AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the SESAR Programme has paved way to enhanced helicopter operations. Patrick Ky, Chief Executive of the SESAR Joint Undertaking, met with helicopter manufacturers and operators to review the progress made since the inclusion of the rotorcraft sector in the SESAR programme. ‘The involvement of Rotorcraft operators and manufacturers in the European Air Traffic Management Programme, known as SESAR, has created the opportunity to further enhance rotorcraft operations and to fully integrate them into the future European Air Traffic Management system’, declared Sir Christopher Coville, Chairman of ASD’s Rotorcraft Sectoral Group, at the end of the meeting. He added: ‘Capabilities based on new technologies and procedures, such as Simultaneous Non-Interfering Operations (SNI) at main hub airports, could boost the capacity of the crowded airspace of the future, and dramatically enhance the ability of rotorcraft to get passengers to city and business locations safely, timely and economically. In particular they could ensure precise navigation and approach to virtually any landing spot, even in adverse weather conditions. This is a unique opportunity to overcome once and for all the limitations that have so far hampered the full exploitation of the inherent capability of rotorcraft.’ ‘Combining the advances in Communications, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) technologies and the new Air Traffic Management concepts, thanks to SESAR rotorcraft can become a substantial enabler of total mobility’, Sir Christopher Coville concluded.

Commenting on the outcome of today’s meeting, Patrick Ky, Chief Executive of the SESAR Joint Undertaking, declared: ‘We have had a very fruitful discussion to secure the involvement of helicopter operational experts in the SESAR programme. It is important for the modernisation of the European sky to ensure that specific needs – such as the ones from the helicopter sector – are taken into consideration to design the future air traffic management system for everyone.’ Vittorio Morassi, Chairman of the European Helicopter Association (EHA, representing helicopter operators) was equally enthusiastic, and stressed the importance of a fully integrated approach between all stakeholders: ‘The Operators’ participation as members of the Airspace Users community in SESAR is vital to ensure that the Rotorcraft sector gains full access to future Single European Sky. I am delighted at the way in which we are working together to ensure that the views and requirements of both users and the leading European manufacturers are taken fully into account.’

Over the next year there will be several events at which the better exploitation of rotorcraft operations will be showcased and developed. Together with EHA, who have the lead on Rotary operations in SESAR, the ASD Rotorcraft Sectoral Group intends toexplain to a wide audience the benefits enabled by new technologies, both in avionics and in air traffic management systems, which could herald a new era in rapid, safe and environmentally focused transportation between main hubs and city centres. A high level conference will be organised in the course of 2012, to informand to learn from all interested parties.