Simulating future air traffic An EU project is investigating air traffic management (ATM) contexts of the future to create a simulator. That will help aircraft plot more efficient courses and save fuel. Climate Change and Environment © Thinkstock Study of air traffic control management at European regional airports is expected to enable aircraft to fly optimised trajectories to reduce environmental impact. Helping to bring this about is the 'Definition of ATM requirements for GRA operations and simulations' (DARGOS) project. The three-member project ran from May 2011 to October 2013, and received approximately EUR 100 000 in EU funding. The project aimed to collect ATM information pertinent to regional aircraft that will enter the market in the 2020s. Specifically, DARGOS planned to collect the rules of ATM as well as operational data. The purpose was to define likely future ATM contexts and scenarios in terms of regulations and safety requirements. Ultimately, the data collected would form the basis of a model to be used for a gate-to-gate flight ATM simulator. The project listed its first action in 2011 as agreeing to a new project schedule. Other work included defining the project structure, objectives and deliverables. The deliverables will take the form of three separate reports: one corresponding to ATM operations, and two containing model data. Upon completion, DARGOS expects that the rules and data it collected will be integrated into a simulator. The simulator will validate future technologies intended to reduce noise and pollution.
