Data Link Services on track in just 16 months
During the session “Data Link Services, from ELSA to Recovery Plan”, all Data Link Services (DLS) partners brought a joint update an overview of how DLS is recovering from delay in modernizing ATM communication in Europe. Sixteen months ago, the SESAR Deployment Manager (SDM) received a mandate from the European Commission’s DG MOVE to act as a DLS Implementation Project Manager. The mandate, was intended to recover from the fragmented and unsynchronized deployment of DLS in Europe, building on SDM technical expertise and its unique position as coordinator of the SESAR Deployment Framework Partnership, also requiring strong cooperation and coordination with the Network Manager (NM), EASA and EUROCAE. In just 16 months, SESAR DM was able to fulfill this role successfully.
Several factors contributed to turning around the situation. First, the stakeholders required to implement DLS, under coordination of SDM, worked jointly in an unprecedented way, setting up 2 dedicated projects known as Path 1 and Path 2 (as per DLS Recovery Plan), respectively led by ENAIRE and ENAV. Secondly, NM, EASA and EUROCAE progressed in their respective domains, strengthening the regulatory and standardization frameworks whilst monitoring improvement of the operational performance of DLS. Finally, the Communication Service Providers, SITA and ARINC, fully involved within and outside the projects, stepped up their efforts upgrading the communication network as necessary to implement the multi-frequency where necessary. All achievements so far put the DL Service provision in Europe on the right track.
The other mandated bodies played and are playing a key role as well:
NM established the DLS performance monitoring function (DPMF) and is constantly working on the performance monitoring, elaborating monthly reports and closely cooperating with the SDM to follow all the technical issues and next steps.
EASA worked in close cooperation with SDM during these months for the implementation of the DLS transitional solution, furthermore EASA has published the ToR for RMT.0524 on DLS and just started the RMT.0524 working group activities to provide the regulatory framework to address the DLS implementation issues and to support the DLS as enabler to PCP AF6.
EUROCAE worked on the current ED-92B standard in order to update it to include some identified needs. This standard is expected to be published before end of 2018. The work is still ongoing for the companion document that will consider relevant IOP aspects for the ground network and infrastructure domain. This standard developed in coordination with ETSI activities on this subject is expected to be published in 2019 (summer).
“Clearly the mandate enabled SDM to cooperate with all necessary partners and lead all of them towards recovering from the previous fragmentation and lack of confidence. The work is not finished yet, however the increased performances will produce growing benefits day after day for the European airlines and passengers.” said Davide Corinaldesi from SESAR Deployment Manager.
“The availability, in Europe, of high quality data communications capabilities for ATM with appropriate Quality of Service is essential to reach the Single European Sky (SES) objectives and subsequently the deployment of SESAR” said Marouan Chida from SESAR Joint Undertaking
Read publication in the World ATM Congress Newspaper here.
More info: www.datalinkservices.eu