13th edition of the SESAR Innovation Days congress, SIDs

The conference presents innovation and scientific excellence, the two engines of the European Digital Sky

 

450 of Europe's leading researchers in air traffic management (ATM) and aviation met in Seville at the SESAR Innovation Days (SIDS) from November 27 to 30. Organized by the Higher Technical School of Engineering (ETSI) of the University of Seville , with the support of the founding members of SESAR 3 JU, Enaire, Indra, Ryanair and AENA, the conference featured 66 posters and 42 presentations on methods based on data for safety and resilience prediction, weather-optimized trajectories, drone traffic management, and airport operations, among other research areas.

Speaking at the conference, Andreas Boschen , Executive Director of SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking, welcomed the flow of innovative concepts being incorporated into the European Digital Sky, noting how decisive they are in addressing key challenges such as airspace capacity. , the climate and attention to new participants. "We are counting on you, the brightest minds in research, to dare to think outside the box and challenge conventional boundaries to transform European air traffic management, making it smarter, more resilient and, above all, sustainable" .

After the welcoming words of the hosts, Andrés Sáez Pérez , Director of the ETSI, and Sergio Esteban Roncero , Delegate of the Rector of the University of Seville, the conference included the intervention of María Luz de Mateo , from Enaire, who offered a view from the industry on the importance of collaboration with the academic world to promote knowledge exchange. She noted that the concepts discussed today will be tomorrow's solutions to solve current and future challenges in the most efficient, environmental and safe way. "Common challenges require common solutions; we are fully dedicated to developing innovative procedures and next-generation technologies to realize SESAR's vision of a European Digital Sky," she added.

In her keynote address, Andrea Gentili , Clean Partnerships Manager and Deputy Head of Unit, Clean Planet, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission, stated that the aviation industry has to be more digital, sustainable and resilient to meet the Europe's climate ambitions and maintain its global leadership. He strongly appealed to the community to ensure that its research aligns with policy needs, delivers results that have impact and finds synergies with industry to ensure market uptake, taking into account the changing mobility patterns of citizens.

Speaker Milagros Sánchez , Director of ATM Strategy and Innovation Programs, Indra, is a self-confessed SESAR enthusiast: This spirit of partnership is the true catalyst for change. "It is the only mechanism that breaks boundaries," she said, underscoring the importance of the industry plugging the brain drain and retaining the young emerging talents who will shape the future of aviation.

The celebration of SESAR in Seville has been possible thanks to the management and organization of the ETSI professors of the University of Seville, Damián Rivas , Alfonso Valenzuela and Antonio Franco .

 

Operations at higher altitudes in airspace

On the first day, experts from ICAO, Eurocontrol, NATS, the Polytechnic of Turin and Airbus discussed the needs of new types of aerial vehicles that fly at much higher altitudes than current aircraft. These vehicles offer various services, such as expansive mobile connectivity (equivalent to up to 250 telecommunications towers) and Earth observation applications. These higher altitude space operations were the focus of a recently completed SESAR 2020 ECHO exploratory investigation that mapped out a concept of operations (CONOPS), and now ECHO 2, a new SESAR project, will build on the CONOPS by introducing modules on real-time tracking of space launches and packages covering air-ground operational integration procedures.

Modernization of US airspace

The second day opened with a review of the modernization of the US national airspace system, from long-term research and innovation to its implementation. According to Rebecca Guy , Vice President of the Program Management Organization at the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), flexibility is the fundamental requirement of the Automation Evolution Strategy. "Operational needs and the environment are constantly changing," he says, recalling that rockets now take off daily in the United States, while 20 years ago they took off five a year. The move from hardware infrastructure to cloud-based services and Standardized systems are helping to shorten the innovation life cycle and drive technology deployment, he added. Connectivity to the aircraft will be at the center of future operations, said Steve Bradford , NextGen4 Chief Scientist at the FAA. which will greatly improve efficiency.

AI use cases and future trends

The application of artificial intelligence to air traffic management focused the debates of the plenary session on the second day. The experts highlighted some of the operational use cases in which artificial intelligence applications are being tested through research and innovation, as well as some of the challenges facing the acceptance and implementation of this promising technology.

The conference was also an opportunity to discuss with academic representatives from the University of Westminster and the Technical University of Braunschweig on future trends and research needs in the context of the European ATM Master Plan, Europe's shared roadmap for modernization of the ATM system. Key takeaways include the free flow of operational data for the common good to help build the future faster; the involvement of policy makers in the early stages of conceptual design to ensure that research results can better support future transport regulations; and investing in future technologies such as neuromorphic and quantum computing to optimize operations in real time and with greater precision.

Micol Biscotto , coordinator of Engage 2, the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) of SESAR 3 of the European Commission, presented at the conference some of the activities that are helping to promote knowledge about future trends and strengthen ties between the academia and industry.

Young Scientist Award

The conference hosted the SESAR Young Scientist Awards ceremony, which honors the next generation of researchers in aviation and air traffic management in two categories: students and PhDs. First prize among students went to Christopher Conrad , from Cranfield University, whose thesis focuses on the development of a data model to support vertiport operations. The jury praised Conrad for going beyond current innovations to address the issue of resource management and schedule optimization in urban air mobility.

Nils Mäurer , from Airbus/Universität der Bundeswehr München, received first prize in the PhD category for his research on communications cybersecurity in the next generation of aeronautical data links. The jury praised him for his robust and rigorous approach to research, which included solution design, simulation, safety validation, laboratory work and flight testing.

Final remarks

Sergio Millanes Vaquero , Director of Seville Airport, AENA, presented the digital transformation taking place at the airport, including the use of passenger information robots, maintenance and remote control drones. He stated that by leveraging innovation, the airport has been able to effectively manage the intense growth it has experienced since COVID.

Innovation is also critical to addressing aviation's climate impact. We have to take a 360-degree approach to climate," said Giovanni Zucchetta , Head of EU Public Affairs at Ryanair, who presented the company's strategy to become carbon neutral by 2050, which covers sustainable aviation fuels, compensation, but also operational improvements to the ATM system.

In his closing speech, Raúl Medina , Director General of EUROCONTROL, said: "Predicting the future is always risky, but one thing we know for sure is that it is full of challenges. SESAR 3 JU and Digital European Sky play a fundamental role in to help us bring the ATM system to the level of performance necessary to meet these challenges," he added. "The time for change is now, we have to focus on quick wins, but also have a long-term vision," he concluded, underlining the importance of the update of the European ATM Master Plan, scheduled for 2024.

SESAR Innovation Conferences 2024

The conference closed with the announcement of the next SESAR Innovation Days (SIDs 2024), which will take place in Rome (Italy) from November 11 to 15, 2024.