Jeff Poole, Director General, of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation, CANSO In a week the World ATM Congress 2013 will start. What will be the top issues? CANSO in association with Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA) are organising this game-changing event which comprises a thought-leadership Conference, 19,000 qm exhibition with more than 150 exhibitors in a single hall, educational workshops and social events. There are a number of critical issues to discuss, and to that end we have ensured that all the industry’s perspectives are represented in the Conference Programme, featuring the leading thinkers of the ATM industry and joined in the theme of Augmented Reality: Moving to a Transformed Global ATM system. First, aviation industry leaders will define what our stakeholders need from a transformed ATM industry and how we get there together. They will lay out some strong challenges. Next we will look at how to deliver against those requirements with effective implementation of new technology. We shall also look at what it takes in project management terms to deliver large and complex programmes, drawing from lessons learned in other industries. Then we will examine how best ANSPs can co-operate to deliver improved performance and what this may mean for their business models. Finally, we will ask what the ATM industry should look like in 20 years and how we can better shape our own destiny rather than have the future dictated to us. Many of us are frequent travellers, but may not know what Air Traffic Management (ATM) means. Could you please explain it? ATM, or Air Traffic Management, is the collective term for the management, technology, procedures and human resources charged with the responsibility to ensure that aircraft are guided safely through the sky to their destinations. ATM today has evolved into not only working to improve safety and minimising delay, but also concerning itself with environmental efficiency, increasing capacity, improved performance and cost efficiency for airspace users. The biggest challenge facing ATM today, in general terms, is the fragmentation of airspace. Every day the sky is filled with aircraft passing thousands of unseen borders as the pilots are handed over from nation to nation. CANSO is actively working with all the ATM industry Air Navigation Service Providers, government decision-makers and stakeholders to harmonise the ATM systems for a smooth and seamless global airspace. The Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation creates for its members all over the world an international forum for discussion of Air Traffic Management related issues. How do you do this? CANSO acts as the global voice for air navigation service providers on regulatory and industrial issues and coordinates closely with all stakeholders including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Airports Council International (ACI) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Aiming to improve global ATM performance, CANSO brings together the ANSP community by sharing best practices and case studies, measuring performance, setting benchmarks and targets, and developing practical tools for ANSP managers. With CANSO’s Global Vision as ultimate guiding star, its focus is on three key areas in which we have global Work Groups: Safety, Policy and Operations. CANSO also has a variety of media channels, such as newsletters and its flagship magazine Airspace, to keep its members up-to-date with the latest news and industry developments. CANSO also organises events in all regions, effectively providing the ATM community with a social networking platform with the single goal of transforming global ATM performance. What role does the World ATM Congress play in that context? World ATM Congress is in effect one of the ways CANSO is providing a progressive networking platform to transform the ATM industry through decision-making, leadership and business development. World ATM Congress is the only major global event of its kind to be organised for the ATM industry, by the ATM industry. CANSO and ATCA are in unique positions to understand the critical issues facing the ATM industry, to work in the best interests of the ATM industry and to provide the delegates with a solid platform to discuss priority issues and the challenges facing the industry. Why did you choose Madrid for your ATM congress 2013? The choice was obvious. When discussing the different alternatives and which location was best suited to host an event of this magnitude, an in-depth analysis of multiple locations around the world revealed Madrid to offer the best combination of transport connections, facilities, climate, and cost-effectiveness. CANSO, the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation, is the global voice of air traffic management. Founded in 1996, it represents the interests of the Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) worldwide. CANSO members are responsible for supporting 85% of world air traffic. The Mission of CANSO is to provide a global platform for customer and stakeholder driven civil Air Navigation Services (ANS), with paramount emphasis on the provision of safe, efficient and cost effective service. www.canso.org | ||||||