Category: News

BULATSA hosted the 10^th meeting of SAFOPS, which is directly linked to the EUROCONTROL Safety Team (ST) and supports the joint decision-making processes for the implementation of operational safety improvements at the Safety Team level. The meeting was attended by over 70 safety managers, investigators and experts of  ANSPs, the EUROCONTROL Network Manager (NM), Aerodrome Operators, Aircraft Operators, Aircraft Manufacturers, Professional Associations and others.

The event included a meeting between the representatives of the organizations engaged with the development of the Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Incursions (GAPPRI) under the leadership of  EUROCONTROL, the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF), ICAO, IATA, ACI WORLD and CANSO. The discussions referred to the currently identified safety concerns, technical innovations and adaptation of proposals supporting the stakeholders in their quest to maintain and improve the current operational safety levels.

Published: Tuesday, 14 May 2024

On Monday, May 13^th and Tuesday, May 14^th, 2024, the governing bodies of DANUBE FAB met in Sofia for their 22nd meeting. This meeting was held in the context of the constantly evolving aviation industry, which is facing increasing demands in the region. The attendees shared a commitment to making the skies safer, more efficient, and greener.

---

22^nd Meeting of the DANUBE FAB ANSP Board

Monday, 13 May 2024, Sofia

Yesterday, the DANUBE FAB ANSP Board held its 22^nd bi-annual meeting, bringing together key decision-makers and experts from ROMATSA and BULATSA. The meeting aimed to review the progress of the latest round of DANUBE FAB strategic planning and reporting, with a focus on improving the contribution of air traffic management on a regional scale.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the status of FAB procurements and InterFAB coordination activities, as well as the progress of the FAB High Priority projects. This included reviewing the future development of the FAB in order to enhance its contribution to air traffic management in the region.

Moreover, the agenda covered several topics related to ongoing SES (Single European Sky) developments, including planned joint exercises in SESAR 3 projects ATC-TBO and NETWORK TBO. The ANSP Board also addressed operational and safety matters, discussing the pressing challenges and opportunities faced by the two ANSPs.

From a social perspective, the ANSP Board agreed to organise the next DANUBE FAB Social Consultation Forum in Romania in the autumn of 2024. This forum will provide stakeholders with an opportunity to share their views and discuss important issues related to air traffic management.

---

22nd Meeting of the DANUBE FAB Governing Council

Tuesday, 14 May 2024, Sofia

After the ANSP Board meeting, representatives from the Ministries of Transport, National Supervisory Authorities, military authorities, and ANSPs from Romania and the Republic of Bulgaria, came together to discuss within the 22^nd meeting of the DANUBE FAB Governing Council, the future goals and objectives of DANUBE FAB. The Council representatives reviewed the activities carried out so far in 2024, with a specific focus on two crucial ongoing projects: Free Route Airspace and InterFAB Cooperation. These projects aim to enhance air navigation services, reduce flight times, and lower fuel consumption while ensuring safety.

During the meeting, the representatives also discussed the latest EU developments, including the new texts of the Single European Sky legislation agreed upon in the last trialogue held in March 2024. They discussed the possible impact of these new requirements on all stakeholders involved, including the ANSPs, airlines, and air traffic controllers.

The DANUBE FAB Governing Bodies plan to reconvene in Romania in autumn 2024 to continue advancing their shared vision for efficient and safe air navigation services. This meeting will provide an opportunity to review progress, address any challenges,

As of 1 May 2024, BULATSA started issuing and disseminating an eGAFOR forecast.

eGAFOR is a specialized regular, digital and harmonized weather forecast aimed at the general aviation users. Currently, the forecast is produced by the aeronautical weather providers of 9 countries – Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria, whereby each weather service produces a forecast for its territory of responsibility and the users are provided with a forecast in the form of a single map covering the territories of all participating countries. The unified forecast prepared according to the same criteria is extremely useful for the users and they use it in their daily practice. BULATSA considers the participation of Bulgaria in the e-GAFOR forecast production and dissemination initiative as a valuable contribution aiming at significantly improving the provision of general aviation with meteorological information.

The eGAFOR forecast is available at https://egafor.eu and information on the parameters of the forecast can be found in Aeronautical Information Circular AIC 04/24 18 APR 24.

In December 2023, the Bulgarian air traffic controllers provided air navigation services to 69 756 aircrafts, which is a 14.53% increase compared to 2022. For the last month of the year 2023, the number of international flights that arrived and departed in and from our country was 5 491. This is an increase of 9.91% compared to the same month the previous year. BULATSA also serviced more domestic flights. In the past month they were 1 534, which is 20.98% more than those in December 2022. The serviced overflying aircraft in December 2023 were 63 498, while in December 2022 – 55 276, which is an increase of about 15%.

Continuing its commitment to encourage and maintain the social dialogue within the framework of DANUBE FAB, the twentieth meeting of the DANUBE FAB SCF took place in Pravets, Bulgaria on 2 November 2023. The forum provided an opportunity for participants to share their views on various topics related to the FAB activities.

During the meeting the social representatives from ROMATSA and BULATSA were presented with the developments since the last meeting of the SCF in January 2023. The participants were informed about the DANUBE FAB strategic matters such as Strategic Programme 2024-2028, Annual Plan 2024, and Annual Report 2023. Information was also provided on the planned procurements and budget of the FAB for 2024. Regarding operational matters the highlight was the expansion of the SEE FRA in February 2023 with the inclusion of the FRACZECH (Czech Republic).

Other items that were discussed were the cooperation with other FABs under the InterFAB cooperation platform – including the publication of two studies on fragmentation and traffic scenarios, latest EU developments, activities related to the SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking, the new SESAR Deployment Manager and Infrastructure Partnership (SDIP) and SESAR Deployment manager. The planned joined participation of ROMATSA and BULATSA in the Digital European Sky Industrial Research projects ATC-TBO and NETWORK TBO are an important milestone in the DANUBE FAB cooperation framework.

The next DANUBE FAB Social Consultation Forum will be held in the first half of 2024 in Romania.

As the aviation industry faces an ever-evolving landscape with increasing demands in the region, with a shared vision for safer, more efficient skies and a commitment to sustainability, Tuesday, October 24th and Wednesday, 25th October 2023, the DANUBE FAB Governing Bodies met in Bucharest for their 21st meetings.

In its usual display of cooperation, the DANUBE FAB ANSP Board held yesterday the 21st bi-annual meeting that brought together decision-making and key experts from ROMATSA and BULATSA. They were briefed on of the progress of the latest round of DANUBE FAB strategic planning and reporting, status of the FAB procurements, InterFAB coordination activities and the progress of the FAB High Priority projects, thus exploring new avenues of collaboration and improve air traffic management on a regional scale.

The agenda also centered on several topics such as ongoing SES developments, planned joint exercises in SESAR 3 projects ATC-TBO and NETWORK TBO and coordination of operational matters and common activities, addressing the pressing challenges and opportunities faced regionally by the two ANSPs. The insightful discussions during this meeting resulted in potential solutions, such as the establishment of a new SESAR 3 Task Force or setting the scene for analyzing and testing of possible scenarios in order to enhance operations and thus, to reduce the workload on ATCOs.

From a social perspective, ANSP Board agreed to have the next DANUBE FAB Social Consultation Forum in the autumn of 2023 in Bulgaria.

Following the ANSP Board meeting, representatives of the Ministries of Transport, of National Supervisory Authorities and of the ANSPs from Romania and from the Republic of Bulgaria came together to align on the DANUBE FAB future goals and objectives. The Council representatives reviewed the activities carried out so far in 2023, with a specific focus on the on-going high priority projects: Free Route Airspace and InterFAB Cooperation. By applying the rotation principle, a new InterFAB Point of Contact was appointed from Romania DANUBE FAB for the next one-year term.

Members were also informed regarding the ANSP Board and NSA Board activities, so as on other activities, such as budget planning for next year and the development of the FAB strategic documents, Strategic Programme 2024-2028, Annual Report 2023 and Annual Plan 2024.

To be noted that at the 21st DANUBE FAB NSA Board meeting held on 24 October 2023 in Bucharest, the NSA of Romania and of the Republic of Bulgaria updated and signed the DANUBE FAB NSA Cooperation Agreement. The new provisions of the Agreement accurately reflect the changes in the EU legislation related to ATM/ANS oversight, as well as the potential NSA common activities for further safeguarding the air safety in the DANUBE FAB airspace.

Regarding the recent EU developments, specific updates and discussions took place, such as the status of the SES 2+ (recast) proposals and the possible impact the new requirements, participation of ROMATSA and BULATSA in the Digital European Sky Industrial Research projects, the new SESAR Deployment Manager Partnership and possible ways to find common grounds for a future collaboration.

The next round of DANUBE FAB Governing Bodies meetings are planned for the spring of 2024 in Bulgaria.

BULATSA will present its activities at the first career exhibition in the aviation industry in Bulgaria – Sofia Air Careerport, which will take place on 20 and 21 October at Sofia Airport, Terminal 2.

The exhibition is organized by SOFConnect, the operator of Sofia Airport, and five other companies from the airport ecosystem, which employs over 6,000 specialists. During the two days, the companies will present the opportunities for professional development and the open positions for work in them.

Sofia Air Careerport presents through employer stands – SOF Connect, BULATSA, GoldairBulgaria, DufrySofia, LufthansaTechnik Sofia and Swissport Bulgaria. Lecture panels will meet the candidates with aviation industry experts who will share their knowledge and experience in inspiring presentations and discussions.

All participants will have the opportunity to consult with experienced professionals and receive valuable advice for their career.

You can find information about the exhibitors and the program of the forum at the following link: https://sofia-airport.eu/bg/careerport/