Airbus Starts Company to Support New Air Traffic Systems
FAA's NextGen and the Single European Sky program are two that Airbus ProSky will assist, according to the company's announcement.
Aircraft manufacturer Airbus has launched a new subsidiary company named Airbus ProSky that will support programs that are developing modern air traffic control systems. Airbus said Jan. 4 that the new company "will become the channel through which Airbus will interact and develop ATM programmes such as 'Single European Sky ATM Research' (SESAR) in Europe, as well as NextGen in the US. In particular, for these two ATM programmes, the new company will help accelerate and support the process of their implementation, and link them together by capitalising on the technological, operational and commercial synergies."
The company will work with airlines as well as air navigation service providers because all have a goal of incorporating the latest technologies and achieving the most efficiency possible with more direct routings -- thereby cutting fuel consumption by 10 percent and significantly reducing carbon dioxide and noise emissions, according to the company.
The first Airbus ProSky partnership was a memorandum of understanding to assist the Chinese Air Traffic Management Bureau. Leading the ProSky team will be Eric Stefanello, president of Airbus ProSky and senior vice president of air traffic management at Airbus, and Marc Hamy, vice president of SESAR and NextGen Deployment. Hamy is a former chief-of-staff for France's transport minister and CEO of the French Air Navigation Services.
"With Airbus ProSky, we are harnessing the competencies both within Airbus and also from the wider EADS group, to help transform ATM services across the European Union, the US, and other countries globally," said Stefanello. "We are complementing the existing skills and business of ATM manufacturers and [air navigation service providers] by partnering with key industry players to deliver a global ATM approach, and bring operational, commercial, and environmental benefits to the airline industry."