Three SESAR 3 JU Digital Sky Demonstrators representing a total investment of EUR 138 million will get underway in the areas of automation and virtualisation, it was announced on 23 June. The announcement is part of a larger package of transport infrastructure funding under the Connecting Europe Facility adopted by the Commission.

The projects were selected following a call issued in September 2022 by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) under the Connecting Europe Facility. The demonstrators are a key tool to support the SESAR JU’s vision of delivering the Digital European Sky, matching the ambitions of “sustainable and smart mobility” and “Europe fit for the digital age” initiatives. The demonstrators are expected to get started later this year and will run until 2026.

The selected demonstrators cover “gradual transition towards higher levels of automation” and “virtual centres and ATM data service providers (ADSPs)”, two thematic areas from among nine flagships outlined in SESAR 3 Joint undertaking’s multiannual work programme.

The Digital Sky Demonstrators will take place in live operational environments and will put to the test (on a very large scale) the technological solutions necessary to deliver the Digital European Sky. The demonstrators are part of an innovation pipeline designed by the SESAR Joint 3 Undertaking to bridge the gap between applied/industrial research and industrialisation, and to accelerate market uptake. Critical to their success will be the involvement of early movers, as well as a strong close connection with relevant standardisation and regulatory activities and bodies.

Acronym	Name	Coordinator	Countries	CEF Funding	Description
ESMA	European Sky Multilink ATN	EUROPEAN SATELLITE SERVICES PROVIDER SAS	AT, BE, CH, ES, FR, IE, LU, NL, SK, UK	11,511,000	The demonstrator will show how a multilink communications infrastructure, with a focus on datalink using satellite communication (SATCOM Datalink) alongside VHF Data Link (VDL) Mode 2, can support greater levels of automation in ATM. Specifically, the project will demonstrate benefits such as optimised trajectories for flights, greater coverage, capacity and resilience.
DEVICE	DElegation through VIrtual CEntres	Enaire	BE, ES, LT, PL	22,949,337	The project will showcase the delegation of airspace using a virtual centre setup between air traffic service units operating in the same flight information region. It will also demonstrate data exchange and interoperability between vendors.
EXODUS	COOPANS Exodus Project	Croatia Control	AT, BE, DK, HR, IE, PT, SE	34,299,380	The project will showcase the delegation of airspace the new air traffic service (ATS) operating model based on the geographic decoupling of the air navigation service provision and the air traffic data service provision concept. The main benefits of the project will be enhanced interoperability and resilience of air traffic management.

Read European Commission’s press release