The SESAR 3 Flight Centric ATC (FCA) project was proudly presented at this year’s Airspace World in Lisbon, where the aviation community gathered to discuss the next steps in European airspace modernisation. FCA was part of several sessions that explored how flight-centric concepts are contributing to smarter, more adaptive, and resilient air traffic management strategies.
SESAR Walking Tour 9: “Exploring Operational, Industrial, and Simulation Perspectives”
A highlight of the event was the SESAR Joint Undertaking Walking Tours. FFCA team participated in tour 9, titled “Airspace Management: Smarter Strategies for a Dynamic Sky!”. The tour, led by Ramón Raposo, guided participants through several live demonstrations of SESAR 3 projects addressing the evolving complexity of airspace management. The FCA concept was presented by three project partners, each offering a different perspective on its development and application:
- Tobias Finck (DLR) gave an operational overview of flight-centric operations, introducing the main principles and benefits of the concept, including more flexible controller allocation and better scalability of airspace management.
- Mayte Cano (Indra) discussed the manufacturer’s role in supporting FCA implementation, focusing on technological readiness and integration challenges within existing ATM infrastructures.
- Premysl Volf (AgentFly Technologies) showcased how flight-centric operations can be modelled and tested through simulation, helping identify risks, performance effects, and controller workload patterns before real-world deployment.
Tour participants had the opportunity to engage directly with experts, see working demonstrations, and reflect on how flight-centric operations might fit into the broader SESAR transformation path.
Theatre Session: “Transforming Skies – Flight Centric ATC as a Game Changer”
In addition to the walking tour, the FCA project was also featured in a dedicated theatre session: “Transforming Skies: Flight Centric ATC as a Game Changer”. Moderated by Tobias Finck (DLR), the session brought together a diverse panel of experts:
- Ella Pinska-Chauvin (Integra Consult) provided strategic insights on aligning FCA with the broader ATM modernisation process.
- Mara Weber (DLR) shared research findings on the human performance aspects of flightcentric operations and how they affect controller workload and situational awareness.
- Dmytro Tereshchenko (UkSATSE) offered operational feedback from real-time simulations conducted in Ukrainian airspace—an important validation scenario within the FCA project.
- Predrag Terzioski (EUROCONTROL) addressed high-level implementation concerns, particularly around standardisation, interoperability, and cross-border coordination.
The panel covered both the potential benefits of Flight Centric ATC) and the challenges, including controller training, procedural adaptation, and integration into existing systems. Audience members had the chance to join the discussion, making the session highly interactive and informative.
The FCA project’s participation at Airspace World 2025 was an excellent opportunity to share insights, gather feedback, and position flight-centric operations within the wider SESAR innovation ecosystem.
While implementation remains a long-term goal, events like this underscore the strong interest and momentum building around scalable, intelligent airspace solutions.
