at the heart of a high-performance cross-border airspace - eurocontrol

Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre

EUROCONTROL

At the heart of a high-performance cross-border airspace

MAAstricht Upper AreA control centreMaking the dreaM a reality

ever since the dawn of time, man has dreamed of flying. Gradually, and step by step, this dream has become a reality and, within the last 50 years, so commonplace that we now take it for granted.

Voyages that would once have taken months are now over in a day. international busi-nessmen and women think nothing of breakfasting in london, before flying to paris for lunch and then home to Berlin for supper. the explosion in air travel has transformed our lives. it brings unrivalled benefits to society and to the business world. it connects the most remote of places with a rapid link to trade and support.

every day, more than 30,000 aircraft traverse europe’s skies, delivering millions of passen-gers to their destinations. And, as the global economy returns to a healthier state, this vast number of flights is set to grow rapidly. the challenge then, is to ensure that this expansion in traffic can be handled safely and efficiently whilst keeping costs down and ensuring carbon-neutral air traffic growth.

the Maastricht Upper Area control centre (MUAc) plays a central role in this challenge.

1MUAC - At the heart of a high-performance cross-border airspace

BUildinG a borderless europe

the Maastricht Upper Area control centre (MUAc) is an international non-profit air navigation service provider, operated by eUrocontrol on behalf of four nations – Belgium, Germany, luxembourg and the netherlands. MUAc ensures that aircraft flying in the upper airspace, i.e. above 24,000 ft (7.5km), over a core part of europe’s airspace can do so safely and efficiently.

launched in 1972, MUAc is the first – and still the only - international air navigation service provider in europe, manned by a multinational staff, and controlling aircraft from its location in the netherlands over the territories of neighbouring countries – Belgium, luxembourg, the netherlands and north-western Germany.

MUAc was developed in the sixties as part of a larger pan-european vision to create a number of similar facilities across the continent so that the national territorial borders that exist on the land could be removed in the air. however, the idea was too early for its time. it is only recently that the concept of large multinational air traffic control centres has re-emerged as a central plank of the single european sky.

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FocUs on perforMance

MUAc is the second busiest air traffic control centre in europe, with some 1.5 million flights passing through its airspace every year. its reputation for the highest levels of performance is well known.

MUAc consistently features among europe’s best performing air navigation service providers. this enviable record is due to extremely high air traffic controller productivity rates supported by the most advanced technology available today. MUAc is constantly looking for ways to ensure that its customers are offered the most direct routes at the best possible price, with maximum punctuality.


safety at the heart oF eVerythinG

safety is, of course, the absolute priority for air navigation services. everything that could be done to ensure passenger safety is carefully and painstakingly undertaken. no stone is left unturned. safety training plays a key role, but so do other techniques. MUAc rigorously pursues a ‘Just culture’ where controllers and other members of the team are encouraged to report incidents without the fear of recrimination.

A safety management system covering all aspects of operations is in place and personnel are selected and licensed to carry out key safety responsibilities. independent surveys also point out areas where even more enhancements to safety procedures and systems can be made.

With air traffic set to expand in the medium term to some 11.5 million flights per annum1 in europe alone, efforts to keep safety levels high will need to be redoubled. MUAc will, therefore, keep a very keen eye on its foremost responsibility and continue to seek to offer the safest possible services.

1 eUrocontrol Medium-term Forecast - Flight Movements 2010 - 2016, september 2010.

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in the VAnGUArd oF the technological revolution

For nearly 40 years, MUAc has been at the forefront of innovation, acting as a test-bed for new technologies and helping introduce some of the industry’s most innovative techno-logical breakthroughs. But MUAc’s pioneering spirit would not have materialised without the remarkable receptiveness of air traffic controllers to system evolutions and innova-tion. Furthermore, maximum synergies between engineering and operational resources have ensured that all new solutions really met the controllers’ system requirements for safe and efficient air navigation services.

the first digital radar data processing developed in the seventies, the short-term conflict alert tool in the eighties, the paperless environment and controller-pilot data link communications (cpdlc) tested and introduced in the nineties are just a few highlights of MUAc’s pioneering spirit.

the MUAc trajectory-based Flight data processing system (Fdps) provides a leading-edge technology base for cross-border air navigation services such as those envisaged under the single european sky. Whereas in traditional route-based systems flight-plan routes remain somewhat static, in a trajectory-based system each trajectory is continu-ously and dynamically updated by the flight behaviour. this means that controllers have the most accurate information on the traffic at all times, enabling them to work more safely and more efficiently. the information from the trajectories can also be used for workload prediction, allowing efficient manning and management of the control sectors, with the ability to adapt sectors dynamically to the traffic situation or meteorological conditions. electronic coordination between sectors and, in the future, with other control centres, alongside enhanced radar systems that provide data from the cockpit detailing speed, heading, altitude and autopilot selections are other prominent features of the system. Furthermore, the latest communication technologies, like controller-pilot data link communications (cpdlc), operate within the Fdps, enabling the use of digital text messaging between controllers and pilots. With the proliferation of this technique – first pioneered at MUAc in the nineties - instances of confusion due to misunderstood or misheard messages over the radio are becoming more infrequent.


All these new technologies will play a major role in preparing for the vision encapsulated in the single european sky AtM research (sesAr) project. together with other air navi-gations service providers and manufacturing industry partners, MUAc is actively partici-pating in sesAr validations in the areas of air-ground interoperability, ground-ground interoperability between air traffic control centres and the cFMU, en-route complexity management as well as other advanced air traffic management concepts. the advanced features of MUAc’s Fdps offer a unique capability to support the pre-operational valida-tion of future concepts in, or close to, a real operational environment.

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WorkinG toGether - civil and Military air traffic control

the single european sky will bring military and civil aviation ever closer together with increasing amounts of military airspace being opened up to commercial flights under eUrocontrol’s Flexible Use of Airspace programme. significantly, MUAc has been working hand in glove with its military partners in the Four states – Belgium, Germany, luxembourg and the netherlands, for decades.

data interchange systems ensure that both civil and military controllers have access to accurate information from each other. in addition, a deutsche Flugsicherung unit (dFs control centre Upper Maastricht) provides air traffic control services to military aircraft flying over the north-western part of Germany from MUAc.

Although air navigation services for military aircraft flying in Belgium and the netherlands are provided from the respective military control centres in both countries, there is an automatic exchange of flight plan and radar data between MUAc and the military part-ners at Belgium’s Belga radar Air traffic control centre, semmerzake and the netherlands’ Military Air traffic control centre, nieuw Milligen. this helps to ensure that everyone has a clear and up-to-date picture of what is going on in the skies above them.

the future will bring even greater cooperation between civil and military air traffic control in the netherlands once the MUAc air traffic control system is deployed in the different dutch military air traffic control facilities. this key development, which is planned for 2012, will increase efficiency and significantly contribute to reducing costs.


protectinG the environMent

environmental protection has become an essential requirement for mankind, and avia-tion is playing its part in the challenge to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emis-sions in the air. Aircraft and engine manufacturers are putting a lot of effort into devel-oping lighter aircraft and more fuel efficient engines. however, that is only one side of the coin. For their part, those in charge of controlling flights are also implementing more fuel-efficient flight profiles, especially during take-off and landing as well as reducing the lengths of the actual flights themselves by optimising the route network and imple-menting direct routes.

MUAc has developed an accurate measuring technique for assessing flight efficiency. this tool is invaluable, particularly for monitoring progress with regard to the pan-euro-pean flight efficiency target.

the next big step at MUAc will be to gradually redesign the airspace so that aircraft can fly the most direct routes. this ambitious programme – the Free route Airspace Maastricht (FrAM) – will bring major savings in fuel consumption, fewer emissions, and more effi-ciency. First projections indicate that the implementation of direct routes during nights and week-ends in the MUAc airspace will generate savings in the order of 1.5 million km per year. the FrAM concept is being further developed through close collaboration within FABec and sesAr.

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the single european sky

in 2004, the european commission adopted the single european sky legislation. this new law called for a root-and-branch reorganisation of air traffic management in europe. it ranks as one of the most fundamental and wide-reaching changes to european affairs ever; as significant, in its own way, as the single currency.

At the very heart of the new vision is a redesign of the airspace over europe to improve the efficiency of air travel. Finally, national borders will be swept away in the skies in a way that is similar to the schengen agreement on the ground. one of the key single european sky developments is the introduction of functional airspace blocks. there are currently nine in development. each block consists of a portion of the sky which is no longer related to the national borders beneath it, thus increasing the efficiency of the european air traffic management system.


FABec - functional airspace block in the core oF eUrope

the Functional Airspace Block europe central (FABec) covers the airspace of six states - Belgium, France, Germany, luxembourg, the netherlands and switzerland – an area of some 1.7 million km2. every year, this part of the air traffic network accounts for a staggering 55% of all european traffic. FABec contains three of europe’s main international hubs - Amsterdam, Frankfurt and paris. owing to its central position, FABec will be a major contributor to the overall success of the single european sky.

the implementation stage for this ambitious project was launched in november 2008 by the six participating states. the launch followed a major study into the feasibility of the concept which was completed in the same year. in december 2010, the FABec states signed an international treaty, officially recognising the establishment of FABec in the context of the single european sky. MUAc, together with the other civil and military air navigation services providers in the six states, is actively engaged in the establishment of FABec.

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MUAc - a prototype fab For sUstAined perForMAnce

since the early seventies, MUAc has exemplified the political commitment necessary to provide joint air traffic services in almost exactly the same way as the functional airspace block (FAB) concept intends. in fact, the international area of responsibility it covers is a perfect example of airspace simplification and harmonisation in europe. MUAc has proven the case for the FAB concept by showing the advantages of this kind of interna-tional cooperation. its reputation for safety, punctuality, cost-effectiveness, the highest controller productivity and customer service is testament to the success it has built up over the four decades of its existence. it is an existing and unique model for cross-border cooperation in the spirit of the single european sky.

conscious of the responsibility it shoulders for the success of the FAB concept, MUAc is sharing the fruits of its experience and expertise with its partners on the project to create a larger image of itself under the FABec vision.


controlling the AirspAce

MUAc has some 280 air traffic controllers. they are the first european controllers to have been licensed by a country (Belgium) to control aircraft flying over another nation’s terri-tory. this milestone was achieved in 2009 and represents another fundamental step to the single european sky vision.

the absolute priority for air traffic controllers is safety. By ensuring that aircraft remain at minimum distances apart in flight, during take-off and as they land, passengers can be assured that all steps to prevent a conflict with another aircraft have been taken. the distances that the controllers maintain between aircraft in flight is set by the interna-tional civil Aviation organization (icAo) and equates to 1,000 ft (300m) vertical distance above/below aircraft and five nautical miles (9km) horizontal distance in front/behind other aircraft.

the secondary role of air traffic management is to ensure that commercial flights take place at agreed times and along routes that bring optimum efficiency in terms of punc-tuality and fuel burn.

traditionally, controllers are assisted in this task by a network of radars and beacons which tells them exactly where every aircraft is at all times. controllers and pilots also commu-nicate with each other to give instructions and advice. however, the single european sky project will see the introduction of new technology and techniques in a controlled but rapid pace. MUAc is already participating in the development, testing and implementa-tion of some of this new equipment and procedures.

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corporAte governance

MUAc is operated by eUrocontrol on behalf of Belgium, Germany, luxembourg and the netherlands on the basis of the Agreement relating to the provision and operation of Air traffic services and Facilities by eUrocontrol at the Maastricht Upper Area control centre – the so-called ‘Maastricht Agreement’.

A Maastricht coordination Group, composed of high-level civil and military officials from the four Member states, was established to facilitate decision making by determining a common position in all matters relating to the operation of air traffic services at MUAc.

day-to-day responsibility for operations has been delegated, by eUrocontrol’s director General, to the director of MUAc. in line with the principle of separation between service provision and regulation, each of the four Member states retains its regulatory competence.

eUrocontrol is an international organisation, established under the eUrocontrol convention of 13.12.1960, subsequently amended on 12.2.1982.

MUAc holds the certificate for the provision of air navigation services in the european community as well as iso 9001:2008 certification for the provision of air traffic services, the procure-ment and maintenance of technical systems and the provision of professional training.

key dates

1960 eUrocontrol founded 1964 decision to create MUAc 1972 cross-border operations begin at MUAc (Brussels Upper information region)1974 the hannover Upper information region is integrated1975 German military sectors (“lippe radar”) are integrated1980 the short-term conflict Alert (stcA) tool becomes available1986 signature of the “Maastricht Agreement” between Belgium, Germany,

luxembourg, the netherlands and eUrocontrol1986 Amsterdam sectors are integrated1992 paper flight progress strips are replaced by electronic data display screens1995 the first air/ground data link trials are launched2002 new operations room opened with ground-breaking operator input and display

system 2004 Adoption of first single european sky legislative package2008 the FABec implementation phase is launched2008 the next-generation interoperable flight data processing system is implemented2009 Adoption of second single european sky legislative package2010 signature of the FABec treaty

key facts

MUAC Member States: Belgium, Germany, luxembourg and the netherlandsMUAC location: Maastricht, the netherlandsMUAC staff numbers at end of 2010: 686MUAC number of air traffic controllers at end of 2010: 280MUAC 2010 costs: € 139 million (pending closure of accounts)No. of flights handled in 2010: 1.5 million

© february 2011 - european organisation for the safety of air navigation (eurocontrol).

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For more information

www.eurocontrol.int/muac

MAASTRICHT UPPER AREA CONTROL CENTRE (MUAC)horsterweg 116199 Ac Maastricht Airportthe netherlandst: +31 43 366 1234F: +31 43 366 [email protected]

at the heart of a high-performance cross-border airspace - eurocontrol

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