IFATSEA was present on the FLY AI Forum 2025: From Machine Learning to Generative AI | EUROCONTROL

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Dear colleagues,

the IFATSEA EuroGroup-conference 2025 took place in Zurich 23-25 April

Please find the welcome speeches of EC, IFATCA and ATCEUC hereunder

Keynote video msg by Mr. Frederik Rasmussen – European Commission

Welcome video msg by Mr. Frederic Deleau EVP Europe IFATCA

Welcome video msg by Mr. Volker Dick president ATCEUC.

Costas Christoforou –​​ IFATSEA Director Europe

europe@ifatsea.org

Dear colleagues,

Find the link to the document “CATS CONOPS for Future Skies”* which outlines several key points regarding ATSEP professionals and their evolving role in the context of future skies and digital transformation of air traffic management. 

* A Concept of Operations (CONOPS), developed by CANSO in collaboration with stakeholders including IFATSEA, outlining an industry-wide strategy and global roadmap to enable seamless, sustainable, and scalable airspace integration by 2045 — shaping the future of skies.

Kind Regards

Costas

IFATSEA was present at the 14th ANC at ICAO, please read IFATSEA at the 14th ICAO Air Navigation Conference – IFATSEA.

please find the press release of this conference ..http://www.atsep.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IFATSEA-Communique-ANC14.pdf

Another successful IFATSEA Euro-conference has come to its end  and I feel the need to thank the European ATSEP community for the achievement of the goals set for this conference! 

My deep appreciation to the organizing committee of ATSEPA and their president Mrs. Camelia Elisei-Iliescu, for all the hard work they have done before and during the conference. Many thanks for your hospitality and social program you have arranged for us. 

Please find the press release of the IFATSEA 2023 ERM

Costas Christoforou

IFATSEA Director Europe

europe@ifatsea.org

It is with great sadness and sorrow we heard that our President Thorsten Wehe, our dear friend has passed away on the 11^th of February. He was at the age of 55 years old.

He was fighting against the disease, with courage and dignity for some time. Indeed, he stood strong in his post during our online General Assembly in 2021, only a couple of months ago.

He will always be remembered in the IFATSEA family, in the ATSEP but also in the global aviation communities, for his contribution and achievements with the most recent example that of the inclusion of IFATSEA in the ICAO ANC. 

He started his professional carrier employed by the German ANSP (DFS – Deutsche Flugsicherung as an ATSEP, a system engineer (specialisation in voice communication systems) at the ACC centre of Bremen).

Soon after that he got actively involved the social and trade union issues as member of GDF (Gewerkschaft der Flugsicherung – German Air Navigation Trade Union.

He started his carrier in the Ex. Board of IFATSEA in 2009 as the Director of European region until 2014 when he was elected as Ex. Secretary of IFATSEA. In 2018 he was elected as President of IFATSEA, post that he served very successfully until his recent passing.

He left us quite some heavy legacy with his activities in all the global fora to promote aviation safety and achieve a worldwide Licensing system for Air Traffic Safety Electronics Personnel, as well the inclusion of ATSEP profession in ICAO Annex 1.

He has developed a fruitful and constructive cooperation with all international Aviation organisations ICAO, IFALPA, IFATCA, ITF, ILO CANSO as well as the European organizations like EC, EASA, SESAR, Eurocontrol, ATCEUC, ETF and others promoting the norms and values of ATSEP.

He will be missed by all of us. 

We would like once more to extend our sympathies and condolences to his family and loved ones.

REST IN PEACE dear THORSTEN.  

 Please find attached the new joint press release from all the PSOs in Europe ”Expect Delays due to shortage of operational staff’‘

It was half a century ago, in Brussels on the 12th of November 1971, when a meeting was convened with the presence of the first founding members of the International Federation of Air Traffic Safety Electronics Associations – IFATSEA.

Our best wishes for all ATSEP across the world for all their great commitment a devotion to serve and maintain the safety, regularity, and efficiency of the Aviation world.

More info http://ztbkviq.cluster030.hosting.ovh.net/icao-annex-1/

supported by Eurocontrol, IFATCA and IFATSEA moderated the Fly AI webinar on the 30th of June on the topic ”AI training & change management in aviation”.

If you like to view this webinar, recording is available on AI training & change management in aviation | EUROCONTROL

On 25 February, the SESAR – JU organized a webinar for Cybersecurity in ATM. This was an initiative by IFATSEA and IFATSEA presented on behalf of PSO’s, their views on this crucial topic., .
Indra and Thales presented their solutions/tools for a holistic approach in cybersecurity in ATM.

A lot of interesting stuff was revealed during this webinar concerning the role of  ATSEP in the new developing environment in ATM/ANS.

To view the replay of this webinar, goto SESAR Joint Undertaking | ATM cyber-security – The industry perspective (Webinar) (sesarju.eu)

In 2019 the EC ordered a study which should highlight the situation for the ATM sector, the issues ATCOs are facing and how this will change in the next 15 years or more, given also the age pyramid, recruitment requirements, training, automation and evolving skills required for ATM personnel.

The study was commissioned by DG MOVE under the Service Contract MOVE/E3/SER/2019-431/S12.813754.

The study has been carried out by the research organisations TNO and NLR.

The study include several in-depth case studies on the present situation in a number of EU Member States. Relevant trade unions and professional staff organisations were being involved in the study.

The research was performed in following ANSPs : 

LFV, DFS, Skyguide, DSNA and ENAIRE

Please find the slides of this study as well the final report

The ICAO Manual on Human Performance for Regulators (Doc 10151) has been launched online.

ICAO Human Performance Manual | EASA Community (europa.eu)

ATSEP isn’t addressed but chapter 2.3.1 addresses EQUIPMENT.

Please find attached the consolidated slide deck from the PRB consultation meeting on revision of targets for RP3, comprising he contributions of the professional staff in the PRB virtual meeting report, as well an interview given by the IFATSEA European director Costas Christoforou.

This material and more will be published on the SES webgate: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/eusinglesky/node_en

EASA has published the ED Decision for the  update of Annex XIII of Regulation (EU) 2017/373 

ED Decision 2020/020/R | EASA (europa.eu)

Below the words of Mr. Ken  Engelstad, ( ATM/ANS Expert) key figure and coordinator of this huge effort from the ATSEP expert group (IFATSEA was a member of this group and participated throughout the process)

”I would like to thank all of you for contributing to this update of Annex XIII of Regulation (EU) 2017/373.

It was a long way since 2018 but we finally manage to update the training objectives in a very compromised and pragmatic way, leaving the necessary flexibility to service providers while ensuring that safety will be maintained.

ATSEP staff are and will remain a very important element of the aviation safety chain! ”

The AISA project organized its first workshop on the 16th of September 2020. During the online event, the consortium presented the draft Concept of Operations for the proposed new ATM Artificial Intelligence Situational Awareness System.

Please find the presentation delivered on the AISA workshop is available for download in pdf format from the website: https://aisa-project.eu/events.php

9 aviation staff organisations – representing all categories of staff in our industry – issue a ‘Time to Rethink!’ statement, calling for a safe, social & sustainable recovery.

Our statement highlights Europe’s aviation staff organisations’ views, concerns & proposals regarding the COVID crisis & Europe’s recovery strategy for aviation. It calls for social & environmental sustainability, an end to precarious atypical employment & social engineering, for resilient ATM financing & staffing, for maintaining professional skills and highest safety levels, to name just a few. It considers aviation as a vital & critical infrastructure that needs support & priority attention. Crucially, it calls for a fundamental Rethink & Refocus in order to get our sector out of this crisis in a robust, lasting and socially viable manner. Business as usual is simply not an option !

We call upon the EC and your services to integrate this joint aviation staff perspective into the EU’s recovery strategy and the actions & regulatory initiatives undertaken by the Commission. We also invite the EC to consider this statement as part of our respective contributions to the development of the EU’s ‘Sustainable & Smart Mobility’ strategy, which will guide the EU’s actions over the coming years. In particular, the social dimension & concerns must be fully reflected in this strategy and the Commission’s initiatives. The COVID-19 crisis has a strong potential to deteriorate social conditions and to reward social mal-practices – something that must be countered by all means.

EC consultation launched a draft proposal on ‘Aviation – COVID-19 response (Single European Sky, performance & charging, 3rd reference period)’, including a draft implementing regulation on exceptional measures for the third reference period (2020-2024) of the single European sky performance and charging scheme due to the COVID-19 pandemic: