From 25 November to 5 December 2024, the Luxembourg Air Navigation Administration, which is responsible for air navigation services in Luxembourg, will validate new air traffic control working methods in Finland. The international validation process will be carried out in Finland due to an exceptionally high-quality simulator environment and Fintraffic’s Air Navigation Services' customer-oriented and agile operating methods. In addition to Luxembourg, EUROCONTROL, a civil-military organisation dedicated to supporting European aviation operators, and the Dutch research and development institute Royal NLR are involved in the validation. Fintraffic’s Air Navigation Services will act as an impartial organiser in the process.
International cooperation launched in January will culminate during a two-week period at the turn of November and December, when a new working method concept will be validated for Luxembourg’s air traffic control in Fintraffic’s air navigation simulators. The aim will be to obtain data on new working methods on the basis of which their practical functionality and prerequisites for operational deployment can be verified.
“The working methods simulated now are sure to arouse interest from air navigation operators, as simulations will test how different working methods affect workload and safety. Based on the results of the validation, it will be possible to introduce a completely new operating model in the sector or, alternatively find that these working methods should not be implemented in this way,” says Thomas Karlström, Head of Sales and Marketing at Fintraffic’s Air Navigation Services.
On average, fifteen and up to even 20 representatives from different countries arrive daily to carry out validation. The practical simulations will be carried out by representatives of the Luxembourg Air Navigation Administration. EUROCONTROL, a civil-military organisation dedicated to supporting European aviation, will bring its own in-depth expertise in aviation to the simulations. In addition, representatives of airlines will observe simulations to provide insight on what the working methods look like from the perspective of a pilot.
“We will carry out several simulations every day over a period of two weeks, and participants will complete systematic reports on these. The same exercises will be repeated several times to collect sufficient comparable data on them. In addition, we will collect data from the simulator itself. The Dutch research and development institute, Royal NLR will compile all this data and draw up a report on the results," Karlström continues.
Fintraffic’s Air Navigation Services strengthens its international position
Luxembourg air traffic controllers have trained in Finland for five years. Fintraffic has received positive feedback especially on its agile and genuinely customer-oriented operating method and high-quality simulators, which produce an almost authentic experience of simulated situations. For these same reasons, a decision was made to carry out this validation in Finland, even though there would have been places closer to Luxembourg for its implementation.
"The Luxembourg service provider and EUROCONTROL have invested a great deal in this project, and we are delighted that they have decided to implement it with us. This is a good example of how we can deepen cooperation and offer added value outside training services. Our strong customer-oriented approach, and genuine solution-centred and flexible operating methods are factors that distinguish us from other actors providing air navigation training and development services,” says Pasi Nikama, Senior Vice President of Fintraffic’s Air Navigation Services.
