11.08.2017 – Birmingham Airport sought out DFS Aviation Services for assistance with their airport collaborative decision-making (A-CDM) procedure.
This assistance took the form of a plan versus actual analysis and a cost-benefit analysis. These analyses will provide the basis for determining potential improvements and ways to optimise the aircraft handling. The analyses were carried out on site and have recently been finalised. A full report has been presented to the airport. Birmingham Airport will now use this information to specify further steps.
The A-CDM procedure demands close cooperation between all parties involved in aircraft handling as well as the Network Manager Operations Centre (NMOC) of EUROCONTROL. A comprehensive exchange of data and information make decision-making and other processes more predictable and allow these to be optimised. This means delays can be reduced and resources — both infrastructure and personnel — can be more efficiently utilised. Constant data exchange with the NMOC of EUROCONTROL ensures the exact timing of departures and arrivals in sync with the rest of air traffic in European airspace. The central element of the procedure is setting milestones to be reached within the three-hour period before the aircraft’s estimated off-block time (EOBT). This means there are pre-defined procedural steps to be followed. Any disruptions to the process are reported immediately to the aircraft operator so they can be resolved.