European Commission vice president Jacques Barrot and Eurocontrol director general Victor Aguado came to the show yesterday to announce the go-ahead for a potential e2 billion ($2.44 billion)-plus investment in Europe’s Sesame air traffic modernization program.

Barrot also revealed that following a meeting yesterday morning with U.S. Federal Aviation Administration administrator Marion Blakey he expects to sign a cooperation agreement that should help ensure Sesame-based future air traffic management (ATM) systems are interoperable with the FAA’s next-generation air traffic system.
Sesame originated last year as an unsolicited proposal from the Air Traffic Alliance, a partnership formed by EADS, Airbus and Thales ATM. It aims to develop a three-phase implementation plan for the introduction of new and harmonized ATM equipment and procedures.

Taking advantage of the single European Sky program to replace flight information regions based on national boundaries with functional airspace blocks designed for maximum efficiency, it should help Europe cope with air traffic growth through 2020 and beyond.