The CAA perspective on the future of ATM

Luca Valerio FalessiENAC - Head of Airspace Regulation Unit

Firenze, 5 October 2015

Air travel is a basic element of a true EU citizenship

● Although high speed train are very effective in the short-medium distances, the air travel remains the only way to make European Union a truly great village.

● From here the crucial need to accommodate a demand for fast travel on medium to long intraeuropean distances at affordable prices... with the lowest impact on environment

● ATM/ANS must do its part in this challenge, and therefore SES initiative has been set-up and it is continuosly evolving

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Rome, 22 May 2015

SES: work in progress

● The sky of the European Union is a construction site since mid 2004, when the SES Regulations came into effect

● Since then:○ two waves of regulations and implementing

rules have been prepared, approved and implemented, bringing with them one of the most advanced Performance System;

○ A huge effort of technological modernisation, SESAR, has been setup between EU, Eurocontrol and Industry to contribute to the modernisation of ATM infrastructure

○ A new ATM Master Plan shall be launched in a while based on more realistic traffic assumptions than the current version

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Rome, 22 May 2015

Automation a must

● In this framework, technical evolution and automation appear to be the only way to cut costs, increase productivity while maintaining the same level of safety, or -we hope- even improve it with respect to the present situation

● In this framework CAAs have a double role:○ As Civil Aviation Authorities we are responsible

for the elaboration of Member State Aviation Policies

○ As Competent Authorities we are in charge of supervising the local implementation of Technical and Operational improvements

● In this last role CAAs bear a good part of legal liability that ICAO Annex 11 traditionally allocate to Member States

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Florence, 5 October 2015

A successful implementation of a new technical or operational concept needs:● Clear regulations and technical specifications by

the European Commission (regulation is originated by EASA);

● A common methodology to measure the safety (or the risk level) of each solution implemented. This methodology must ensure objective and uniform results

Presently the measurement tool is the “Safety assessment and risk mitigation” methodology, a refined way, already adopted in other domains like nuclear or chemical industries.In Aviation the application of this methos is diffused at all levels with an impressive number of applications in the day-by-day activity

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Florence, 5 October 2015

A successful implementation requires...

It is of a Paramount importance that the safety methodology measurement, the philosophy behind it, as well as its limitations are clearly understood also by the judicial branch.Otherwise we risk a comprehension gap which will limit the implementation of the technical and operational improvementsPresently the measurement tool is the “Safety assessment and risk mitigation” methodology, based on Eurocontrol material (SAAM). EASA is going to publish a detailed methodology that should be the first official step in this direction.The methodology should be common to all aviation domains, therefore able to manage multidomain safety assessments (like LVP, A-SMGCS operations, PBN implementation, etc.)

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Florence, 5 October 2015

Judicial and technical people must understand each other

● Although very refined, this kind of methodology, still relies on a good deal of professional judgement, especially when the system includes elements of human factor.

● It’s a matter of fact that it is not as objective as other methodologies like structural calculation, i.e.

● Therefore it is important that the methodology and its results are clearly understood within the legal domain in order to avoid improper attribution of responsibilities or…

● The impossibility of introducing new and attractive technologies on the basis of liability concerns

● What the people need is good safety management and not a chain of liability lightning rods!

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Florence, 5 October 2015

The methodology must be accepted on both sides of the barricade

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Florence, 5 October 2015

Thank you for your attention!