The BULATSA’s control tower shines with the logo of Bulgarian Presidency

Home / Archive by category 'Media center' (Page 20)

Category: Media center

The BULATSA’s control tower shines with the logo of Bulgarian Presidency

News
Photo: BULATSA

The control tower of BULATSA at Sofia Airport started shining in the colors and logo of the Bulgarian Presidency.
The idea was of the management of BULATSA and the tower shall remain branded for the next 6 months, in which our country shall preside the Council of the European Union. “We wanted to properly point out the exceptional responsibility and importance that our country will have. This way, the first thing that all passengers will see will be the logo of our Presidency” – said the Director General Mr. Georgi Peev.
The branding of the control tower took several days for a team of professional alpinists who, despite the difficult weather, managed to do the job with no interruptions of the activities for air traffic control of the arriving and departing aircraft at Sofia Airport.
In the following months BULATSA shall be actively involved in the initiatives under the priorities of the Bulgarian Presidency in the field of civil aviation. One of the planned activities in the working program of the Presidency, in which BULATSA shall participate, is a conference on “Air Transport – an Engine for Prosperity”, which shall take place on 28 February 2018 in Sofia.
BULATSA is fully prepared to meet the intensive air traffic in the following months while ensuring a high level of safety and punctuality of flights.

A A

48th SESSION OF PROVISIONAL COUNCIL OF EUROCONTROL

International projectsNews
48th SESSION OF PROVISIONAL COUNCIL OF EUROCONTROL

The Director General of BULATSA, Mr. Georgi Peev, and the Director of European Programmes, Projects and Strategies Directorate, Mr. Veselin Stoyanov, participated in the 48th session of the Provisional Council (PC/48) and in the ad hoc Commission of the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation – Eurocontrol, which took place on 30 November and 1 December in Brussels.
At the meeting was presented a report of the Network Manager outlining a number of strategic items that will have effect on the future of the Network Manager. Safety Report 2017 of the Safety Regulation Commission and a report of the Performance Review Commission were adopted. Matters related to the reorganization and rationalization of Eurocontrol’s activities, as well as the future mechanisms for civil-military coordination within the organization were discussed.
At the session was presented up-to-date information on the Agency’s cooperation with the SESAR Joint Undertaking (S-JU), the roadmap for cooperation between Eurocontrol and the European Aviation Safety Agency – EASA, and the development of Eurocontrol’s cooperation with Brazil and Tunisia.
At the forum was elected a new president of the Provisional Council – Mr. Raul Medina Caballero, currently Director General of the Spanish Civil Aviation Administration. Mr. Franz Nirschl (Austria) and Ms. Mirjana Cizmarov (Serbia) were elected as Vice-Presidents.
It was the last session for the Eurocontrol’s current Director General, Mr. Frank Brenner, who was thanked for the efforts made and the good work done over the past five-year term. The Member States welcomed and wished success to the newly appointed Director General of the Agency, Mr. Eamonn Brennan (Ireland), who officially takes office on 1 January 2018.

A A

KAZAERONAVIGATSIA visited BULATSA

International projectsNews
Photo: BULATSA

The director general of KAZAERONAVIGATSIA (ANSP of Kazakhstan) Mr. Azat Bekturov visited BULATSA. He discussed with Mr. Georgi Peev the important topics and challenges for the Bulgarian and the Kazakh air navigation services providers, the modernization of the technical infrastructure, the projects for optimization of the meteorological services, the current situation of the air traffic in the region of the Black and Caspian seas and the training of air traffic controllers.
The guest visited the operational room for air traffic control and the aviation training centre. BULATSA demonstrated its capabilities for training of air traffic controllers.

A A

BULATSA hosted a SESAR2020 PJ.10 TESLA Prototype Visitors Day

International projectsNews
Photo: BULATSA


Controller Tools and Team Organisation for the Provision of Separation in Air Traffic Management – PJ 10 (PROSA)
BULATSA hosted a Visitors’ Day demonstrating the Validation Exercise of the TESLA (Tactical Encounter Solver Assistant) prototype. The event took place at BULATSA premises on November 21, 2017 and was attended by representatives of AIRBUS, EUROCONTROL, INDRA, THALES, DFS, COOPANS and BULATSA.
TESLA (Tactical Encounter Solver Assistant) is a joint project of Airbus D&S and BULATSA, launched in 2016 under the PJ 10 PROSA (Controller Tools and Team Organisation for the Provision of Separation in the Air Traffic Management) of the SESAR 2020 Programme.
SESAR 2020 is the EU programme for development of new technologies in air traffic management. It is managed by the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) and funded by the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme. It encompasses a series of projects with the aim to develop and validate new air traffic management technology solutions.
Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) are responsible for the provision of safe and efficient air traffic services. In order to monitor and communicate with the airplanes ATCOs are assisted by automated air traffic management systems. The main task is to maintain separation in order to avoid dangerous proximity between aircrafts and ground and airborne delays. The continuous traffic growth and the introduction of Free Route Airspace set up serious challenges before the ATCOs, that require the introduction of new technological solutions to improve flight safety and performance.
Between 13 and 17 November 2017, the dedicated teams of BULATSA and Airbus D&S jointly carried out a validation exercise of the TESLA prototype, on the especially equipped test platform “BULATSA innovation grid” – with real time simulation and work positions for ATCOs and pseudo-pilots. The purpose of the validation was to test the prototype and to collect specialized information on the TESLA maturity to support its subsequent development, according to the requirements and standards set by SJU.
The aim of TESLA is to assist the ATCOs in resolving potential conflicts in high density terminal areas. The prototype assesses and presents the ATCOs with various options for preventing potential conflicts by tracking and analyzing aircraft trajectories. TESLA shows which solutions are safe for each specific situation – whether the aircraft should climb or descent, and at what vertical speed rate. Other possible solutions are to change the direction of the flight and adjust the speed of the aircraft in order to avoid potential conflicts. The results and assessment of the maturity status of the TESLA prototype are expected at the end of the first quarter of 2018.
The behaviour and capabilities of TESLA were presented during the Visitors Day, through simulation of air traffic services with medium and high traffic in the generic TMA based on the Sofia Airport TMA. Using the prototype, ATCOs demonstrated possible solutions for a large number of conflict situations.
""
About SESAR
As the technological pillar of the Single European Sky initiative, SESAR aims to modernise and harmonise air traffic management in Europe. The SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU) was established in 2007 as a public-private partnership to support this endeavour. It does so by pooling the knowledge and resources of the entire ATM community in order to define, research, develop and validate innovative technological and operational solutions. The SESAR JU is also responsible for the execution of the European ATM Master Plan which defines the EU priorities for R&D and implementation. Founded by the European Union and Eurocontrol, the SESAR JU has 19 members, who together with their partners and affiliate associations will represent over 100 companies working in Europe and beyond. The SESAR JU also works closely with staff associations, regulators, airport operators and the scientific community.
PJ10 PROSA has received funding from the SESAR Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 734143.

A A

The Minister of Transport, Communications and Works of Cyprus Visited BULATSA

International projectsNews
Photo: BULATSA

The Cyprus Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Marios Demetriades visited BULATSA. The Director General Mr. Georgi Peev showed the guest the operational room, the airport control tower and the BULATSA training simulator for air traffic controllers. The parties discussed topics of common interest and possibilities for future cooperation between the two countries.

A A

A meeting of the CANSO CEO committee was held in Brussels

International projectsNews
Photo: BULATSA

BULATSA Director General Georgi Peev and the Director of European Programmes, Projects and Strategies Veselin Stoyanov participated in the meeting of the European Committee of the CEOs of the Air Traffic Service Providers (ANSPs) members of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) in Brussels.
The forum discussed the matters of current interest related to the position of the European ANSPs on the key topics – the changes in the Performance Scheme within the Third Reference Period (RP3), the future role and functions of the Network Manager (NM), focusing on the EASA activities and European Commission’s initiatives.
The issues of the priority areas of CANSO Working Programme 2018, the approved strategic objectives of the organisation for the period 2018-2022, the communications activities of the organisation for the promotion of ANSPs among the aviation community were the main topics of the discussions.

A A

BULATSA and M-NAV Management met in Sofia

International projectsNews
Photo: BULATSA

The BULATSA Director General Georgi Peev had a working meeting in Sofia with the new managing team of the air navigation services provider of the Republic of Macedonia (M-NAV) and the Director General Nikolche Taseski. They discussed the current projects and plans for development and modernisation of the ANS systems in both countries. BULATSA representatives shared their experience in the organisational and technological development of the company and in the participation in international projects within SESAR.
The Macedonian delegation showed interest in the work of the Functional airspace block DANUBE FAB. The processes of DANUBE FAB creating, the operation, the aims, the structure and the governing bodies were discussed, as well as the possibilities for the enlargement of the functional block to neighbouring countries.
The two parties agreed on next actions and to continue the collaborative work in safety management, cybersecurity, ANS efficiency and other areas.

A A

Tenth meetings of the DANUBE FAB Governing Bodies were held in Sofia

DANUBE FAB ENNews
Photo: BULATSA

31st October 2017
High level representatives of ROMATSA and BULATSA held their tenth meeting of the DANUBE FAB ANSP Board in Sofia, on 31st October. The meeting was co-chaired by the two Directors General of ROMATSA and BULATSA and was an opportunity for the Board’s representatives to take stock of the latest intra/inter FAB developments, to provide information on the status of the current operations and to agree on the way forward and to prioritize the DANUBE FAB activities and projects.
In order to ensure the timely contribution in respect with their commitments, the ANSPs provided more focus on the SEEN FRA implementation and its expansion into SEE FRA, i.e. 24/7 operations, in autumn 2019 and updating the FAB representatives with the latest developments concerning the implementation of seasonal FRA in the Bulgarian Airspace. With regard to the accommodation of neighboring SEEN FRA States – the Republic of Moldova and Slovakia, within the project, it was decided to further review the challenges and opportunities from a technical and operational perspective, reaffirming their readiness to work together to implement the wide FAB objectives.
The parties also highlighted the special importance of the FAB strategy and planning, particularly in the field of technical rationalization and infrastructure, common projects, communications activities, including the inter-FAB coordination and nonetheless, towards identifying common overarching topics for a better partnering.
1st November 2017
The DANUBE FAB Governing Council held their tenth meeting on the 1st of November in Sofia, Republic of Bulgaria. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministries of Transport, Civil and Military Aviation Authorities, National Supervisory Authorities and ANSPs from both countries. Delegates from the Republic of Macedonia were welcomed to the meeting as Observers following the official mandate received at the sixth Governing Council meeting in 2015. The Macedonian delegation expressed their appreciation of the support from DANUBE FAB and their interest to participate in the work of DANUBE FAB on topics of mutual interest.
Main items for discussion of the meeting were the NSA Board and ANSP Board reports, the status of current DANUBE FAB procurements and plans for 2018 and the high priority projects under the Annual Plan.
During the meeting, the Council’s members analyzed the prospects for the FAB developments, both in political and economic terms, as well as regarding the technical and operational particularities reported by NSA Board and by the ANSP Board. In this context, the Council took note of the status of harmonized procedures in DANUBE FAB, the FAB Performance Plan activities status updates and took note of the NSA Board decision to implement a common coordinated approach in regard to the modification and implementation of some EU regulations, namely Reg. 2017/373, Reg.1079/2012 and Reg. 677/2011.
From an operational perspective, the Governing Council was updated with the latest developments under the high priority projects developed under the Annual Plan for 2017, urging the ANSPs to focus on the timely implementation of FRA project and to ensure all necessary resources in order to perform the technical rationalization and infrastructure related projects, namely the implementation of Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) in ATM and the implementation of an extended set of OLDI messages.
During the meeting, aspects of multilateral cooperation within the DANUBE FAB were also addressed, including the FAB enlargement, the inter-FAB cooperation, other FAB activities and outputs of recent meetings and related external communications activities. At the same time, the Council was informed by the military representatives about the possible methods for the regulation and cooperation at regional level in respect with the Cross-border Search and Rescue for state aircraft.
The next round of DANUBE FAB Governing Bodies meetings is planned for spring 2018 in Romania.

A A

Flights for Technical Verification of the New Radar at Sofia Airport

Investment projectsNews
Photo: BULATSA

Flights to verify the technical setup of the new radar at Sofia airport shall be conducted on 3 and 4 July in the area of the nation’s capital. BULATSA will have a new radar for provision of airspace services and the verification is a key stage of putting the equipment into operation.
In those two days shall be conducted a certain number of flights over the city on trajectories, different from the usual routes from and to Sofia airport. They shall be conducted above the minimum altitudes set for such cases. The low overflights should not disturb the citizens of the capital, since the airplane which shall perform the flights is equipped with the necessary equipment and the crew is specially trained and prepared to perform such tasks.

A A

Twelfth meeting of the DANUBE FAB Social Consultation Forum (SCF/12)

DANUBE FAB ENNews
Photo: BULATSA

The twelfth DANUBE FAB Social Consultation Forum (SCF) was held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria on 7 June 2017. As a part of the social dialogue within DANUBE FAB the meeting was focused on the recent developments in ATM and the related social aspects. These regular consultations provide a good tool for the mutual understanding between the social partners and their organizations – ROMATSA and BULATSA.
The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Valentin CIMPUIERU, Director General, ROMATSA and by Mr. Georgi PEEV, Director General, BULATSA. Both Directors General facilitated the active participation of the social partners in the meeting, noting the many recent operational changes to be discussed and the importance of social dialogue between all parties involved.
The staff representative bodies of the two ANSPs were presented with the latest FAB developments, activities since the last Social Consultation Forum and updates on the outcomes of the DANUBE FAB governing bodies meetings. The evolution of DANUBE FAB Free Route Airspace and the way forward regarding DANUBE FAB in the light of the recent EU studies were both key topics of discussion.
Having in mind that the Strategic Program 2017-2021 and the Annual Plan for 2017 were adopted by the Governing Council, discussions took place regarding the status of planned activities, focusing primarily on the high-priority projects such as the DANUBE FAB RP2 Performance Plan, common procurements and technical rationalization and infrastructure.
The next SCF meeting will be held in Romania.

A A