EUROCONTROL launches a real-time simulation on airspace reconfiguration scenarios

The project, called AMRUFRA (Amsterdam, Ruhr and Frankfurt), covers the airspace area controlled by Amsterdam, Langen and Maastricht and includes both civil and military operations. AMRUFRA, which started on 7 April and will last for a period of three weeks, involves 25 controllers. Airspace and airport capacity increases are to be expected in the near future for the AMRUFRA airspace interface. The simulation examines the consequences on airspace organisation of the entry into service of a new runway at Frankfurt which, in addition to increasing the traffic at Frankfurt and Amsterdam Schiphol airports, will also increase the complexity of the routings and procedures in the area under study. The simulation aims at validating not only the expected benefit of the changes in capacity and safety, but also the benefits on efficiency for the airspace users as well as efficiency from the air traffic controller's perspective. It was prepared and developed by a combination of EUROCONTROL services (Airport, Network Planning & Navigation, the EUROCONTROL Experimental Centre, the CEATS Research, Development and Simulation Centre and the Maastricht Upper Area Centre). "Through the development of its unique real-simulation facility at its EEC premises, EUROCONTROL has gained recognition for its capabilities, expertise and objectivity in the conduct of such large scale experimentations," said Jean-Paul Zabka, Short term Programme Manager of EUROCONTROL's Experimental Centre. "FAB initiatives, reflecting the need to ensure more integrated management of the airspace regardless of their existing geo-political boundaries are a key element to the implementation of the Single European Sky, and consequently, the support provided by the EEC is an valuable asset for their successful implementation"