Description

SESAR stands for “Single European Sky ATM Research”. The SESAR project (formerly known as SESAME) is the European air traffic control infrastructure modernisation programme. SESAR aims at developing the new generation air traffic management (ATM) system capable of ensuring the safety and fluidity of air transport worldwide over the next 30 years

The Need for Technological Reform in ATM

Air traffic in Europe is expected to more than double in the next 20 years and even triple in some regions. However, the equipment used to manage the traffic flows has changed little over the past decades and is struggling to keep up with developments. The European Commission states that the reliability and safety rates for air transport, if maintained, require a qualitative leap for the future as the capacity limit becomes critical.

In the view of the Commission, current air traffic control systems are close to becoming obsolete and are ill-suited for the rapid, economic and reliable development of aviation in Europe, particularly as expectations have changed: