Focus on a greener and safer aviation

Saab has joined SESAR - a pan-European development programme for air traffic management. The goal is to make European aviation more efficient and sustainable.

Image: The queue management system will automatically identify the best possible route, take off and landing time for the aircraft. Photo Peter Karlsson, Svarteld.

6/12/2009 |

Saab has signed a contract within the pan-European public-private partnership programme SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) to be part of the development of the future of European air traffic. Saab’s contribution to SESAR will mainly focus on two areas, of which one is further development of the Remotely Operated Tower (ROT) concept that Saab launched earlier this year. The ROT system allows for traffic management at small and medium sized airports to be remotely controlled from a central site, thus reducing costs and enhancing security.

 

 

Contributing to a more efficient and sustainable aviation

Saab will also develop systems for queue management, as well as new airport control tower systems and management systems to support the aircraft turnaround process at gate.

Image: Ann Kullberg, responsible for Saab’s participation in SESAR. Photo Peter Liander.

“With our expertise we will contribute to an air traffic situation that is more environmentally friendly, safer, more efficient and economical,” says Ann Kullberg, Business Developer within Saab’s air traffic management department, and responsible for Saab’s participation in SESAR.

Ambitious goals for 2020

The SESAR programme was established in 2005 to address the need for modernized air traffic management systems, ensuring the safety and fluidity of European airspace – the busiest in the world – over the next 30 years.

Ambitious goals for efficiency and environmental performance have been set for the programme. With a target date of 2020, these include:

  • to enable a threefold increase in capacity
  • to improve safety by a factor of 10
  • to reduce the environmental impact per flight by 10 percent
  • to cut the air traffic management costs by 50 percent.

Saab has entered the SESAR programme through the North European ATM Industry Group (NATMIG), which also consists of Airtel ATN of Ireland, Northrop Grumman Park Air Systems and SINTEF of Norway.

     
   

The Stockholm-Brussels example

The benefits of an updated air traffic management infrastructure can be illustrated using a flight between Stockholm and Brussels. A successful implementation of SESAR will produce:

  • Time savings of 12 to 20 minutes
  • Fuel savings of 435 to 725 kilograms
  • Reduction of carbon dioxide emission of 1370 to 2283 kilograms