First flight supported by pre-flight 4D-trajectory data exchange performed by Lufthansa in the European Network
15 December 2022
First flight supported by pre-flight 4D-trajectory data exchange performed by Lufthansa in the European Network
Today the first flight ever supported by pre-flight 4D-trajectory data exchange took place in Europe flying from Munich to Hamburg. The EUROCONTROL Network Manager (NM), Lufthansa Airline and Lufthansa Systems closely cooperated on this important milestone towards the implementation of FF-ICE (Flight and Flow Information for a Collaborative Environment) - a modern concept facilitating collaborative decision making through information sharing and 4-dimensional trajectory negotiation pre-flight.
“Aviation is transitioning to modern, digitalised air traffic management systems that will increase resilience and operational performance and minimise the environmental impact of air traffic. FF-ICE is an important example of this, and close cooperation between the EUROCONTROL Network Manager, Lufthansa , Lufthansa Systems and the SESAR Deployment Manager has enabled us to kick-start the flight planning transformation for European ATM and the transition to digitalisation of flight information.”
Iacopo Prissinotti, EUROCONTROL Director Network Management
“Lufthansa is very happy to be the first airline using Lido Flight 4D for eFPL filing. We see this as a great start in getting everyone onboard for further improvements in the ATM world. If the EUROCONTROL Network Manager and all Air Traffic Control units have a higher degree of transparency of the planned flight trajectory, we expect major benefits in airspace usage and flight efficiency.”
Marcus Schnabel, Senior Vice President Flight-/Ground Operation & Security Lufthansa Group.
“This is an important milestone for SESAR deployment and the European regulation to modernize and digitalize Air Traffic Management – the CP1. Congratulations to our member Lufthansa and to all stakeholders involved in this major achievement, reached by working as one team and delivering tangible operational benefits.”
Mariagrazia La Piscopia, Executive Director SESAR Deployment Manager.
When flying in European airspace, airspace users must submit a flight plan to the EUROCONTROL Network Manager's operations centre. For this unique flight, Lufthansa submitted the flight plan to the EUROCONTROL Network Manager’s operational system sharing for the first time such an optimised set of data allowing operational stakeholders to see in advance a very precise trajectory. This is a steppingstone for the European ATM transformation towards Trajectory Based Operations and Aircraft Operators flight optimisation through improved collaborative flight planning. In the future, flights supported by pre-flight 4D-trajectory data exchange will make air traffic predictions more accurate and pave the way to more efficient, sustainable operations within the European Network benefitting all aviation partners.
Lufthansa Systems has been developing this new functionality for Lido Flight 4D IFS for quite some time, as part of a SESAR Deployment Manager initiative. This has transpired in close collaboration with Air Navigation Service Providers like DFS Aviation Services, the EUROCONTROL Network Manager, Air France and Lufthansa.
FF-ICE – which is a global ATM concept developed at ICAO level - will have global applicability and will support members of the international ATM community to achieve significant performance benefits. FF-ICE defines information requirements for flight planning, flow management and trajectory management and aims to be a cornerstone of the performance-based air navigation system. Flight information and associated trajectories are principal mechanisms by which ATM service delivery will meet operational requirements.
