TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Airways New Zealand and Leidos
have embarked on an exciting
collaboration to develop a new air
traffic management (ATM) system for New
Zealand – SkyLine-X.
SkyLine-X improves air traffic flow
management from takeoff to landing,
dynamically adjusting journeys in the air to
make air traffic flow faster, safer and more
environmentally friendly.
Meeting the need
Increasing delays, international airspace
challenges, and growing environmental
impacts are outpacing the capabilities of
many existing air traffic management
systems. With passenger volumes on the
rise, the global aviation system faces a
challenge: How to accommodate more flights
without compromising safety or negatively
impacting airlines’ bottom-lines. Many of the
world’s busiest airspaces are meeting this
challenge with Leidos’ aviation systems and
software, which are operating in terminal,
en-route, in the towers and oceanic domains
of some of the world’s busiest airspaces.
Airspace and airports are only facing more
demands, and SkyLine-X enables the ATM
organization to operate on a single system.
Leveraging more than US$500 million of
investment and working with partner
providers, SkyLine-X delivers a system that is
both highly resilient and scalable, realises a
lower cost of ownership, and improves safety
and supportability.
Taking ATM into the future
Built from the best components of proven,
globally-deployed ATM technologies and
enhanced by features co-developed in
partnership with Air Navigation Service
Providers (ANSPs) and technology
providers, SkyLine-X offers greater flexibility
and capabilities than any other air traffic
management solution on the market. It
incorporates more precise aircraft and
airspace monitoring, trajectory-based
operations, data communications, and
weather planning integration, enabling easier
information sharing between airports,
airlines, and ANSPs.
Designed to fully meet the needs of
airports and air traffic controllers, the
solution features robust scalability,
interoperability to existing and future
systems, and the ability to configure the
interface for improved usability. With
Airways’ portfolio of automation,
surveillance, and navigation services and
backed by Leidos’ extensive cyber, analytics,
and technology expertise, SkyLine-X sets a
new standard for air traffic performance,
efficiency, and safety.
Key innovations
Incorporated into SkyLine-X is Time-Based
Flow Management (TBFM) technology,
called “SkyLine Flow”, which has already
shown to boost capacity in the USA. TBFM
enables controllers to monitor arriving
aircraft at metering points. It also provides
flight crossing, delay absorption time
recommendations, and speed advice,
enabling pilots to make smaller adjustments
earlier in the flight, lessening the need for
no-notice holding and vectoring, thus
reducing delays. The system uses continuous
curved path navigation to help controllers
merge various traffic flows into a more
efficient final approach flow for improved
terminal spacing and sequencing, reducing
fuel burn.
The SkyLine-X system allows for the
management of any sector from any suite or
58 AIR TRAFFIC TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 2020
location – including two interoperable ATM
centers. The solution enables improved
trajectory, time-based flow management,
medium-term conflict detection, a terminal
sequence and spacing tool, and a new
modern operator interface. Additionally,
lifecycle technical and engineering support is
available for SkyLine-X customers.
The integration of the FAA Medium Term
Conflict Detection (MTCD) capability into
SkyLine-X enhances air safety and efficiency.
This controller decision support tool is an
enabler of Trajectory Based Operations
(TBO), providing outlooks for potential
conflicts against active trajectories,
continually updated from a full range of
sensor technologies. Trajectory models that
MAXIMISED AIRSPACE
EFFICIENCY
The latest air traic management system has been developed
in partnership between suppliers and ANSPs to improve
performance, eiciency, and safety
Fran Hill, senior vice president and operations manager
transportation solutions, Leidos