Looking at this edition of ON AIR! two things strike me.

Firstly, there is an underlying common theme of collaboration. For cyber-security to be

effective, aviation stakeholders need to find new ways of working together, because in the

SESAR blueprinted 'system of systems' we are all interconnected; and cyber criminals can

therefore target the weakest link in the system to gain access to the whole. In the Middle

East collaboration is a key part of any solution to the growing airspace capacity problem.

The GCC's new Upper FIR project is an encouraging example of regional collaboration in this

regard. Our short piece on datalink provides a timely warning of the dangers of divergence

when it comes to technology choices – will Europe and the US collaborate? And for those of

us operating in Europe, the possibility of accessing EU funds for ATM modernisation will be

greatly enhanced if we collaborate in cross-border initiatives.

So, what was my second observation?... That none of this is new! We often say that

shared success and working for the greater good are meaningful and appealing to us, but

individuals frequently act out of self-interest, and the same is true of States. Perhaps the

difference today is that the threat of failure, and the consequences of failure, are bigger

than ever before. That might just provide the necessary focus for effective collaboration –

wherever and whenever it is needed.

Best wishes

CONTENTS

Cyber-security is an increasing concern in all

industries, and the aviation system is an attractive

target. Air traffic management’s (ATM) use of a

patchwork network of bespoke systems and protocols

has, traditionally, insulated it well from cyber-attack.

But this is changing. ATM is at a critical point in moving

towards a highly connected 'system-of-systems',

underpinned by common standards and components.

Helios, supported by Thales, recently completed a

study for the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) on how

SESAR’s new operational concepts and technologies

should respond to these cyber-security concerns.

The pan-European consequences of cyber-attack

MAIN STORYCyber-security

MIDDLE EASTTwo steps forward

A NEW DAWN FOR DATALINK?Europe needs a long-term solution

SESAR DEPLOYMENT Are public funds right for you?

HOT AIR!News & events

OFF AIR!Puzzle competition

W I N T E R 2 0 1 5

Self-interest or collaboration – which will you choose?

are striking:

• Any penetration will erode trust in new systems

and concepts, potentially limiting their successful

deployment.

• Successful cyber-attacks could lead to ‘domino

effect’ failures across connected systems or common

components.

• Even the suspicion of attack may be sufficient to

close the skies to air traffic for prolonged periods.

Such threats call for a broad response that

strengthens the protection and resilience offered by

new operational concepts and technologies, but goes

further to include both service provision and regulatory ☞

News and Information

Cyber-security Working together for the

future of ATM

Mike Shorthose, Executive Chairman

News and Information from Hel ios

2

Cyber-securitycontinued

functions. Cyber-security in this context, we believe,

will require every ATM stakeholder to prepare and protect

itself, to be ready to detect and analyse attacks as early as

possible, and respond effectively to stop their escalation.

ATM stakeholders have begun to improve cyber-security,

but the industry will need to work together to build trust

across stakeholders. Good governance and coordination will

be at the heart of a successful response. It’s not enough for

individual stakeholders to address cyber-security in their

own ‘patch’. The response needs to take account of complex,

dynamic and cross-boundary cyber-risks. Clear responsibilities

for protection and effective decision-making in response to

the inevitable will be vital. In working together to address

cyber-security, the aviation community will need to trust each

other. It’s a pre-requisite to delivering the many benefits that

modernisation and harmonisation promises.

For further information contact matt.shreeve@askhelios.com.

Matt ShreeveMatt is a technology policy expert at Helios. He has over 10 years

of experience in the policy, programme and change management

aspects of developing, deploying and using innovative technologies

and services. His particular expertise is in cyber-security, resilience

and enterprise architecture. Many of his projects involve balancing

potential benefits, costs and risks in complex and uncertain

situations. Since joining in 2013, he has worked across Europe

for the Commission, SJU, ANSPs, EUROCONTROL ESA and the GSA.

Whilst there are many challenges in the aviation

industry that can be resolved by individual air

navigation service providers, improving the efficiency and

capacity of airspace is not generally one of them. In Europe,

regional collaboration is driven through legislation and

coordinated by a plethora of agencies or other bodies. This

is not always the case elsewhere in the world, including the

Middle East.

Nevertheless the need to work together is well

understood. A point repeatedly made by senior industry

figures we interviewed as part of the first-ever ATM Middle

East survey for Air Traffic Management magazine (see

HOT AIR!). The ability to work together has also been

demonstrated by a number of successful regional

initiatives over the past decade, notably the Middle East

Regional Monitoring Agency (MIDRMA), which maintains

a central registry of State RVSM approvals of operators

and aircraft. Other more ambitious initiatives (including

ArabControl) have struggled to get beyond the feasibility

stage because there has not been a vehicle to implement

them, but this is changing.

Two major initiatives recently launched

The Middle East ATM Enhancement Programme (or MAEP)

is being managed through the ICAO MID office to ensure

the involvement of all States, but is also supported by wider

industry, including organisations such as IATA, CANSO

and ACI. MAEP will eventually provide a single platform

to coordinate and even manage the implementation of

regional projects, including the MID Region AIM Database.

The second is a sub-regional initiative: the Gulf

Cooperation Council’s (or GCC) Upper Airspace Project, the

first phase of which was recently awarded to Helios. The

GCC has already established a dedicated task force that

will work jointly with the Helios team. The objective is to

develop a detailed study and implementation roadmap to

harmonise ATM provision across the GCC member states

(Bahrain, Kuwait,

Oman, Qatar,

Saudi Arabia, and

the United Arab

Emirates). We

have adopted a

structured, but

iterative approach

to ensure the

project develops

solutions that are implementable and that the GCC vision

of ‘seamless’ airspace becomes a reality sooner rather than

later.

As I concluded in my review of the ATM Middle East

survey, our panellists have set out their desire to be and

to have good neighbours, with space to fly. These two

initiatives are evidence that things are moving in

the right direction.

For more information contact alan.corner@askhelios.com.

Middle EastTwo steps forward

News and Information from Hel ios

3

ATM Middle East Survey – Helios has collaborated with Air Traffic Management magazine to produce the

publication’s first ever ATM Middle East Survey. The survey canvasses opinion from an expert panel whichincludes regulators, air navigation service providers, trade associations, airlines and international agencies working in the region. The panellists consider topics including innovation, airspace, regulation and regional collaboration to provide a fascinating insight into the key challenges, priorities and some of the potential solutions to the ever growing demands on the region’s airspace. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our many contributors for their support. You can read the full survey online at www.airtrafficmanagement.net/ME2015 or pick up Issue 3 of the magazine to read the 20-page Middle East feature.

Interested in remote technologies? – Did you know that Helios performed one of the first business cases for

remote towers in 2008? Today we are advising the Norwegian ANSP on their investment in 15 remote towers, one of the largest remote tower projects in the world. To find out more, download our new brochure at www.askhelios.com/remote or contact james.hanson@askhelios.com.

Helios at GAD – Nick McFarlane, our Managing Director, is attending GAD 2015, the Global Airport

Development conference, in Amsterdam on 9-12 November. He will be presenting on innovative ways to provide new airport runway capacity. If you are attending GAD and would like to meet with Nick, please contact him at nick.mcfarlane@askhelios.com. For more about the event, visit www.icbi-gad.com.

AEROTHAI selects Helios for safety assurance support – We have been appointed by Thai ANSP

AEROTHAI to lead a two-year safety assurance project linked to their nationwide CNS/ATM system modernisation programme. The consulting team combines safety, technical and human factors experts from Helios and Egis Avia, as well as senior air traffic controllers from the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) who have specific experience with some of the proposed new Thales TopSky systems. For more information, contact glen.smith@askhelios.com.

Still growing! – In July Matt Brookes joined us after completing his MEng in Aeronautical Engineering at

Loughborough University. As part of his studies Matt spent a year at AgustaWestland working within the Flight Test Engineering team. In September we welcomed Alex Robertson who graduated from Oxford University with a MMath in Mathematics, and Irisa Chiu who graduated from Imperial College with an MEng in Aeronautical Engineering. Finally, Andrej Hyll joins us after 5 years spent as a pilot in the Czech army. After an initial period in the UK, Andrej will be based at our Žilina office in Slovakia.

Europe and the US now appear to be following diverging

paths for the introduction of datalink applications. Whilst

Europe is re-evaluating the role of VDL2/ATN, the US is

starting to introduce datalink applications over the previous

generation of technology (VDL2/AOA) with the intention

of by-passing the European implementation of the already

largely defunct OSI protocol stack in favour of a solution

based on the IP protocols used to power the world wide web.

The divergence is worrying as datalink should be the big

enabler of new ATM solutions globally rather than reflecting

regional differences. What the aviation community needs

is greater certainty – instead we are faced with ongoing

technical arguments about the suitability of both VDL2 and

the OSI stack for ATC, and indeed the impact of sharing

frequencies with ever more demanding AOC applications

(including engine monitoring).

At Helios we are beginning to wonder if we should be

looking to the past as well as to the future for the solution. In

the 1980s, the ICAO Future Aeronautical Navigation Systems

(FANS) Panel suggested that aviation should become more

reliant on satellites for CNS and that led to the introduction

of controller pilot datalink (CPDLC)/ADS-C in oceanic airspace.

Satellite Communications is one of today’s fastest

developing technologies. A stream of enhancements has

reduced the power requirements, antenna size and avionics

weight, leading to much lower airborne costs – such that,

for example, Inmarsat’s new SB Safety service is suitable

for all aircraft types and at an overall cost that could be

comparable to VHF. With the ESA Iris programme developing

satcom solutions to ensure that compatibility with SESAR and

NextGen is maintained, could now be the time to revisit the

FANS reports and make satcom a more central

part of the global datalink strategy?

What do you think? Tell paul.ravenhill@askhelios.com.

A new dawn for datalink?

Europe needs a long-term solution

David PhelpsDavid is a consultant at Helios. Since joining David has developed

a particular interest and expertise in European policy and he has

worked closely with ANSPs to understand and implement various

European initiatives. Most notably he has spent time on-site in

Bulgaria and Romania leading our work with DANUBE FAB. David

has also supported several ANSPs to prepare successful applications

for public funds, and he is currently working to help ANSPs prepare

for the next round of funding.

4

News and Information from Hel ios

interesting projects that drive genuine change and that

would not be possible through self-financing alone.

Applicants should not be afraid to take an ambitious

approach. The European Commission generally looks upon

collaborative cross-border projects favourably because they

illustrate the added value of the project to the European

ATM network.

As with previous calls, competition for funding through

the 2015 Call for Proposals is expected to be fierce. In our

experience it takes time to put all the necessary paperwork

and evidence together, so act quickly once the call is

published to identify projects and to put together a clear

and compelling case.

For further information on the 2015 Call for Proposals, contact david.phelps@ askhelios.com.

Please send change-of-address notifications to info@askhelios.com; by post

to Helios, 29 Hercules Way, Aerospace Boulevard, AeroPark, Farnborough,

Hampshire, GU14 6UU, UK; or call us on +44 1252 451 651.

This newsletter has been written for the interest of our clients and colleagues.

We believe the facts are correct at the time of printing, but cannot be held

responsible for any errors or omissions.

www.askhelios.com Follow us on:

Helios is an aviation consultancy focusing on air traffic management and

airports. We help improve economic, business and operational performance;

diagnosing problems, crafting solutions and delivering results. Our

consultants work on policy, strategy development and problem solving with

government bodies and agencies, regulators, service providers, industry, and

investors. Key skills include business economics, performance improvement,

managing risk and complexity, stakeholder management, benchmarking and

impact assessments. Helios is an Egis company.

SESAR deployment Are public funds right

for you?

Above or below the line?With this puzzle we want to test your lateral thinking skills.

Looking at "problems solved" below, where does the final

letter ‘D’ go?

Please send your answer to onair@askhelios.com. You

must tell us if the letter ‘D’ goes above or below the line and

why. The solution will be published in the next edition of ON

AIR!. All entries must be received by 31 December 2015. The

first correct answer drawn at random after this date will win

a pair of Helios noise-cancelling headphones. Good luck!

And the winner is …

The solution to our puzzle “Delivery of the future” was 10 return

trips. Congratulations to Denis Huet of EUROCONTROL, who

sent the correct answer and came first in the draw. Well done

Denis; we hope you enjoy your prize!

The long-awaited SESAR deployment finally began in

2015. ‘Connecting Europe Facility’ funds were used

to kick-start the process and proved popular with ANSPs,

airport operators and airlines. Although a300m of public

funds were set aside for SESAR deployment in the 2014

round of funding, the Commission awarded almost a375m.

This year the amount is set to double to a600m, with an

additional a500m available to the ‘cohesion countries’

(EU Member States with a Gross National Income per

inhabitant of less than 90% of the EU average).

Whilst the idea of securing EU funding seems attractive,

and the grants are sizeable, you should not underestimate

the resources required to put together a coherent proposal.

So if the deployment is not strategically important, or does

not deliver a real benefit, it may be wise to think again.

Current rules governing the use of public funds may

require ANSPs to pass the grants back to users (airlines)

via the unit rate. However CEF funds enable ANSPs to bring

forward investment plans, which promotes an accelerated

and synchronised approach to SESAR deployment across

Europe, ensuring the full range of benefits are delivered at

no extra cost to the user. But there is a risk that the funding

structure and current rules may reduce an ANSP’s appetite

to do something truly innovative.

That said, access to these unprecedented levels of

funds is an opportunity for stakeholders to modernise the

European ATM system by implementing Common Projects.

In recent years Helios has supported a54.3 million worth

of successful applications across 7 projects. Our advice is

to look closely at the call objectives and use funding for

LEM LVE PROB S SO ?