OREANDA-NEWS. July 15, 2014. Estonian Air Navigation Services (EANS) and Finavia increased the compatibility of their air traffic control systems and improved the efficiency of information exchange related to air traffic control.

They are the first air navigation services providers in the world to extensively introduce enhanced On-Line Data Interchange (OLDI) functionalities between different countries. The improved functionality will increase air traffic control capacity and improve efficiency, benefiting both airlines and passengers.

Air traffic control systems in different countries share information about air traffic flying through their airspace by using OLDI messages. These messages include flight information, for example about route, altitude and when it will enter the airspace of the next air traffic control unit.

As a result of data exchange deployment, it is possible to request route and altitude changes through equipment systems, and accepted requests are automatically updated in both countries’ air traffic control systems. Until now, re-routing requests made in relation to the original route and altitude change requests have been taken care of by telephone with the other air traffic control unit.

This project has been run in close co-operation between EANS, Finavia and the systems provider, Thales, for 18 months during which a total of 11 validation sessions were held. The project relies on the existing ATM systems, and no additional equipment investments were required.

The introduction of new functions promotes the international NEFAB co-operation, the goal of which is to make air navigation services more cost-effective and to reduce the environmental impact of air traffic in Northern Europe.