Magdy, Author at Magdy Reda

07 August

Blockchain Will Coordinate Airspace so Delivery Drones Don’t Crash

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Blockchain and drones: How will we control the new highways of the skies above us as small aircraft fill the the space above our cities?

Blockchain is a new industry. And yet, there are systems being conceived around it that are even newer. And this concept is one of them. For those of us with kids, we are being told to prepare them for jobs that don’t exist yet. So read on.

It has been predicted that within a couple of years, drones will be above us all the time. They will operate in a sub-layer of the sky, below commercial flight paths and military jets. But their flight paths will need to be coordinated. This is so they don’t smash into each other while delivering cargo, ferrying people, and inspecting things like wind turbines and bridges. No one needs to be rained on by smashing drones, thanks.

A sub-layer of air traffic control has been conceived to address this. It will work using both distributed ledger tech (DLT), blockchain, and automation. Research around this new sub-layer in the aviation industry is already well underway. The idea is to improve safety, cybersecurity and interoperability.

Cranfield researchers are part of this project. They say the system will integrate an ecosystem of crewed and uncrewed aircraft in the UK’s skies.

Air taxi drones in urban airspace. Credit: AMU-LED Consortium

Unmanned Drones

These researchers say that uncrewed aerial vehicles are already bringing benefits to humans. Examples given are solving medical logistical problems in isolated areas, and inspecting difficult-to-reach infrastructure, like high masts.

The researchers say that a new air traffic management system will “open up a new age of commercial opportunities for the aviation sector, as well as drone-enhanced public services: urban air taxis, cargo and delivery services, security operations, healthcare support and environmental monitoring.”

According to PWC and UKRI, a new industry around uncrewed and autonomous aviation will be worth an estimated £42bn to the UK economy by 2030. This is thanks to new jobs, cost savings, and productivity gains. Once this new industry is established, a hybrid airspace is predicted to be in place from around 2024.

Blockchain – Increasing Transparency and Trust

This future – of an uncrewed aircraft using blockchain-style technology to solve logistical problems – is being worked on by a collaboration of 13 consortium partners, including Cranfield, Oxford University, Heathrow Airport, IAG, NATS, and SITA. Also in the mix are some UK-based startups.

As drones fly over us, the system will allow thousands of independent computers to share the history of data – of who did what and when. Says Cranfield, “The system includes ‘smart contracts’, controls over user actions backed up by coded security. Artificial Intelligence will enhance cybersecurity measures for the DLTs, allowing for constant real-time data collection, processing and authorization during operations.”

Automation and autonomy will unlock huge benefits

Dr Dimitrios Panagiotakopoulos is a Senior Lecturer in Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Traffic Management at Cranfield. “Human operators in traditional ATM are already facing high workloads and a deluge of data from different information systems, flight planning, radar and weather. The current approach isn’t scalable to meet the needs of a more complex and demanding hybrid airspace of crewed and uncrewed traffic. To access the huge potential benefits of a new kind of airspace there has to be more automation and autonomy – but that can only happen with watertight systems and a shared sense of trust.”

Yann Cabaret is the CEO of SITA. “Not dissimilar to the wider air transport industry, the successful introduction of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems will rely heavily on secure data exchange between operators, airports and air traffic management. Through this research partnership we are confident that using DLTs will improve the flow of actionable data between transportation stakeholders to support the efficient and safe operation of unmanned aircraft in future. At SITA, we have already demonstrated the benefits of DLT in tracking aircraft parts to sharing operational data at the airport. This is a natural extension of that work.”

Testing scenarios in urban environments

So far, we have established that most people who live in cities can expect to see a variety of drones in the airspace above them, and soon. These drones will be taking people to hospitals, putting out fires, or delivering parcels.

According to Urban Air Mobility (UAM ), “Just like the air traffic management system for general aircraft, [this] will ensure that drone operations are carried out safely and efficiently. The system is more automated than current air traffic control, with less human interaction and the capacity to handle more flights simultaneously.”

Gokhan Inalhan is the Professor of Autonomous Systems and Artificial Intelligence at Cranfield. “This is a very exciting project and one that will pave the way for highways in the skies, removing traffic and congestion and changing the way we move around.”

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05 August

ATM

Air traffic controllers want to extend schedule of nighttime flights over Lisbon

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Portugal’s air traffic control company NAV wants to extend the schedule of nighttime flights in Lisbon due to the implementation of the new Top Sky control system, a company source told Lusa.

Notice for the consultation of interested parties was published on Wednesday to start the procedure to approve an ordinance allowing for an exceptional regime concerning the operation of aircraft at Lisbon airport.

NAV’s official source told Lusa it is a question of extending the schedule of flights in Lisbon for the night period, not increasing the volume of traffic. More a case of “distributing flights over more hours, allowing the air traffic control system to be updated, as of 18 October”.

None of this sounds very clear. Lisbon airport is restricted to 91 flights per week between the hours of 00:00 and 06:00 due to noise.

In July, environmental association Zero stressed that noise levels at Lisbon airport still exceeded legal limits and warned that the night flight restriction regime was also not being complied with.

ZERO cited readings taken in the week beginning July 11, which indicated a total of 140 movements between 00:00 and 06:00.

Thus what NAV’s announcement really means is open to question.

The Top Sky project, common to six other countries and coordinated by Eurocontrol, was presented by NAV in 2019 and foresees an investment of €103.8 million until 2023, says Lusa.

Elsewhere, it is described as “the world’s most advanced air traffic control automation solution, designated to control en route, approach and oceanic traffic, both in civil and military environments.”

interested parties – which will include groups like ZERO – now have 10 days to comment on NAV’s request, says Lusa “after which a government decree will enter public consultation and will be known in greater detail”.

natasha.donn@portugalresident.com

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05 August

EnvironmentSustainability

Shell and Lufthansa Group sign non-binding MoU for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) supply; up to 594M gallons

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Representatives of Shell International Petroleum and Deutsche Lufthansa AG (Lufthansa Group) have signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for exploring the supply of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) by Shell to the Lufthansa Group for seven years at airports across the globe, starting in 2024.

The parties contemplate negotiating towards reaching a definitive purchase agreement with the total volume supplied reaching up to 594 million gallons (1.8 million metric tonnes).

If a definitive agreement is reached it would be one of the most significant commercial collaborations for SAF in the aviation sector and Shell’s largest SAF commitment to date.

Unlike most SAF supply arrangements in which the fuel is produced from only one technology, the potential SAF to be supplied by Shell is to be produced by up to four different approved technology pathways and a broad range of sustainable feedstocks.

The MoU contributes to Shell’s ambition of having at least 10% of its global aviation fuel sales as SAF by 2030 and on the Lufthansa Group’s ambition to drive the availability, the market ramp-up and the use of SAF as a core element of its sustainability strategy. The Lufthansa Group is already the largest buyer of SAF in Europe and one of the airlines enabling their customers to report their emission reductions by an audited certificate.

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04 August

AviationSafety

Measuring and improving safety culture in the aviation industry

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Europe has approximately 40 air navigation service providers employing over 50,000 staff and coordinating up to 30,000 flights a day. Two mid-air collisions, Milan Linate in 2001 and Überlingen in 2002, revealed serious problems in the safety culture of these service providers. Tom Reader developed a methodology for systematically measuring safety culture in air traffic management, which has contributed to stronger European air safety.

Poor safety culture is a causal factor in serious aviation accidents.

Safety culture refers to the norms and practices for how risk is managed within an organisation. In a strong safety culture, employees and managers agree on the importance of safety and it is integral to everyday practices such as incident reporting, teamwork, training, and resources. Where such practices are absent, management and employees are less able to identify, discuss, and ameliorate threats to safety, which has severe consequences.

Effective safety management is essential for aviation and air traffic management. Across Europe there are approximately 40 air navigation service providers employing over 50,000 staff and coordinating up to 30,000 flights a day (15,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic). Though fatal accidents are rare, mid-air collisions in 2001 (Milan Linate) and 2002 (Überlingen) revealed serious problems in the safety culture of European air navigation service providers.

What did we do?

In 2006, EUROCONTROL, the European air traffic management network manager, launched a programme for measuring, evaluating, and improving safety culture across national European air navigation service providers. Initially this project was a collaboration with researchers at the University of Aberdeen led by Dr Kathryn Mearns and supported by me. I led later stages after I joined LSE in 2010.

Safety culture research has traditionally focused on measuring culture qualitatively or through generic surveys, usually within single companies, industries, or countries. The EUROCONTROL project, in contrast, was international and practice focused.

Between 2006 and 2008, we created a toolkit for identifying and measuring the core components of a “safe culture” in the industry. Through both top-down analysis (using safety culture theory to design and interpret survey items), and bottom-up assessment of survey responses, we designed a questionnaire that captured practices essential for safety management in air traffic control.

We then developed a six-dimension conceptual model of safety culture. These covered: management commitment, collaboration, incident reporting, communication, safety support (resources), and colleagues’ and staff commitment to safety. These dimensions were used to explore safety practices in focus groups, interviews, and discussions with executives in different countries.

Further survey data from a bespoke questionnaire based on these six dimensions were collected between 2011 and 2013 from air traffic controllers (n = 5,176) and managers (n = 1,230) in 17 countries. The results supported the use of a single conceptual model to explain, interpret, and benchmark safety culture across Europe, which could then generate recommendations for improvement.

Additional research with 13,000 employees in 21 air traffic management centres showed that safety culture is determined, in part, by national norms for uncertainty avoidance and tendencies for challenging authority. This shows that safety culture can be shaped by factors outside of managerial control; as such, work to improve safety needs to be tailored to different national environments.

Together, this research has created a novel benchmark for safety culture, which can be customised for ensuring safety across the global air traffic management industry. It now represents the standard for measuring safety culture and has subsequently been adapted to the wider airline industry.

What happened?

This programme has been used by EUROCONTROL to monitor and improve safety management across the European air traffic management industry, and it has been applied by more than 30 national air navigation service providers. For EUROCONTROL it provides a mechanism to engage with national organisations on safety culture, to create a benchmark for monitoring safety and for making recommendations for improving safety at both organisation and industry levels. This is one of the largest ever international and industry-wide programmes of safety culture assessment and development, which received the 2014 Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors President’s Award.

We have helped national safety providers to run the survey and analyse data for more than 30,000 survey respondents and 1,000-plus focus group participants, which has informed EUROCONTROL’s work with national organisations. Most European air navigation service providers have used this methodology, with many also participating in an annual safety culture workshop hosted by EUROCONTROL and attended by LSE researchers.

This process helps organisations to identify both strengths and areas for development in safety management. A paper by EUROCONTROL detailed the responses of seven large participating organisations, and what they had learnt from the process. Many reported benefits such as improved safety communication, collaboration, and incident reporting. One large organisation, for example, with 500,000-plus flights annually, reported an 80 per cent increase in incident reporting, and significant improvements in the quality of information gathered on safety incidents.

The application of this consistent methodology has helped air navigation providers to develop a coordinated approach to safety culture. CEOs of participating institutions have confirmed the assessment process has helped them to recognise safety culture as essential to operations, which enables them to drive change. Since taking part in the programme’s surveys, many air navigation providers now conduct their own safety culture surveys and workshops.

This scientific, coordinated, and collaborative approach to safety culture has since been extended to the wider aviation system. In cooperation with the European Cockpit Association (ECA; the union for European pilots), the safety culture survey has been customised to measure safety culture across the airline industry. In 2016, a sample of 7,000 pilots from more than 30 airlines completed the survey, run by LSE and ECA. The results provided new insights on issues such as zero-hour contracts and ineffective fatigue management. These informed MEPs’ questions on Europe’s “ultra-safe aviation industry”; an investigation by the European Commission into the working conditions of airline crews; and European Aviation Safety Agency recommendations on fatigue management.

Major airlines have also used insights from safety culture surveys. EasyJet, for example, made changes in its schedules and rosters, delivered new training, and created a pilot-peer support programme in response to its safety culture survey. Luton Airport was surveyed by EUROCONTROL and LSE in 2016, which helped it to bring together 15 organisations across its aviation system and improve coordination. This programme was recognised by a 2018 award from the International Air Transport Association.

Finally, this research is so also becoming influential beyond aviation. The safety culture methodology has been used by the Financial Conduct Authority to shape its thinking on how to effectively conceptualise, measure, and manage culture in the financial industry.

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03 August

Climate changeEnvironmentSustainability

New initiative from Turkish Airlines to combat climate change: Co2mission

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Turkish Airlines made this announcement:

Aiming to offset the carbon emissions caused by flights, Turkish Airlines will launch a new program called Co₂mission. The program aims to balance the emissions caused by all business trips from the company’s personnel. As for the guests, they will be able to fly more environmentally conscious on a voluntary basis. With this program, the national flag carrier will ensure carbon offset becomes achievable and practical for anyone with environmental awareness.

Starting its operations on August 1, the program’s website offers numerous portfolio options for carbon offset with environmental and communal benefits such as renewable energy and forestation. Passengers aiming to offset the emission of their flight can do so by contributing their desired amount to the project portfolio of their choice, thus purchasing an emission reduction certification accredited by United Nations. The passenger contributions will be used to support the projects accredited by VCS and Gold Standard and can submit their third-party evaluation and reviews without any cuts by Turkish Airlines.

Sharing his thoughts on the voluntary carbon offset project “Co₂mission,” Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and Executive Committee Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bolat stated: “We are continuing to take the initiative to combat climate change, which stands at the forefront of today’s global problems. Soon, we will add another to our sustainability focused projects which are proving themselves with successful results. The projects supported by the carbon offset program will also show our heartfelt commitment to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The decision to implement this program is the result of our desire to conduct all our operations responsibly. I am sure that our passengers will also show great interest in the program with the knowledge that all of us are responsible for this beautiful world we share.”

Flight date information along with arrival-departure stations are enough to take part in the carbon offset process. Guests are able to complete their carbon offset process whenever they want, regardless of which airline they traveled with. With the THY Co₂mission platform, it is possible to calculate the carbon offset amount with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) methodology, which considers route length, aircraft type, fuel consumption and numerous other factors. The platform will be reachable through Turkish Airlines website during ticket purchases or directly through the Co₂mission website: http://turkishairlines.co2mission.com/.

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01 August

AirportsTraffic

Istanbul Airport ranked first in Europe with 1,327 daily flights

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Istanbul: Istanbul Airport ranked first in Europe in terms of the average number of daily flights during the period of July 22-28, with 1,327 flights.

According to a report issued by the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL) on Saturday regarding flights between July 22-28, Istanbul Airport exceeded the French Charles de Gaulle Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol by the number of flights in the mentioned period.

Antalya Airport had 942 daily flights in the mentioned period, ranking eighth in Europe, the report stated.

Istanbul Airport also topped the list of airports in terms of the number of passengers during the month of June, with around 5,996,000 passengers.

This came according to a report issued by the Airports Council International Europe (ACI EUROPE) on air traffic in Q2 of 2022, indicating that passenger traffic through European airports in the first half of this year increased by 247 percent compared to the same period in 2021.

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30 July

UTM

UK drone ‘superhighway’ cleared for take-off

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The UK government has announced that it has given the greenlight to ‘Project Skyway’, a plan to create a ‘drone superhighway’ between the Midlands and the Southeast.

20 July

Aviation

Garmin Pilot adds graphical weight and balance function

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Garmin’s latest app update is out just in time for Oshkosh and adds a nice selection of new planning features. There’s a new graphical weight and balance view, map search capability and an update to the interactive measuring tool on the map. Pilots flying in Europe will also benefit from the inclusion of Eurocontrol Aeronautical Information Publications (AIPs), an enhancement to French NOTAMs information and added support for the uAvionix Sky Echo 2 receiver.

Graphical weight & balance

The weight and balance feature in the app includes a new graphical view, making it quick and easy to enter the weight for each station and visualize the results on a dynamic CG envelope chart. Simply tap one of the pilot, passenger, cargo or fuel positions and enter the weight for that station:

The same fuel customization options are included in the new graphical view and provides an instant landing weight and CG computation. You can also switch the CG envelope view to a Station Chart options, which neatly shows the location of each loaded item in relation to the calculated CG:

This new graphical weight and balance view will display by default for your existing aircraft profiles, provided that you previously entered the weight and balance details for your airplane. You can also quickly create a new weight and balance profile from the templates included in the app. You’ll just need to add the specific basic empty weight and CG for your particular model

Graphical weight and balance requires the Garmin Pilot Premium add-on subscription.

Map Search

Map search is a powerful new tool that allows you to quickly search for airports, navaids and intersections by identifier or name. It is accessed from the magnifying glass icon on the right side of the menu bar:

It incorporates Garmin’s Fast Find predictive logic to suggest results, which is the same popular feature found in Garmin’s panel-mount avionics. Start typing and the app will prioritize search results closest to your nearest location:

Distance Measuring Tool

Garmin improved the usability of the distance measuring tool to display touch points just below the rule, which are shown as two black rings. This allows you to accurately control the length and position of the tool without obscuring the view. To activate the tool, tap and hold on the map with two fingers:

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19 July

EnvironmentSustainability

Pressure on airlines to decarbonise will grow, warns lobby group

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Airlines should be worried by the pressure to decarbonise but not fear it means the end of flying, according to environmental group Transport & Environment.

Chief executive William Todts insisted: “We can have transport and the environment. The problem is not transport, it’s pollution.”

He argued: “The problem with aviation is the size of emissions and that we don’t have the regulations or tools to bring them down. As emissions in the rest of the economy go down, aviation’s share is going to go up and up. That is what makes environmentalists, regulators and governments nervous.”

Appearing on a webinar hosted by European air traffic management body Eurocontrol, Todts agreed “there is too much flying”.

But he said: “You can say the same about driving and ordering stuff on Amazon. As long as we haven’t got rid of the carbon emissions in these products and processes, we consume too much.”

Asked if he supports a tax on flying, Todts said: “In principle, a frequent flier tax is a good idea. If you fly a lot, you or your company should pay a bit more and that can be used to help clean up the sector.

“It is rich people who fly most. It’s possible for these people to pay a bit more.”

But he added: “People seem to think if we have a tax on short-haul flights, we’ve solved the problem. That is false. This is a long-haul problem. Eurocontrol data shows how big a problem long-haul flights are.”

European air traffic management body Eurocontrol reported last year that the 6% of flights over 4,000km create 52% of airlines’ CO2 emissions.

Todts noted pressure to decarbonise from major companies, saying: “We’ve seen with the pandemic that we can do business without getting on a plane all the time.

“Companies are going to be obliged to report on their carbon emissions and, for a lot of companies, flights are a significant share of their emissions. There is a going to be a lot of pressure to cut back.

“Business travel is not going to return to what it was in 2019.”

He added: “These corporations are big buyers. They have clout with the airlines. That is why Air France and Lufthansa are getting more serious about sustainability. Their corporate customers are demanding it. If I was the airlines, I would be worried.

“Some people in aviation think sustainability is going to go away. It’s not, it’s only going to become bigger.”

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18 July

UTM

SESAR JU Leads Project for Medical Drone Delivery in Belgium

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SAFIR-Med, a project that is part of the SESAR Joint Undertaking, recently received authorization to perform a drone flight beyond visual line of sight over a populated area in Belgium.