CONNECTIVITY
THE IRIS PROGRAMME BRINGS
EUROPE ONE STEP CLOSER TO SAFER
AND MORE EFFICIENT AIR TRAVEL
The Iris satellite datalink solution enters implementation phase
Joseph Teixeira, vice president, safety and cybersecurity, Inmarsat Aviation
The modernisation of European
airspace has taken another giant leap
forward as Iris – Inmarsat and the
European Space Agency’s (ESA) air traffic
management (ATM) programme – has
entered its implementation phase. This takes
us one step closer to Iris commercial service
and fulfilling the SESAR objective of
modernising ATM over Europe. Iris delivers
an extensive list of benefits across the
aviation industry, such as increased
operational efficiency, major fuel savings,
enhanced security, and decreased CO2
emissions.
Some of the major advancements toward
Iris commercial implementation include:
• Completion of system design, testing,
and inclusion of European ATC
communications standards for ATN/OSI
and increased security resilience
• Successful trials to assure performance
and compliance with SESAR and data
link requirements
• Agreements with multiple OEMs to
develop and certify commercial avionics
to support Iris
• Establishment of partnerships with ATM
stakeholders (ANSPs, OEMs, SESAR
organizations, EASA)
• Requirements developed for the
transition to future capabilities (ATN/
IPS, Future ATS services-ATN B3)
• Agreement reached with a major
European airline to begin flight trials in
2020 using Iris technology
• Agreement reached with European
Satellite Services Provider (ESSP) to
identify potential markets and business
opportunities for Iris’s commercial
service.
Inmarsat has also signed agreements with
major European ANSPs to help develop
standards for Air Traffic Control. These
include DFS, ENAIRE, ENAV,
EUROCONTROL MUAC, and NATS. All
these mark significant milestones to
demonstrate operational readiness, benefits,
and to transition towards commercial
service.
With commercial service scheduled to
begin in early 2021, here is a little more
about how this vital enabling tool for
78 AIR TRAFFIC TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 2020
aviation delivers safer, greener, and more
efficient air travel.
A solution for congested skies
With the International Air Transport
Association (IATA) forecasting that air
traffic will double by 2035, there is a fear that
congestion of the ground-based radio
frequencies currently used for air traffic
control will lead to increased flight times,
Above Major milestones in
the Iris programme
Right: The project has
entered the implementation
stage with the broad support
of industry
Opposite page: The Iris
programme enables secure
broadband internet
connectivity for aircraft