On 6^th September 2011 an important step was taken by the FABEC CEOs to a future concept of operations. This concept consists of a reorganisation of the airspace into 3 layers. An upper layer, called “free route airspace”, a transitional layer called “transition airspace” to connect the TMAs to this upper layer and a “fixed route airspace”. 

In the transition airspace enhanced and integrated Arrival and Departure management will be used extensively. The fixed route airspace is the optimal TMA design around the big 5 airports Heathrow, Paris, Munich, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. Each has a radius of approximately 80NM and an optimized TMA concept to the other airports of approximately 40NM designed with fixed routes. Furthermore cross border sectorisation and multi airport service is delivered or going to be delivered.

In the picture below you find an impression of this concept:

To progress with this 3-layer-concept and to develop steps towards the implementation, the standing committees Technical and Operational were the first to discuss consequences. ANA Luxembourg was this time the organizing party for these important meetings on 6^th and 7^th September 2011, where the SC Tech had their meeting at the Eurocontrol Training centre at Kirchberg. In the evening of the 6^th a toast was made on the airside terrace of the administration building of ANA.

The Technical directors of all FABEC members, that is to say of Belgocontrol, DFS, DSNA, LVNL, skyguide, MUAC and ANA as well as some military representatives and the NATS,  brought the system support and the services a step further to this future concept. Voice over Internet Protocol, system harmonization, cross border service delivery and many other topics were discussed and decided on. The future technical concept, approx 2020, will look like the picture below with centralized systems and services in only a few centres and

locally the Human Machine Interfaces with some of the data manipulations.

ANA could proudly show the core area of interest, the practical side of the work. On the evening of the 6^th a toast was made on the airside terrace of the administration building of ANA.

   The wind did not take the tent away                                                    Robert Stadtler - Alexander Skoniezki

A week later, on 14^th and 15^th of September, the Operational Directors also met in Luxembourg. Difficult decisions had to be made on the future airspace design. Major re-arrangements, which will support the total concept of operations above, were made. New military airspaces, new rules for the use of the airspace, new design rules, new routes and airspace volumes that will deliver a better performance of the overall ATM system, were decided on.