easyJet operates first commercial flight with Iris air traffic management technology

easyJet has become the first airline partner of the Iris programme to operate a commercial flight using the initiative’s next-generation air traffic management technology. The Iris initiative, led by the European Space Agency (ESA) and global communications company Viasat, will deliver ‘faster and more reliable satellite communications between aircraft and the ground’: helping air traffic controller sand pilots to achieve further operational efficiencies. They will achieve this by calculating the shortest available routes, cruising at optimum altitudes, and using continuous climb and descent paths. The EASA-certified Iris service provider ESSP has involved 15 Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) in support