market expected to grow by some 72% by 2030, Thales and Aireon are teaming to develop operational concepts that will help air navigation service providers (ANSPs), airlines, and airports across the region improve airspace traffic flows.

Under the partnership, Thales is providing no-cost access to its cloud-based TopSky-Flow Manager platform, which helps ANSPs manage traffic flow across their airspace and airports. This tool is powered by Aireon’s space-based ADS-B surveillance product, AireonFLOW.

According to the companies, the trial program will permit ANSPs to explore “what-if” operational scenarios, engage in collaborative discussions around real-world challenges, and strengthen coordination between ANSPs and airlines to optimize regional traffic flow. The initiative builds on Thales’ Better Skies for Asia program, launched in 2024 in response to the Canso Asia-Pacific air traffic management modernization white paper, which offered potential solutions to regional ANSPs to accelerate modernization.

“Airspace congestion is one of the most significant challenges faced by the aviation industry, particularly in fast-growing regions like Asia-Pacific,” said Thales Airspace Mobility Solutions v-p Youzec Kurp. “With 49 separate [flight information regions] and no established multilateral collaboration framework beyond ICAO guidelines, real-time data sharing and coordinated traffic-flow management remain difficult. By giving ANSPs the opportunity to experiment with new flow-management concepts in a safe, collaborative environment, we aim to strengthen inter-ANSP cooperation and help the region prepare for sustained, long-term growth.”