Validation exercise 002 is advancing as planned, with the validation plan close to completion and preparations set for the first dry run, scheduled for 25 November 2024, at the CRIDA laboratory. This dry run marks a significant milestone, focusing on validating the FCA tools developed and ensuring that the traffic simulations prepared are accurate for the upcoming validations. It will also provide an opportunity for air traffic controllers to review and confirm the designed operational procedures, ensuring they align with real-world operational demands.
The involvement of air traffic controllers will be crucial in this phase, as they will provide valuable feedback on the procedures being tested and the developed tool support. Their insights will help fine-tune the procedures and the validation infrastructure before moving forward with the full validation phase, ensuring that they are both practical and efficient for real-world application.
In parallel, the statistical analysis to evaluate the potential cost-efficiency improvements of the FCA concept in the Madrid Route 1 ACC area has been successfully completed. The study shows promising results, with an average improvement in ATCO productivity of around 4 %. This analysis has guided the selection of the most suitable traffic samples for real-time validation of key use cases, such as FCA position openings and closings, conflict resolution, adverse weather scenarios, and communication failures. These findings will provide a strong foundation for the next stages of validation and ensure a rigorous assessment of FCA benefits.
