The UK-Ireland Functional Airspace Block (FAB) has launched the first-ever operational trial to test new ways of delivering air traffic control services to airlines and gather information on efficiencies that could be gained through the SESAR concept of ‘dynamic sectorisation’ – the tactical switching of air traffic services between providers.
The trial involves enhanced cooperation between the Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP) FAB Partners, Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) and UK NATS, under which the IAA will deliver, on a trial basis, air traffic control services in airspace over Northern Ireland and further north. This will be followed by two further phases of trial in order to develop understanding of cross border dynamic sectorisation. These trials are part of a new initiative between the two jurisdictions under the umbrella of the UK-Ireland FAB, established in 2008 under the EU Single European Sky initiative. The UK-Ireland FAB has been designed to create a more efficient airspace across Ireland and the UK by allowing airlines to operate more efficiently. It has important safety benefits, and reduces costs, particularly fuel burn.