This lack of flexibility is caused by the close coupling of ATM service provision to ATS systems and operational procedures, preventing air traffic from making use of cross-border service provision and data sharing.

A more flexible use of external data services, taking into account data properties and access rights, would allow the infrastructure to be rationalised, reducing the related costs. This would enable data-sharing, foster more dynamic airspace management and ATS provision, and allow Air Traffic Service Units (ATSUs) to improve capacity in portions of airspace where traffic demand exceeds available capacity. Furthermore, it offers options for the contingency of operations and increased resilience of ATS provision.

To successfully address the expected outcomes, all or some of the following priorities should be addressed:

• Demonstration of a new Air Traffic Service (ATS) operating model based on the delegation of ATS using virtual centres (VC). The objective is to demonstrate the increased efficiency and resilience of the ATS thanks to better use of resources across ATSU borders; the scope includes the following elements.
• Demonstration of new ATS operating model based on the ATM data service providers (ADSPs) concept outlined in the airspace architecture study and later complemented by a European Commission study (European Commission study number MOVE/E3/SER/2018-580/SI2.813340) In the Commission study, ATM data services are defined as services that provideATSUs, airspace users, airports and other operational stakeholders with information on the intended movement of each aircraft, or changes thereto, and with current information on the actual progress of each aircraft, based on operational data received from surveillance services, aeronautical information services, meteorological services, network functions and any other relevant operational data.
  • The scope includes the demonstration of new operating models based on the opportunities opened up by the new service delivery model (e.g. provision of flight data processing and integration services, provision of surveillance data processing and integration services, new services related to ATM data transformation and/or processing dependent on or related to outputs from flight data processing and/or surveillance data processing, services for remote technical monitoring of distributed systems). The development of the technical enablers in support of the new services is also in scope; this includes in particular the ATSEP support tools to support the efficiency of the ATSEP distributed team.
• Demonstration of dynamic airspace configurations. This will entail demonstrating in an operational environment the combination of dynamic airspace management and airspace configurations level 0, digital integrated network management and ATC planning (INAP) and dynamic mobile area (DMA) type 1. DMA type 1 is a volume of airspace of specified dimensions described as an integral part of the Mission Trajectory (MT) at flexible geographical locations agreed upon in a CDM process (as part of the mission trajectory negotiation); this solution aims to satisfy military training needs while minimising the impact on civilian traffic. The demonstration’s scope includes the consideration of initial mission trajectory management capability at subregional/local level in the ATM planning phase to support the dynamic configuration of segregated airspace, thus contributing to the efficiency of both civil and military operations. The objective is to demonstrate improvements in the use of airspace capacity for both civil and military AUs, with increased efficiency in airspace management and increased flexibility in civil–military coordination. The scope of the demonstration includes the digital transformational technology impact on collaborative decision making (CDM), mission trajectory management (MTM) and airspace management (ASM).