Breakthrough agreement to modernise China’s ATM ensuring growth

Airbus and China’s Air Traffic Management Bureau (ATMB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate on modernizing the country’s Air Traffic Management System and to implement the latest Air Traffic Management (ATM) technologies.

The MoU signed by Airbus and the ATMB under the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) focuses on improving air transportation, capacity and efficiency, while contributing to a sustainable future. It will also help in harmonising China’s ATM, globally and regionally. The implementation of state-of-the-art ATM technologies and solutions will be done by “Airbus ProSky”, the Airbus’ ATM Company.

Within the MoU framework, four projects will start this year:

. Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) . Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM), . Chengdu Airport capacity assessment and RNP AR* to ILS** implementation . Instrument Landing Systems at Beijing Capital Airport performance improvement

“We are pleased to launch the ATM cooperation program with Airbus today,” said Wang Liya, Director General of CAAC ATMB. “The four projects we have launched now pave the way for a broader cooperation between us and Airbus in the future. The implementation of new ATM technologies is the key driver for the modernisation of the ATM system in China. The cooperation will help us draw on the experience of other regions to develop our future ATM systems, which will be more integrated with global systems,” Wang added.

“We are delighted to launch the cooperation programme with CAAC ATMB in air traffic management,” said Eric Chen, President of Airbus China. “ATM modernisation is key to making air transportation more efficient. It is also key to help aviation grow capacity efficiently. China is set to become the largest domestic civil aviation market in the world. We are happy to support the modernisation of China’s ATM system, which will also play an important role in advancing China’s civil aviation development in general,” added Eric Chen.

Globally, the modernisation of ATM systems will also generate huge environmental benefits such as savings of some 13 billion litres of fuel per year, a reduction in CO₂ emissions of some 29 million tons per year, as well as some four million hours of delays.  On a global basis, it is estimated that eight per cent of the world’s aviation fuel is wasted due to inefficiencies in ATM

Airbus press release