Flight plan data to be exchanged between Europe, the Middle East and Brazil

Eurocontrol has successfully signed two agreements to exchange flight plan data. The first is with the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the second is with the Department of Airspace Control (DECEA) of Brazil; both were signed at the ATC Global 2015 exhibition in Dubai and held between the 5th and 7th of this month.
The agreement with the GCAA includes the exchanging of flight data, updated flight plan information, and airport departure planning information, with the specific intention of addressing the existing lack of predictability of traffic between Europe and the Middle East.
“With traffic between Europe and the Middle East predicted to grow at 3.6% a year over the next decade at least, it is clear that in order to deliver efficient air traffic services, we need to improve cooperation and exchange of information between the two regions. This agreement will not only contribute to the ICAO Global Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) Concept as part of the Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP), but will also help to establish closer links between the Air Traffic Flow and Capacity Units in Europe and the Gulf,” said Eurocontrol Director General, Frank Brenner.
The agreement with the DECEA will involve Eurocontrol’s Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) which will provide support on capacity and human resource management, as well as operational tools and processes to the DECEA. The aim is to enhance cooperation in capacity management and operational flight data exchange. It is understood that Eurocontrol and the DECEA will also exchange updated flight plan data, airport arrival and departure planning information, as well as flight profile data for those between the two regions. Cooperation in the area of Performance Measurement and Airport Collaborative Decision Making (ACDM) will also be included.
According to Brenner, “As a result of this cooperation, Eurocontrol and DECEA will contribute to ICAO’s global ATFM concept, exchanging important real time data information on the traffic flows between Europe and South America. Working between continents, harmonizing benchmarking, and exchanging best practices is something that we already do with other parts of the world, and we are happy that we are now extending our cooperation to South America.”