ICAO plans worldwide expansion of air traffic flow management

The International Civil Aviation Organization is working to coordinate air traffic management more closely worldwide, with the aim of cutting delays, fuel consumption and emissions. At the centre of the effort is the expansion of Air Traffic Flow Management, or ATFM.

The approach matches flights to available airport and airspace capacity before departure instead of after. Airlines, airports and air navigation service providers would exchange more real-time data to support it. More flexible routes and an optimisation of minimum separation between aircraft are also intended to free up additional capacity.

Consultations are under way in Montreal. According to the organisation, they are scheduled to produce concrete plans for the next stage of implementation by 9 October.