Ineco has led the operational safety activities in one of the project’s most significant validation exercises, carried out in Spain
The future of air traffic management in Europe continues to take shape. The Flight Centric ATC (FCA) project, developed under the European SESAR programme, has completed its research phase with notable participation from Ineco, reinforcing the company’s role in innovation within a system that is critical to aviation.
Unlike the current model, which is based on dividing upper airspace into sectors managed by teams of air traffic controllers, the FCA concept represents a fundamental shift. Under this approach, each controller is responsible for a specific set of flights throughout their trajectory, sharing the same airspace with other professionals who are simultaneously managing different aircraft. The aim is to increase the system’s efficiency and flexibility without compromising safety.
Over the past three years, Ineco has led operational safety activities in one of the project’s most significant validation exercises, conducted in Spain. The trials took place at CRIDA’s simulation laboratory, involving eleven controllers from Enaire and supported by Indra’s iTEC system.
The analysis focused particularly on two critical elements of the new model: the allocation of flights to controllers and conflict management in a shared airspace environment. According to the results obtained, the project reached Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL6) last April, a milestone that opens the door to its potential deployment across European skies.
The final phase of the project concluded with a meeting held in Berlin, attended by Ineco Air Safety Management experts Ángela Abad and Esther Diéguez. The meeting addressed the advantages, challenges and lessons learned after years of research, with contributions from the Ineco team, including technician Rodrigo Beltrán.
Through its involvement in this project, Ineco positions itself as a key player in the innovation of air traffic control in Europe, contributing to the definition of a model that could transform how air traffic is managed in the decades to come.
