Aircraft Based Concept Developments

ABCD Tool Upgrade

Some perspectives

This document presents a synthesis of information aiming to

support discussions concerning Aircraft Based Concept
Developments. It does not represent the position of
EUROCONTROL Agency.

1
 DOCUMENT CHANGE RECORD
The following table records the complete history of the successive editions of the
present document.

EDITION DATE DESCRIPTION OF EVOLUTION MODIFICATIONS

0.1 May 20th 2009 First Draft

2
 SUMMARY

This deliverable (D6) presents the results for Work Package 6 “ABCD tool upgrade”, as part
of the ABCD project.
Although the tool is being developed such as specified in WP4, the purpose of this Work
Package is to propose upgrades in order to improve the system performance regarding its
primary objective: to reconcile real time operations, flight planning and ATFCM measures.
The initial concept, based on the linkage of the individual flight plans executed by the same
aircraft, aims to detect as soon as possible potential reactionary delays for successive flights
and propose as a consequence departure time updates.
To enhance the concept, three types of options have been investigated in this Work
Package:
- Interoperability of ABCD
ABCD with CFMU applications:
applications ABCD could access some data
provided by CFMU services, such as the NOP portal (which replaces the CFMU
Internet Application – CIA) and the CFMU Interface for Aircraft Operators –
CIAO. This would improve the accuracy of the ABCD database contents;
- Compatibility
Compatibility between ABCD and Airport CDM: CDM to avoid any interference with
CDM it is proposed to deactivate the EOBT proposal function for any flight
departing from a CDM airport. This will not prevent ABCD from updating its
database and proposing updates for the other flights;
- What-
What-if mode:
mode a new mode of operations is envisaged taking into account slot
proposal / rerouting proposal / slot swapping opportunities. It will provide the user
with an analysis of the impact of a potential new CTOT (or rerouting) on the next
flights.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................
................................................................................................
.............................................................................
.............................................9
.............9

1.1 PROJECT BACKGROUND ................................................................

................................................................................................
...................................................................
...................................9
...9
1.2 PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE DOCUMENT ................................................................
.......................................................................
....................................... 10
.......10
1.3 STRUCTURE OF THE DOCUMENT
DOCUMENT ................................................................
.....................................................................................
.....................................................10
..................... 10

2 INTEROPERABILITY
INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN ABCD AND CFMU
CFMU APPLICATIONS .....................11
..................... 11

3 ABCD IN THE CONTEXT OF AIRPORT CDM .............................................................

.............................................................13
............................. 13

3.1 THE AIRPORT AS A STAKEHOLDER

STAKEHOLDER IN ABCD ................................................................
...................................................................
...................................13
... 13
3.2 ABCD AND AIRPORT CDM FROM THE PERSPECTIVE PERSPECTIVE OF ONE AIRPORT............................14
............................ 14
3.2.1 CASE 1: CDM IS NOT IMPLEMENTED .............................................................................. 14
3.2.2 CASE 2: CDM IS IMPLEMENTED ...................................................................................... 15
3.2.2.1 Airport CDM: main features...................................................................................... 15
3.2.2.2 Links with ABCD ....................................................................................................... 17
3.2.2.3 Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 18
3.3 ABCD AND AIRPORT CDM FROM THE PERSPECTIVE PERSPECTIVE OF MULTIPLE AIRPORTS AIRPORTS .................19
................. 19
3.3.1 FROM A NON-CDM AIRPORT TO A CDM AIRPORT ........................................................ 19
3.3.2 FROM A CDM AIRPORT TO A NON-CDM AIRPORT ........................................................ 20
3.3.3 FROM A CDM AIRPORT TO A CDM AIRPORT ................................................................. 21
3.3.4 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................. 21

4 NEW FUNCTIONALITIES ................................................................

.............................................................................................
.............................................................23
............................. 23

4.1 WHAT-IF FUNCTION ................................................................

................................................................................................
.....................................................................
.....................................23
..... 23
4.2 APPLICATIONS ................................................................
................................................................................................
...............................................................................
...............................................24
............... 24
4.2.1 APPLICATION TO PROPOSAL MESSAGES ......................................................................... 24
4.2.2 APPLICATION TO SLOT SWAPPING ................................................................................. 25
4.3 APPLICATION TO NEW CONSTRAINT
CONSTRAINT ALLOCATION MECHANISMS .....................................
.....................................25
..... 25

5 CONCLUSION ................................................................
................................................................................................
................................................................................
................................................27
................ 27

4
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 NOP Portal homepage ................................................................................... 11

Figure 2 ABCD Prototype HMI ................................................................................... 15
Figure 3 Airport CDM Information Sharing Platform ............................................... 17
Figure 4 From non-CDM to CDM Airport.................................................................. 19
Figure 5 From CDM to non-CDM Airport.................................................................. 20
Figure 6 ABCD “xor” CDM .......................................................................................... 21
Figure 7 CDM airport connected to non-CDM airports............................................. 22
Figure 8 ABCD upgrade interfaces, non-CDM airport............................................... 30
Figure 9 ABCD upgrade interfaces, CDM airport ....................................................... 31

5
 GLOSSARY

ABCD Aircraft Based Concept Developments

ACISP Airport CDM Information Sharing Platform
AO Aircraft Operator
AOC Airline Operation Centre
AOWIR Aircraft Operator What If Re-routing
ATA Actual Time of Arrival
ATC Air traffic Control
ATFCM Air Traffic Flow and Capacity Management
ATFM Air Traffic Flow Management
ATM Air Traffic Management
ATOT Actual Take-Off Time
CDM Collaborative Decision Making
CFMU Central Flow Management Unit
CHG Change Message
CIA CFMU Internet Application
CIAO CFMU Interface for Aircraft Operators
CTOT Calculated Take-off Time
DCB Demand Capacity Balancing
DLA Delay Message
DPI Departure Planning Information
EET Estimated Elapsed Time
ELDT Estimated Landing Time
EOBT Estimated Off-Block Time
EPOBT Earliest Possible Off-Block Time
ETA Estimated Time of Arrival
ETFMS Enhanced Tactical Flow Management System
FMP Flow Management Position
FPL Filed Flight Plan
FUM Flight Update Message
IFPS Initial Flight Plan Processing System
MTTT Minimum Turn-Around Time
PTOT Potential Take-Off Time
RRP Rerouting Proposal messages
SESAR Single European Sky ATM Research
SIP Slot Improvement Proposal messages
SITA Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques
TACOT TACT Automated Command Tool
TIS Time to Insert into the Sequence
TOBT Target Off-Block Time
TRS Time to Remove from the Sequence
TSAT Target Start Up Approval Time

6
TTOT Target Take-Off Time
VTT Variable Taxi Time
WP Work Package

7
 REFERENCES

[1] ABCD: Aircraft Based Concept Developments D1, D2, D3, D4, D8 & D9
[2] CFMU Internet Application Users’ Guide, Edition 2.0, April 2007
[3] ATFCM Users Manual, Edition 13.0, April 2009
[4] Airport CDM Implementation Manual, Edition 3.0, December 2008

8
1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Project Background

The Aircraft-Based Concept Developments (ABCD) project proposes to improve flight
predictability by linking individual flight plans using the same aircraft for a given day
through the aircraft registration information.
As a support to flight plan management, the ABCD tool implemented by an airline should:
- provide the airline with a better picture of aircraft operations on a daily basis;
- help the airline detect reactionary delays and notify them to the CFMU as early as
possible by proposing a new EOBT.
The purpose of ABCD is twofold: on the one hand at a local level to decrease the total delay
of the airline (ATFM and reactionary delay) using an ABCD tool, and on the other hand at a
global level to optimize the use of the available ATC capacity.
In this way, ABCD intends to constitute a true evolutionary step forward in the
improvement of predictability and efficiency of ATM operations.
The study basically consisted in:
- Interviewing
Interviewing airlines’ representatives in order to inquire about their delay
management policies and their possible interest in ABCD (WP1);
Those interviews brought out that the implementation of ABCD would provide low-cost
and regional airlines with an efficient tool to recalculate automatically new EOBT after
detection of a reactionary delay. Those airlines therefore consider that ABCD would
facilitate and optimise the management of delays and thus stated their interest in the ABCD
concept implementation. However, major airlines have already tools whose scopes
encompass the ABCD functions and go far beyond the ABCD project objectives, and are
therefore not interested in ABCD.
- Analysing CFMU and airlines’ operational data to measure the impact of delay
anticipation on performance (WP2);
Those quantitative analyses showed that the implementation of ABCD could improve the
traffic predictability and bring tangible benefits to ATM stakeholders (airlines, CFMU,
airports) thanks to a better anticipation of flight delays resulting in a decrease of global
ATFM delays and thus, in a better use of the available ATM capacity.
- Performing fast-
fast-time ATFM simulations thanks to the TACOT platform which
emulates the operational systems of CFMU in order to replay CFMU/AO
interactions (flight planning and ATFM measures) (WP3, WP8, WP9).
Those simulations enabled to assess the potential benefits brought by the ABCD tool at
airline and CFMU level, and to evidence, after evaluation of the costs, the economic
viability of an ABCD tool.
- Defining
Defining user requirements in cooperation with an airline to design a support tool
intended to improve delay anticipation based on flight plan linkage (WP4);
This contributed to present a potential model of implementation.

9
 - Developing, prototyping and validating
validating the tool in cooperation with the airline
(WP5 – ongoing).

1.2 Purpose and scope of the document

The present deliverable (D6) is the result of WP6 intended to look into the potential
perspectives of development and upgrade of the ABCD system in the context of both the
current and future flight operations.
In particular, this Work Package studies how ABCD could:
- Interface with the current Aircraft Operator CFMU Applications which provides
direct access to ATFCM information;
- Complement Airport CDM;
- Integrate new functionalities which would enhance the tool performance;
- Work in the context of the future ATM system (SESAR).

1.3 Structure of the document

The present document is structured in five parts:
- Section 1 recalls the context of the study, presents the purpose and the structure of
the document;
- Section 2 describes how ABCD could work in the context of the current flight
operations in connection with the Aircraft Operator CFMU Applications.
- Section 3 explains to what extent ABCD could be used in the context of Airport
CDM;
- Section 4 proposes new functions to implement;
- Section 5 summarises the WP findings.

10
2 INTEROPERABILITY BETWEEN
BETWEEN ABCD AND CFMU
APPLICATIONS
Aircraft Operators have access to the CFMU operational information via the CFMU
Internet Application (CIA)1 or via the CFMU Interface for Aircraft Operators (CIAO) for
the more experimented, which thanks to the Internet technology or a dedicated SITA line,
enables the user to communicate with CFMU systems, and in particular to:
- Send and receive ATFCM messages;
- Use the AOWIR (Aircraft Operator What If Re-routing) function;
- Obtain information related to the current ATFCM and routing situation.
Information published on the Internet through CIA is accessible via any Web Browser.

Figure 1 NOP Portal homepage

Interoperability with ABCD

It could be envisaged that:
- ABCD is interoperable with the CIA / CIAO
- ABCD accesses and gets some data available in the CIA / CIAO.

1
The information delivered by the CIA Application is now directly integrated in the Network
Operations Portal.

11
For instance, it could be interesting that ABCD retrieves information such as:
- data from the "Flight Data" Section

ATOT

EET

Taxi Time

TIS, TRS

ATA
- data from the "Aerodrome Details" Section

TIS

TRS

Taxi Time (for the departure Runway)

Taxi Time (for the arrival Runway)
- data from the "AO What-If Reroute" Section

EET
All these parameters are already in the ABCD database. Therefore, each time a parameter is
updated in the CIA / CIAO, ABCD could retrieve the value and update its own database. As
a consequence, the ABCD database would become even more dynamic, taking into account
real-times changes monitored by the CFMU. The tool proposals would therefore be even
more relevant: the consistency between tactical flight planning and tactical ATFM could
improve.

12
3 ABCD IN THE CONTEXT OF AIRPORT
AIRPORT CDM

3.1 The airport as a stakeholder in ABCD

So far in the project, the benefits brought by ABCD were mostly envisaged at airline level
through an assessment of the impact that the tool would have on the fleet operations.
Through flight plan linkage, the study until now considered the aircraft perspective namely
the succession of flight legs on the day of operations.
This section considers a different perspective: the airports’ one. Airports were already
pinpointed as possible ABCD stakeholders, at least because the ATFM delay reduction
benefiting the airline would also benefit the airports at which it operates. By airport, one
means all the airport’s actors: the airport operator, aircraft operators, ground handlers and
local ATC.
From the perspective of one airport, the linkage between inbound and outbound flights is
now considered in relation to ATFCM. The underlying objective does not change: detect
reactionary delays as soon as possible to re-plan flights. In that respect:
- Flights may be linked via ABCD, if the inbound and outbound flights are operated
by an airline using the tool;
- Flights may also be linked via Airport CDM, if FUM and DPI messages are
exchanged between the airport actors and the CFMU.
It is therefore important to:
- Identify the interactions that may occur between ABCD and Airport CDM,
regarding their operating principles;
- Make sure that ABCD will never work against Airport CDM;
- Understand if and to what extent ABCD may benefit Airport CDM and/or the
converse.
The main intent is to check that the use of ABCD is compatible with Airport
Airport CDM
operations.
This has to be put in perspective, in the broader context of the integration between
network and airport operations. A comprehensive report should analyse how various
initiatives can together contribute to this integration, which is out of the scope of the
project.
- The first subsection (§3.2) focuses on one airport;
- The second subsection (§3.3) opens up the scope, taking into account a set of
interconnected airports.

13
3.2 ABCD and Airport CDM from the perspective of one airport
Two possible cases:
- Case 1: CDM is not implemented at the airport (§3.2.1)
- Case 2: CDM is implemented at the airport (§3.2.2)

3.2.1 Case 1: CDM is not implemented

implemented
When CDM is not implemented at an airport, ABCD is activated and works as specified in
the previous deliverables. As an aid to flight plan management, ABCD not only provides the
airline with a better picture of its operations in real time, but also helps to detect
reactionary delays and to notify them to the CFMU as soon as possible:
- ABCD uses the information available for a flight (in particular the expected arrival
time and the minimum turn-around time) to calculate the Earliest Possible Off-
Block Time (EPOBT) of the subsequent flight executed by the same aircraft;
- ABCD warns the user in case of inconsistency between flight planning (EOBT /
CTOT) and ongoing operations (EPOBT);
- ABCD proposes an update of the EOBT thanks to the computation of the EPOBT.
ABCD will also indirectly benefit the airport operator, since the use of this tool leads to a
decrease in ATFM delay, as showed in Deliverable D3.
Besides the airline and the airport, ABCD will also benefit local airport ATC in terms of
predictability since they will be informed long in advance of the disruption in the flight
schedule. ABCD will therefore provide the ATC and in particular the FMP with a better
picture of future traffic flows, which will help the FMP to apply more appropriate ATFM
regulations, hence an improvement of the flow management.

14
 Figure 2 ABCD Prototype HMI

3.2.2 Case 2: CDM is implemented

In this section we assume that:
- CDM is implemented at an airport;
- All the airlines operating at the airport take part to CDM operations.
Given theses assumptions, what could be the role played by ABCD from the airport
perspective?

3.2.2.1 Airport CDM:

CDM: main features
Airport Collaborative Decision Making is a concept which aims at improving Air Traffic
Flow and Capacity Management (ATFCM) at airports by:
- reducing delays;
- improving the predictability of events;
- optimising the utilisation of resources.
CDM improves the platform operational efficiency in normal conditions, particularly in the
case of demand greater than capacity and helps to limit the consequences of adverse
conditions.
Implementing Airport CDM allows each Airport CDM Partner (Aircraft Operators, Ground
Handlers, Airport Operator, ATC, CFMU, etc.) to optimise their decisions in collaboration

15
with other Airport CDM Partners, knowing their preferences and constraints and the actual
and predicted situation.
This process is mainly built on the exchange and the sharing of accurate and timely
information between the different Airport CDM partners.
More precisely, the Airport CDM concept requires the implementation of the following
elements:
- Information Sharing,
Sharing which thanks to the ACISP (Airport CDM Information
Sharing Platform providing information to all the stakeholders) forms the
foundation for all the other elements and is essential to achieve common situational
awareness;
- Milestone Approach,
Approach which enables to track the progress of a flight from the initial
planning to the take-off, thanks among others to the implementation of a target
time: the TOBT (Target Off-Block Time) which refers to the time that an Aircraft
Operator or Ground Handler estimates that an aircraft will be ready to start up /
push back immediately upon reception of clearance from the Tower;
- Variable Taxi Time,
Time which is essential to provide an accurate prediction of the take-
off times and in-block times;
- Pre-
Pre-departure Sequence,
Sequence which establishes an aircraft off-block sequence taking
into account partners’ preferences, as well as operational constraints; it requires the
introduction of another target time: the TSAT (Target Start Up Approval Time)
provided by ATC;
- CDM in Adverse Conditions,
Conditions which achieves collaborative management of CDM
airport during periods of predicted or unpredicted reductions of capacity;
- Collaborative Management of Flight Updates
Updates,
dates which, based on the exchange of
FUM and DPI messages between the CFMU and CDM airports, enhances the
quality of arrival and departure information and therefore the coordination
between ATFCM and airport operations.

FUM messages provide Estimated Landing Times (ELDT) for
inbound flights, resulting in improved airport operations;

DPI messages provide Target Take Off Times (TTOT) resulting in
improved ATFM slot management process for outbound flights.

16
 Figure 3 Airport CDM Information
Information Sharing Platform

3.2.2.2 Links with ABCD

Airport Collaborative Decision Making is therefore a network-oriented approach to airport
operations planning and management. From an airport perspective, Airport CDM obviously
fulfils (among others!) the role that ABCD would play for the inbound and outbound flights
of an airline using the tool.
Assuming a pair of flights N-1 (inbound flight) / N (outbound flight) and assuming that the
inbound flight has not yet landed and is either on the ground or airborne:
1. Flight N-
N-1 progress monitoring:
- How Airport CDM does it: thanks to the FUM messages, the ELDT of the inbound
flight is first sent 3 hours before ELDT and is systematically and automatically
updated each time a significant update of the flight (more than 5 minutes) occurs in
ETFMS. The update of the ELDT depends on the most recent information which is
based on the flight profile calculation, flight data and radar position updates.
- How ABCD does it: ABCD monitors the update of a flight plan and its execution
(thanks to the analyses of the messages exchanged between the airline and the
CFMU) which enables to provide an expected landing time for flight N-1.
2. Flight
Flight N departure time calculation:
calculation:
- How Airport CDM does it: the TOBT of the outbound flight may be either updated
manually by the AO / Ground Handler or automatically calculated as: ELDT + Taxi-

17
 In + MTTT. Therefore, each update of the ELDT of the inbound flight impacts on
the TOBT of the outbound flight.
- How ABCD does it: ABCD calculates and displays the Earliest Possible Off-
Block Time (EPOBT) of flight N calculated by taking into account the
minimum turn around time and the expected arrival time of the previous
flight.
3. Flight
Flight N departure time update proposal:
proposal:
- How Airport CDM does it: alert messages (CDM07, CDM08 and CDM14 messages)
are sent to the AO when the TOBT is not consistent with the current EOBT (taking
into account the 15 min tolerance window) or with the CTOT (taking into account
the 10 minutes window tolerance); in this case, the AO has to submit a delay
message to the CFMU in order to resolve the discrepancies.
- How ABCD does it: ABCD warns the user in case of inconsistency between the
EOBT / CTOT and the EPOBT (taking into account the tolerance windows) and
proposes a new EOBT.

3.2.2.3 Conclusion
When a pair of flights (inbound/outbound) is considered from the perspective of a CDM
airport, the three functions that ABCD would fulfil (inbound flight progress monitoring >
outbound flight departure time calculation > outbound flight departure time update
proposal, when needed) are in fact already provided by Airport CDM. Furthermore, the
airline as an Airport CDM partner has access to the information sharing platform, which is
the single information portal for all airport actors.
For the outbound flight, an airline should therefore manage flight planning messages (FPL,
DLA, CHG) in accordance with the Airport CDM operating principles, on the basis of the
information provided by the Airport CDM platform without using the ABCD tool.
The consequence on the tool requirements (cf. D4: ABCD Specifications) would be the
following: when the departure aerodrome of a flight is a CDM airport, the ABCD tool shall
not link this flight to the previous flight (subsequently the flight EPOBT will not be
calculated and no EOBT update proposal will be sent). ABCD shall only update the flight
data in the database, taking into account the flight information exchanged by the airline for
this flight.

Conversely, it is important that the ABCD tool continues to link flight plans when the
departure aerodrome is not a CDM airport, and especially if the previous or the next
departure aerodrome on the aircraft journey is a CDM airport. Indeed, the ABCD logics
could in that case create positive interactions between the non-CDM airport and the CDM
airport. This is discussed in the next subsection.

18
3.3 ABCD and Airport CDM from the perspective of multiple airports
This section will look at airport CDM from a broader perspective, considering a CDM
airport within a set of interconnected aerodromes.

Assuming that an airline using ABCD operates at each airport, this subsection is interested
in the benefits that the tool could bring to this airport set.

Three cases will be studied:

- From a non-CDM airport to a CDM airport;
- From a CDM airport to a non-CDM airport;
- From a CDM airport to a CDM airport.

3.3.1 From a non-

non-CDM airport to a CDM airport
This case assumes that an airline using ABCD flies from a non-CDM airport to a CDM
airport

Figure 4 From non-

non-CDM to CDM Airport

- From the perspective of the CDM airport (flight N inbound / flight N+1 outbound)
ABCD would disconnect flight N and flight N+1, consistent with the conclusion
previously drawn (§3.2.2.3);
- From the perspective of the non-CDM airport (flight N-1 inbound / flight N
outbound), ABCD should maintain the link between flight N-1 and flight N:

Indeed, ABCD uses the information available for flight N-1 to calculate the EPOBT for
flight N. Therefore the potential DLA messages related to flight N are sent earlier than
without ABCD. The predictability for the flight N is therefore improved, which
consequently impacts on the accuracy of the information provided by the CDM platform
about:

The ELDT for flight N, as contained in the FUM sent to the airport;

Consequently, the TOBT for flight N+1

19
3.3.2 From a CDM airport to a non-
non-CDM airport
This case assumes that an airline using ABCD flies from a CDM airport to a non-CDM
airport

Figure 5 From CDM to non-

non-CDM Airport

- From the perspective of the CDM airport (flight N outbound) ABCD would
disconnect flight N and the previous flight, consistent with the conclusion
previously drawn (§3.2.2.3);

- From the perspective of the non-CDM airport (flight N inbound / flight N+1
outbound), ABCD should maintain the link between flight N and flight N+1:

Two alternatives may be envisaged:

- There is no interoperability between the ABCD tool and the CDM Platform; ABCD
simply gets the messages exchanged between the CFMU and the AO as it currently
does. In that case, ABCD will process the usual messages received for flight N in
order to re-plan flight N-1 if necessary. As a consequence, the predictability
improvement due to CDM for flight N would be (partially) transferred to flight
N+1;
- The ABCD tool can retrieve some information from the CDM Platform to be used
for the calculation of the EPOBT of the flight taking-off from the non-CDM
Airport. ABCD could for instance get:

the TOBT which would be more accurate than the EOBT;

the TSAT which would take into account the aircraft off-block
sequence;

the VTT which would more accurate than the default taxi-time;

the TTOT which would be more accurate than ETOT or CTOT.
If ABCD is able to retrieve directly the TTOT, then it does not need to get all the other
data (such as TOBT, TSAT or VTT) since TTOT is based on them / integrates them
already.
The calculation of the EPOBT will then be:
EPOBT (N) = TTOT (N-1) + EET (N-1) + Taxi-In (N-1) + MTTT

20
 This interoperability between ABCD and the CDM process would therefore lead to an
increased accuracy of ABCD update proposals, hence benefits for all the stakeholders
and in particular for the Non-CDM Airport.

3.3.3 From a CDM airport to a CDM airport

In this case, it is clear that ABCD shall not be used by the AO, or that at least the function
“EPOBT calculation” shall be deactivated for every flight taking-off from a CDM-Airport.
However, ABCD may continue receiving and processing messages in order to update its
database.

3.3.4 Conclusion

CDM CDM CDM

ABCD ABCD ABCD

Predictability Predictability Predictability

Figure 6 ABCD “xor” CDM

When an aircraft operates between CDM and non-CDM airports, ABCD may be used for
that aircraft, provided the linkage between the inbound and outbound flights of the CDM
airport is neutralised. Indeed:
- The inbound flight will be monitored thanks to FUM;
- While the outbound flight departure time will be consistently adjusted and notified
to the CFMU thanks to DPI, as well as the usual flight planning messages sent by
the airline, based on the common information shared all by CDM actors.

For the “adjacent” airports not equipped with CDM, it is not only possible but even valuable
that ABCD keep the link between the inbound and outbound flights:
- If the outbound flight is bound for a CDM airport, then using ABCD to update its
EOBT will make it more predictable as an inbound flight for the CDM airport. In
that case, the use of ABCD at a non-CDM airport could benefit to Airport CDM;
- If the inbound flight is bound from a CDM airport, then the increased predictability
for that flight (due to CDM) could be passed on to the next flight thanks to ABCD.
In that case, the use of ABCD at a non-CDM airport could benefit from Airport
CDM.

21
An interesting application case in that respect is for instance the situation where a regional
airline provides shuttle services between a CDM airport (e.g. the airline base) and one or
several non-CDM airports:

No
CDM

No No
CDM CDM

ABCDNo
CDM

No
CDM
CDM

No
CDM

Figure 7 CDM airport connected

connected to non-
non-CDM airports

If the airline uses ABCD, the link provided between inbound and outbound flights at a non-
CDM airport2 would enable the return flight (no CDM > CDM) to be re-planned consistent
with the incoming flight (CDM > no CDM), which is more predictable (regarding its
departure time) thanks to Airport CDM (inc. for the airline as a CDM partner). The return
flight being more predictable thanks to ABCD, Airport CDM would re-plan even more
efficiently the next service between the airport pair.

Therefore, a continuous link is maintained throughout the aircraft journey either by

Airport CDM (for the CDM airport) or by ABCD (for the non-CDM airport). Thanks to it
the predictability improvement due to CDM is somewhat “transferred” to the non-CDM
airport and back.

This application case shows that ABCD could work “for” CDM and not “against” it,
provided it does not interfere with it when the airport is CDM-equipped (ensured by
linkage deactivation).

2 The linkage being conversely deactivated at the CDM airport

22
4 NEW FUNCTIONALITIES
FUNCTIONALITIES

4.1 What-If Function

ABCD is basically a support tool to flight plan update, designed to warn the AO in case of
detection of reactionary delay. The system, such as currently defined, is based on the
processing and analysis of the messages related to flight plan update, slot allocation and
flight progress exchanged between the CFMU and the AO.
In this section, an upgrade of the ABCD system is proposed, which consists in
implementing a new function called the “What-If Function”. The purpose of this function
is to provide the AO with an insight of the impact of a possible new CTOT envisaged by the
AO (including new Route and therefore new Total Elapsed Time), on the following flights,
in comparison with the current situation.
To carry out this analysis, ABCD would not only compute for the following flight the
EPOBT resulting from the potential new CTOT – which corresponds to the level 0 of
ABCD – but would also:
- Indicate if the following flight can comply with its EOBT / CTOT (level 1 of
ABCD);
- Calculate the delay induced by the possible CTOT, in comparison with the planned
situation;
- Calculate the delay differential between the proposed option and the current
situation, if the flight is already regulated;
- Indicate if the proposed situation could lead to an improvement of the current
situation, if the flight is already regulated (e.g. no more need to send a DLA for the
following flight with the possible new CTOT).
Two different visions could be adopted:
- The vision of the direct impact of the potential new CTOT:

Impact on the following flight;
- A more general vision:

Impact on the set of the subsequent flights:
This new function would work independently and in parallel with the main function of
ABCD – detection of reactionary delay – and would not prevent the system from
processing messages and updating its database. Moreover, the rules of stability established
for level 2 shall not be taken into account in the What-If mode.
To summarize, ABCD would have 2 main functions:
- “Actual” mode of operations: supporting the AO in the DLA messages management;
- “What-if” mode: supporting the AO in the decision-making related to slot
allocation proposals.
The following section shows how the user could concretely use the What-If function.

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4.2 Applications

4.2.1 Application to Proposal Messages

Currently, the ABCD system does not take into account proposal messages like:
- Slot Improvement Proposal messages (SIP) sent by the CFMU to the AO when the
flight status is SWM , to propose an improved slot;
- Rerouting Proposal messages (RRP) sent by the CFMU to the AO, to propose a new
CTOT or to avoid the need for a slot on a new route.
Those messages are sent to flights already or potentially concerned by a regulation (i.e.
flights that have either a CTOT or a PTOT3).
After reception of one of these messages, the AO has the possibility to accept or refuse the
proposal. For its own reasons, the airline may prefer a CTOT to another one, even if this
one is later. Or in case of reception of a RRP proposing a new route without a regulation, it
may still be interesting for the airline to keep the initial planned route, for instance because
it enables the aircraft to flight at optimal conditions. Actually many factors may influence
the choice of a route or another one in the case of RRP, or of a CTOT or another one in the
case of SIP.
Anyway, it may be worth for the airline to look at the impact of each proposal on the
subsequent flights in order to make the most appropriate decision, hence the interest in the
use of the “What-If” function. It would indeed enable the AO to use ABCD as a support tool
to decision-making in the process of acceptance / rejection of proposal messages. ABCD
could indeed provide the AO with an outline of the impact of a new CTOT (or a slot
cancellation) on the following flights, in comparison with the current situation. It would
therefore help him to choose the right solution.
When the what-if mode is used, ABCD will take into account the proposal message, process
them and retrieve:
- the proposed CTOT in the case of a SIP;
- the proposed CTOT or PTOT, or the cancellation of the slot in the case of a RRP, as
well as the new EET resulting from the modification of the route, which could be
obtained thanks to the AOWIR function of the CIA / CIAO.
ABCD would then provide the information such as described in the previous section.

3
A PTOT is a Potential Take-Off Time which is allocated prior to the slot transmission to a flight
internally in the system.

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4.2.2 Application to Slot Swapping
The What-If mode could also be used for the detection of possible slot swapping between
two flights.
This other case of application of the What-If mode requires first that ABCD identifies two
regulated flights, subject to the same most penalizing regulation and departing from the
same airport4.
It is also necessary to check that for each flight the possible new CTOT (i.e. the current
CTOT of the other flight) is at least equal to the ETOT of the flight in question.
After that, ABCD can undertake the analysis of the impact of slot swapping (i.e. the impact
of a new CTOT) on the following flights by using the “What-if” function described in
section 4.1.
The use of this application would therefore enable the AO to:
- detect possible slot swapping;
- check the impact of swapping on the following flights.

4.3 Application to new constraint allocation mechanisms

The current slot allocation system, as presented in 4.2.1 and 4.2.2, already provides
mechanisms allowing AOs to “have their say” regarding the slot they could be subject to.
On the one hand, slot and/or routeing proposals may be sent by the CFMU and be accepted
or rejected by AOs. On the other hand, two flights may have their slot swapped by the
CFMU at the AO’s request. Through such mechanisms, the CFMU takes into account – to
some extent – the AOs’ preferences … provided they are known by the AOs themselves.
The what-if function proposed to upgrade the tool provides the Airspace User with
information related to the impact of primary delays on reactionary delays on an aircraft
basis. Such information helps them assess whether such-and-such slot is acceptable or not.
As a result, the what-if function, here embryonic, could evolve to become an aid to
determine the user preferences regarding today’s ATFM constraints and tomorrow’s DCB
measures, when the new European ATM concept is implemented.
Flow/network managers, more and more, will establish a dialogue with Airspace Users
through CDM processes, when time permits, to agree on the solutions to be implemented.
According to new concepts, Airspace Users for example may be allocated in some situations,
a share of the available capacity (e.g. in proportion to their “market share”), use it as they
wish and negotiate it with other Airspace Users.
Consequently, it will be necessary for AOs to get the means enabling them to assess the
impact of such-and-such solution:
- At the level of an individual flight, the Network Management Function may grant
remote access to applications enabling multiple analyses (as it is today with, for
instance, the new NOP Portal);

4
The case of two flights departing from a different airport could also be studied but would involve a
more elaborated analysis process.

25
 - At the level of a set of flights (linked for instance by the aircraft, or by the
flight/cabin crew or by the number of connecting passengers …) the impact
analyses may remain the AO’s own and internal business. It is therefore essential
that fleet management tools exist that are able to take into account new
ATFCM/DCB operating principles. Tools like – humbly and modestly – ABCD
could play a role in that respect since some start-up or small airlines (e.g. air taxis)
may lack the equipment.
Being more proactively involved in ATFCM/DCB, all Airspace Users will need support
systems to interface network management processes (e.g. slot allocation) to their own flight
management processes (e.g. tactical re-planning).

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5 CONCLUSION
Initially, the ABCD project stemmed from the idea that reactionary delays should be taken
into account by tactical ATFCM, so that slots are allocated consistent with ongoing flight
operations. Flight plan linkage, through the aircraft registration number, was therefore put
forward as an obvious way to monitor reactionary delays:
- A direct linkage at CFMU level was initially envisaged, since it would have allowed
the flow management system to automatically update flight plans in case of
reactionary delays;
- Nevertheless, it was stressed that flight planning, even at the tactical stage, was and
should remain an AO-driven process, especially in the context of new concepts
emphasizing the Airspace Users’ business trajectory ownership.
As a consequence, it was decided that instead the control of reactionary delays and resulting
flight plan updates should be promoted at the level of airlines, making use of the current
flight data exchange mechanism between the AOs and the CFMU (via IFPS).
A concept was therefore proposed to enable any airline to:
- Monitor the consistency of the flight departure time, based on the information
available regarding the status of the previous flights;
- Propose an update of the departure time, in case of inconsistency.
The rationale behind was that some airlines (particularly the regional and low-cost airlines):
- Do not carry out such a process because they are not equipped to do so;
- Are interested in such a process insofar as it would reduce the ATFM delays they
are subject to (on the premise that the earlier the update, the better the slot - for
regulated flights).
A tool was therefore specified and prototyped to automate this process through the
following functions:
- Intercept and process the messages exchanged by the AO and the CFMU;
- Maintain a database accordingly;
- Calculate minimum departures times for each flight, based on flight plan linkage;
- Warn the AO and propose to update the flight plan if need be.
Although the tool hitherto specified is currently under validation, the present report
proposes options to upgrade it in order to further enhance the consistency between tactical
flight planning, tactical ATFCM processes and real-time operations. Three short-term
actions are proposed to quickly improve the tool performance:

1. Interface the tool with ATFCM services provided to AOs;

2. Ensure compatibility with Airport CDM;
3. Provide what-if functions.

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Interface the tool with ATFCM services provided to AOs

The ABCD performance depends on the quality of the data contained in the database – the
higher it is, the better the departure times estimated by the tool:
- On the one hand, the database managed by the current prototype only uses AO-
CFMU messages as an input;
- On the other hand, many airlines have access to CFMU applications providing them
(inter alia) with additional information related to their flights. For instance:

Flight data calculated by IFPS and used by ETFMS such as the EET
or the ETA;

Local aerodrome parameters used by the CFMU such as taxi-times,
TIS/TRS;

Real-time data such as the ATOT.

If such data were retrieved by ABCD, tactical flight planning and flight operations would be
reconciled even more which would further raise the efficiency of the slot allocation
mechanism.

Ensure compatibility with CDM

When a flight departs from/arrives to a CDM airport, the airline is involved in CDM
operations. Common flight information is shared by the airport actors through the CDM
platform:
- The inbound flight is monitored before arrival (thanks to FUM messages sent by the
CFMU, which provide a landing time estimate derived from flight progress data);
- The progress of turnaround operations is tracked, milestone by milestone;
- The outbound flight is planned and re-planned accordingly so as to converge to an
accurate takeoff time estimate sent by the airport to the CFMU through DPI
messages.
As a consequence, CDM makes ABCD useless when the outbound flight departs from a
CDM airport. It is therefore proposed to unlink inbound and outbound flights (i.e.
deactivate the ABCD proposal service) when the aircraft operates on a CDM airport.
Nevertheless, the flight data update will carry on in the database and the linkage will be
maintained for the previous and next flight legs (in the case of non-CDM airports) to keep
consistency throughout the day of operations and bring mutual benefits to ABCD and
Airport CDM:
- ABCD will improve the predictability of the inbound flight (because it is re-planned
in case of reactionary delay) which will benefit CDM (as FUM messages will convey
better data earlier on);
- CDM will improve the predictability of the outbound flight which will benefit
ABCD for the rest of the flight chain.

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Provide what-
what-if functions

The prototype currently specified is only run in one “mode”5: the “actual” mode, meaning
that the tool provides minimum departure times based on the current, actual flight status, as
displayed in the database.
Alternatively, the tool could “assume” a flight status and check its impact on the next
flight(s) in reference to the current or planned (initial) situation. This “assumed” situation
would take into account:
- on the one hand, the proposals sent by the CFMU, not yet validated by the AO (e.g.
slot improvement proposal or rerouting proposal);
- on the other hand, the AO’s requests, not yet validated by the CFMU, and that
could be suggested by the tool itself (e.g. slot swapping opportunity).
The assumed situation would coexist with the actual situation in the database, laying the
basis for a new running mode, the “what-if” mode. The “what-if mode” would assist the
user in the assessment and selection of such-and-such option.
This new functionality remains in the scope of the concept, the objective of which is to
help the user take into account the [potential] impact of ATFM measures on flight planning
and react accordingly.
Such automated support will be all the more relevant in the future ATM context as
Airspace Users will cooperate more and more with flow managers to solve network issues in
a way that takes into account as much as possible their preferences and constraints.
The following figures illustrate the interactions between the upgraded ABCD tool and its
environment:
- When inbound/outbound flights operate at a non-CDM airport;
- When inbound/outbound flights operate at a CDM airport.

5 Even though different levels are available, cf. D4

29
 Inbound/Outbound
CFMU
Flight Planning

Non-CDM Airport

DLA notification
CFMU
Messages inc.
Proposals Acceptance/Rejection
of Proposal Messages

AIRLINE

Flight Plan Flight Data*

Management
System

ABCD
Actual Mode

New EOBT * Inc. messages,

Proposals aerodrome data, other
Airline Operations flight data
Centre (AOC)
** Based on slot proposal,
rerouting proposal, slot
swapping intent etc.
What-If
ABCD *** Delay impact on next
Request**
What-If flight(s) with respect to
Mode current/planned situation
based on new slot
What-If proposal, detected slot
CFMU Applications Analysis*** swapping opportunity etc.

Figure 8 ABCD upgrade interfaces, non-

non-CDM airport

30
 Inbound/Outbound
DPI
CFMU
Flight Planning
FUM
CDM Airport

DLA notification
CFMU
Messages

AIRLINE

Flight Plan CDM Data

Management
System

CDM Warning ABCD

Platform Messages Actual Mode
Flight Data

TOBT Updates Airline Operations

Centre (AOC) X
New EOBT
Proposals

CDM Data What-If

Request

CDM Partners
(including Airport
X
What-If
Analysis
ABCD
What-If
Mode
Actors)
CFMU Applications

Figure 9 ABCD upgrade interfaces, CDM airport

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END OF THE DOCUMENT

32