Second XMAN implementation to optimise arrivals to Munich Airport

Extended Arrival Management services for Munich Airport today became operational at the Karlsruhe Upper Area Control Centre. This is another major step for the joint FABEC project designed to improve arrivals to major hubs. The new XMAN functionality covers arrivals from the west. It is the second XMAN implementation for arrivals to Munich as an initial XMAN functionality with Vienna ACC has been in operation since 2010. The objective is to optimise arrival flows by managing the speed of aircraft already in the airspace of adjacent control centres.

Absorbing delay in the en-route phase of flight, when aircraft are cruising at higher altitudes, is more efficient and saves fuel and CO2 compared to stack holding or long transitions in the TMA. This procedure also reduces noise for the communities living beneath the holding stacks.

The Karlsruhe/Munich Extended Arrival Management is part of a broader FABEC project, led by DFS, aimed at implementing Extended Arrival Management (XMAN) for the airports of Frankfurt, Munich, Nice, Lyon, Zurich, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin and Düsseldorf. For the en-route phase of flight, all FABEC control centres will be involved. The FABEC project also builds on the experience gained with existing arrival management systems for arrivals at Munich (from Vienna ACC), Amsterdam (from MUAC) and Paris. XMAN is a key SESAR concept supported by the European Pilot Common Projects Regulation, which FABEC is committed to.

“This project shows that cooperation is absolutely vital to bring tangible improvements for the passenger, the environment, and the airlines,” said Robert Schickling, COO DFS. “We, DFS, are proud to lead this successful FABEC project. We are expecting further implementations in the coming months and years to build up an overarching cross-border Extended Arrival Management Network.”