EUROCONTROL Maastricht and Indra Modernize the Flight Plan Management System

December 10, 2015

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EUROCONTROL Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) and Indra have recently put into operation a completely overhaul flight data processing systems.

In 2008 the EUROCONTROL Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) and Indra deployed an advanced flight data processing system, the first to harness the latest generation of 4D trajectory flight management and medium-term conflict warning. Among others, it allowed MUAC to deploy close to 500 direct routes in the airspace that it oversees, which meant a significant reduction in aircraft fuel consumption and CO2 emissions alongside greater operational efficiencies.

On 23rd November 2015, Indra and MUAC renewed their partnership with a complete overhaul of the flight data processing system, replacing the obsolete hardware with a state-of-the-art standard. The new virtualised infrastructure ensures that the flight data processing system can continue to grow and that future maintenance and hardware replacements can be done at a substantially lower cost than previously. This investment is particularly important as it will ensure MUAC’s continued provision of safe ATC services, with appropriate levels of capacity and efficiency in the face of growing traffic.

Thanks to virtualisation, the hardware footprint of the system is now reduced by 60%, leading to significant reductions in maintenance and cooling costs, with subsequent environmental benefits via reduced CO2 emissions.

Indra becomes one of the world's first companies with expertise in the deployment of a large virtualised flight data processing system. The company is among the foremost global technology providers, having implemented its systems at more than 4,000 facilities in 160 countries.

MUAC
Operated by EUROCONTROL on behalf of four States, MUAC provides control for the upper airspace (above 24,500 feet, i.e. approximately 7,500 metres) of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and north-west Germany.  The international area of responsibility it covers is a perfect example of the simplification and harmonisation of airspace in Europe.  MUAC is a model for cross-border projects in the spirit of the Single European Sky.  More than 1.6 million flights pass through MUAC’s area of responsibility each year, making it the third busiest air traffic control facility in Europe in terms of traffic volume.  During the summer, peak days see more than 5,200 flights.

Source : Indra