A6 Alliance and EUROCONTROL to collaborate on NewPENS, the future European ATM communications infrastructure

The A6 Alliance of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) and EUROCONTROL are working together on defining a major piece of communications infrastructure required to underpin the European Commission’s Single European Sky initiative. The two organisations are collaborating to define the provision of the New Pan-European Network Services (NewPENS).

NewPENS is the pan-European ground-to-ground network infrastructure used for both voice and data communications between ANSPs; and the enabler for iSWIM, mandated by the Pilot Common Project (PCP) as ATM Function 5. NewPENS will transport the data from the Network Manager and EUROCONTROL Centralised Services to all ATM Stakeholders from EUROCONTROL Member States and other States within the ICAO EUR/NAT Region and its bordering States.

Better information sharing between all air traffic management (ATM) stakeholders is fundamental to improving the management of Europe’s airspace and meeting forecast traffic growth. NewPENS will provide a common, secure IP-based network service across Europe, making it easier to share information while at the same time reducing costs.

The collaboration is supported by the European Commission’s TEN-T funding. Progress on the options available for governance, procurement and financing is sufficiently mature to proceed to a consultation of all European ATM Stakeholders at a workshop to take place in Langen next Wednesday, 3 June.

Ignacio González, Air Navigation Director of ENAIRE and Chair of the A6 Alliance Steering Board, said: “This is great news for the European ATM operational stakeholders. It is vital that ANSPs are at the heart of these developments and by working closely with EUROCONTROL, we can draw on the widest possible range of resource and expertise to ensure we deliver the best outcome for Europe’s airspace users.”

Frank Brenner, Director General of EUROCONTROL, added: “We are inviting all Air Navigation Service Providers and other Parties who are interested to use NewPENS to join in the common procurement of NewPENS. This is a major step and means that we are now able to move forward with implementation of this important project which will benefit the European ATM industry overall.”