SEAC

SEAC SESAR European Airports Consortium

In 2009, the operators of six major European airports joined forces in the SEAC Consortium (SESAR European Airports Consortium) and became a member of the SESAR JU (Single European Sky ATM Research Joint Undertaking). With some changes for the Research and Innovation Program in SESAR2020, the members of the SEAC Consortium comprise 7 airport operators. Within the Consortium, SEAC2020 members share their experiences and know-how in airport management and thereby contributing significantly to the success of SESAR.

The SEAC2020 Consortium aims to prioritize Research & Development activities in order to benefit airport communities and change Air Traffic Management towards the future. By speaking with one voice, SEAC2020 enables a safe and seamless travel experience for passengers while respecting the needs and expectations of local communities and the airports’ environmental impact.


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Members

  • Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
  • Avinor Airports
  • Groupe ADP
  • Heathrow Airport Ltd.
  • Munich Airport
  • Swedavia Airports
  • Zurich Airport Ltd.

Our Goals

The SEAC members operate, among others, 6 of the 10 busiest airports in Europe. Even today, those airports are already operating close to their respective capacity limits and, in the event of disruptions, have the greatest impact on the European air traffic network.

One of the key SEAC goals is the introduction of new procedures and technologies to prepare airports for the air traffic demand expected for 2020 and beyond. Consequently, airports have to become a part of the Air-Traffic-Management (ATM) network, integrating the local planning in the Network Operations Plan. As another SEAC goal integrated planning and information sharing will be the basis for collaborative decisions and a performance driven airport management.

This is of particular importance in situations of reduced capacity such as bad weather, strikes etc. However, there will not be one solution that fits all airports. The major challenge will be to reach these goals while at the same time giving each airport the room to account for its local situation and to pursue its individual business plan. SEAC is committed to ensure improvement of the environmental sustainability of future air traffic extending our relationship to the communities in the neighborhood of airports.


Objectives

  • Integration of airports in the ATM network
  • Performance driven airport management
  • Enhanced predictability
  • Adaptive solutions for local needs
  • Improvement of environmental sustainability

Our Projects

The SESAR2020 Program consists of 19 projects. SEAC member airports are actively involved in topics related to airport design, infrastructure and operations management. The goal of the ATM process is safe and efficient handling of the entire flight from the parking position at the origin airport until arrival at the gate of the destination airport including the complete turnaround process.

The consortium is specifically focused on one of four key areas which is ‘High Performing Airport Operations’. In that area SEAC is leading the 'Total Airport Management' project which further develops the findings from SESAR1 regarding Airport Operations Plan (AOP) as well as Airport Operations Centre (APOC). TAM is concerned with taking a ‘holistic’ view of airport operations, including all of the key processes (aircraft, passengers, baggage, etc.) and importantly, the interaction between them to support better and faster decision-making, as it is the degree of coordination between these different processes which constitutes a significant contributory factor to improve predictability, punctuality and resilience of airport operations and ultimately therefore passenger satisfaction.

SEAC also contributes to 8 other SESAR2020 projects addressing important challenges such as increasing the Runway and Airport throughput, surface management, airport safety nets or remote towers for multiple airports.

In addition, 'Environment' is another key area in which SEAC partners are actively involved. Because environmental sustainability and performance are vital concerns of airport policy, they are more often brought into the Demand Capacity balancing decision making process. Furthermore, the joint initiative AIRE (Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emissions) fits in with the Memorandum of Cooperation signed by the European Union and the USA to coordinate two major programmes on Air Traffic Management (ATM) infrastructure modernisation, SESAR in Europe and NEXTGEN in the United States. The aim of AIRE is to capitalise on present aircraft technologies and to enhance operational procedures that have a direct impact in the short and medium term on greenhouse gas emissions. Under this initiative, SEAC member airports with other ATM stakeholders were working collaboratively to validate solutions for the reduction of CO2 emissions during all phases of flight.


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Validation Exercises

  • Follow the Greens (VP-759)
    SEAC presented the results of the validation to a wide variety of visitors including ANSPs, Airspace Users and Ground Manufacturing Industry.
    Watch Video

  • Airport Operations Centre (APOC)
    The benefits drawn from APOC have been highlighted through two validations, at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG) and London Heathrow (LHR) airports.
    APOC simulation at LHR
    APOC simulation at Paris-CDG

  • Total Airport Management (TAM)
    A joint validation of the TAM concept in Paris-Orly highlighted the added value of SESAR APOC Total Airport Management approach.
    Watch Video

  • User Driven Prioritisation Process (UDPP)
    In collaboration with Airline Operators SEAC worked on UDPP related impacts within the APOC and the effects on ground operation.
    Watch Video

Our Structure

SEAC is a consortium combining and steering the SESAR related efforts of its seven member airports. It is not a company with its budget and employees. Therefore the various SESAR projects are staffed by experts from the SEAC members. From the very beginning, the consortium established a Supervisory Committee on top management level. In addition, SESAR project managers of each company together with several experts meet on a regular basis in a technical coordination group.

The SEAC experts involved in SESAR add unique skills and experiences in different fields such as: Political and Regulatory Affairs, Strategic Planning and Forecasting, Airside and Landside Operations, Capacity Management and Enhancement, Infrastructure Design and Construction, Information Technology, Safety Management, Environmental Management, Performance Management to the various projects. The Consortium Members represent the greater part of the most capacity constrained airports in Europe.

Thus, systems and procedures increasing key performance indicators such as declared capacity, capacity in adverse conditions, predictability, and punctuality, are among the primary objectives of SEAC. At the same time, safety and cost-effectiveness need to be improved significantly. As many SEAC airports are responsible for air traffic control on taxiways and aprons, the consortium is a competent partner in developing the future ATM system from the perspective of the most important nodal points in the European air traffic network. In all, SEAC has a small but very motivated and skilled team for tackling the future challenges of the European ATM system.

Airports Council International (ACI) Europe
Airports Council International (ACI) Europe supports the airports in the SESAR program on the political level. ACI Europe's main task is consulting and representing the airports outside the SESAR program, particularly the numerous smaller airports in Europe.


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Structure

  • SEAC is a consortium combining and steering SESAR related efforts
  • The consortium established a Supervisory Committee on top management level
  • SEAC has a small but very motivated team for the upcoming challenges
  • ACI Europe supports the airports in the SESAR program on the political level

Our Contact

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Erik Derogee:
derogee[at]schiphol.nl

Avinor Airports

Johan Steinkjer:
johan.steinkjer[at]avinor.no

Groupe ADP

Olivier Delain:
olivier.delain[at]adp.fr

Brankica Pesic Le Foll:
brankica.pesiclefoll[at]adp.fr

Heathrow Airport Ltd.

Neil Pritchard:
neil.pritchard[at]heathrow.com

Munich Airport

Alexander Grimm:
alexander.grimm[at]munich-airport.de

Swedavia Airports

Maria Grund:
maria.grund[at]swedavia.se

Zürich Airport Ltd.

Mattes Kettner:
mattes.kettner[at]zurich-airport.com

Michael Brügger:
michael.bruegger[at]zurich-airport.com

ACI-Europe

Aidan Flanagan
Manager Safety, Capacity, ATM & Single European Sky
aidan.flanagan[at]aci-europe.org

Members

  • Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
  • Avinor Airports
  • Groupe ADP
  • Heathrow Airport Ltd.
  • Munich Airport
  • Swedavia Airports
  • Zurich Airport Ltd.

SESAR Single European Sky ATM Research

The Single European Sky (SES) is an ambitious initiative launched by the European Commission in 2004 to reform the architecture of European ATM. It proposes a legislative approach to meet future capacity and safety needs at a European rather than local level.

As the technological pillar of the Single European Sky, SESAR aims to deliver benefits in several key areas, namely the environment, capacity, cost-efficiency, safety and predictability. Today, SESAR unites around 3,000 experts in Europe and beyond

For more information about SESAR click here


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High-Level Goals

  • Enable a 3-fold increase in capacity which will also reduce delays both on the ground and in the air
  • Improve safety by a factor of 10
  • Enable a 10% reduction in the effects flights have on the environment
  • Provide ATM services to the airspace users at a cost of at least 50% less

SEAC Members