Eurocontrol won the 2004 ATC Maastricht Jane’s Award for its enhanced tactical flow management system (ETFMS), introduced in February 2002 by the central flow management unit (CFMU).

ETFMS is a second-generation tactical system that processes real-time surveillance data provided by air-navigation service providers, position report data provided by the aircraft operators and meteorological data. Reception of this accurate real-time data allows the CFMU to know the current position and extrapolate the future trajectory of flights across its 41-state area to optimize the use of available capacity. As a result, European airspace users can expect drastic savings in expenses, in addition to fewer delays in the future.

“ETFMS is a key achievement for air-traffic flow management,” said Jean-Robert Bauchet, director of Eurocontrol’s central flow management unit.” It allows all the partners involved–ATC centers, aircraft operators and airports–to have a much more precise assessment of Europe’s air-traffic situation for the hours ahead, thus offering a better basis for the development of collaborative decision-making.”