Strategic Trajectory Management in Air Traffic Control
The Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modelling at the University of Warsaw (ICM UW) is carrying out a task under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MNiSW) program titled “Co-Financed International Projects,” which is part of the SESAR Joint Undertaking initiative – a partnership for a digital European sky.
The project, Air Traffic Control Trajectory Based Operations (ATC-TBO), aims to validate SESAR’s TBO (Trajectory-Based Operations) solutions – strategic trajectory management during the tactical phase of flight execution en route and in controlled airport airspace. The validation results are geared toward improving capacity, operational efficiency, safety, and reducing both operational and environmental costs.
ICM UW’s involvement focuses on SESAR Solution #4 (0468), which concerns enhanced automation in sector planning and separation management in controlled airspace through extended trajectory prediction and improved controller tools (including the completion of Solution 53A from SESAR 2020 up to technology readiness level V3). ICM UW is executing this task in collaboration with Indra (the project leader) and the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency.
The ATC-TBO project has received co-funding from two sources:
- From the European Union under the Horizon Europe SESAR Joint Undertaking program in the amount of €92,400 (HORIZON-SESAR-2022-DES-IR-01, Grant No. 101114808),
- From the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education under the Co-Financed International Projects program in the amount of PLN 154,962.00 (agreement no. 5741/HE/2024/2 dated 13.11.2024).
The project started on October 1, 2023, and will continue until September 30, 2026. The total investment cost is €25,730,681.75. Details of both grants for ICM UW can be found on the project subpage: icm.edu.pl/projekty/atc-tbo.
The ATC-TBO project consortium, together with EUROCONTROL (the coordinator), the project board, and the SESAR public-private partnership, consists of 14 air navigation service providers, 1 airspace user, 10 industry partners, 5 research centers, and 1 university (the University of Warsaw). The initiative involves 14 European Union member states, as well as Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The project proposal outlines 21 validation exercises, including real-time and fast-time simulations, as well as expert panels.
In addition to funding from the Horizon Europe programme [SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking, grant no. 101114808], the project is also supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). The UK participant NATS receives funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe Guarantee [grant no. 10109613].
More information: sesarju.eu
