iStream: optimising the arrival management at congested airports

A European consortium of air navigation service providers, airlines, airports and Eurocontrol has started live trials as part of the iStream (integrated SESAR TRials for Enhanced Arrival Management) project concerning all morning flights into Paris and Zurich airports.  

iStream is one of several large-scale demonstration activities co-funded by the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU), the public-private partnership that pools the knowledge and resources of the entire European Air Traffic Management community to deliver innovative solutions for a modernised ATM. This project is aligned with the SESAR deployment as mandated by the Pilot Common project (PCP). It specifically addresses Air Traffic Flow and Capacity Management (ATFCM) and Extended - Arrival MANager (E-AMAN) functionalities. In this context, the iStream project aims to enhance the arrival management with the introduction of target times. By moving from a purely Calculated Take-Off Time (CTOT) environment to target times and distributed to the flight crew, the fluidity of air traffic in the arrival control sectors will be increased.

Live trials in Paris and Zurich airports

The project will build on the results of FAIR STREAM, a recently completed SESAR project which demonstrated the ability to increase predictability of arrival adherence through the use of target times. iStream will scale up this work on arrival flows with the objective of a better use of the capacity. Live trials have already started with commercial flights during peak hours at Paris-CDG airport while further trials are scheduled to take place at Zurich and Paris-Orly airports during the year. Airlines outside the consortium are also participating in these trials. The project consortium expects to see benefits in terms of predictability, airspace capacity, flight efficiency and flexibility while maintaining a high level of safety.

The iStream consortium is led by DSNA, and involves several stakeholders: air navigation service providers (DSNA, Eurocontrol’s Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC), skyguide), airlines (Air France-KLM & Hop!, Lufthansa, SWISS), airport operators (Aéroports de Paris, Zurich airport) and Eurocontrol (the Network Manager).