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SPRING 2018
ECACNEWS
European Civil Aviation Conference Magazine
#65
DIGITALISATION
Shaping Aviation’s Future
CONTENTS
1 EDITORIAL
Digitalisation, an essential driver
of change in aviation
Salvatore Sciacchitano
3 Digitalisation in Swedish aviation
Ingrid Cherfils
4 Digital transformation at EASA
Patrick Ky
7 SESAR and the digitalisation of Europe’s
skies
Florian Guillermet
11 ECAC Cyber Security Study Group:
Time for an update
Helena Hallauer
14 The Digital Airline
Tim Grosser
18 Alliances in the digital era
Mauro Oretti, Alessandro Fusaro
21 Airbus’s data revolution with Skywise
ECACNEWS Frédéric Sutter
#65 – Spring 2018
Publication Director
24 Smarter at Every Step:
Salvatore Sciacchitano Customer experience and biometrics
Editorial Committee Sherry Stein
Salvatore Sciacchitano, Patricia
Reverdy, Gabrielle Hubler 30 ECAC Spotlight:
Editor The Legal Task Force at your service
Gabrielle Hubler
ghubler@ecac-ceac.org Susanna Metsälampi
Designer
Bernard Artal Graphisme
32 ECAC in brief
Cover: © kwanchaift - Fotolia.com
Ph: © CEAC
34 CASE in brief
ECAC News welcomes feedback 36 Eap/CA in brief
and content ideas from interested
parties. 37 News from the JAA Training Organisation
Subscription and distribution (JAA TO)
requests should be made to
info@ecac-ceac.org
The opinions printed in ECAC
News are those of the authors
alone and do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of ECAC
or its Member States.
Printed by Imprimerie Peau.
Follow ECAC on and visit our
website www.ecac-ceac.org
Editorial
Digitalisation, an essential driver
of change in aviation
Salvatore Sciacchitano
Executive Secretary of ECAC
Tsector,
he progress of digitalisation is already showing its
tremendous impact on civil aviation today. Our
while being one of the most advanced in the
Safety, security, flight and airport operations,
facilitation and the environment are all subject to
digital transformation. And all stakeholders – whether
process, is yet to face further developments resulting airlines, airports, air navigation service providers,
from this deep transformation. New technologies are manufacturers, maintenance companies or regulators
crafting new opportunities for all those involved – are called to play an active role in this transformation.
in air travel but also creating new challenges that Therefore, at its latest Forum in December 2017,
must be understood. Operators, as well as regulators, ECAC chose to reflect on what this transformation
all need to keep pace with the fast transformation already involves and how it will shape the future
driven by innovation and digitalisation. evolution of civil aviation. With insights from experts
A first glance at the matter already demonstrates from various backgrounds, ECAC Directors General
the complexity of the topic. Terms such as ‘digitisation’, engaged in lively discussions on the opportunities –
‘digitalisation’ (a two-letter difference!) and ‘digital and the risks – that this digital transformation
transformation’ are often confused. Let me set the represents to our sector.
scene. In this issue of ECAC News, we have invited some
‘Digitisation’ is the process of converting of the speakers at the ECAC Forum to share their
information into a digital (i.e. computer-readable) organisation’s approach to maximising the value of
format which can then be used by a computing system digital aviation. Each contribution presents the latest
for numerous possible reasons. It is the automation of innovations in one component of air transport and
existing manual and paper-based processes, enabled some of the prerequisites to successful digital
by the digitisation of information. transformation – from the European Aviation Safety
‘Digitalisation’ is the use of digital technologies and Agency to SESAR Joint Undertaking, from airlines to
of data in order to change a business model and manufacturers.
provide new revenue and value-producing opportunities. Digital transformation offers many opportunities
It is the process of moving to a digital business, and the for civil aviation but its challenges must be addressed
digital information is at the core of this process. today in order to unlock the substantial benefits it can
‘Digital transformation’ relates to the profound offer the industry and society at large. It requires
change in business and organisational activities, concerted action from regulators, policymakers and
processes, competencies and models. It aims at fully the industry, presenting our sector with a unique
leveraging the changes and opportunities of a mix of chance to shape the future.
digital technologies and their accelerating impact
across society in a strategic and prioritised way, with
present and future shifts in mind.
In light of these clarifications, it becomes even
more obvious that digitalisation is happening now,
everywhere, in every sector, and the future is heading
in this direction. Digitalisation is an extremely wide
topic that affects, in different terms and at different
levels, all the various aspects of aviation.
ECAC NEWS # 65 1
Views of the annual ECAC Directors General Forum
Director General for Civil Aviation Rob Huyser (Netherlands) and EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky
2 ECAC NEWS # 65
Digitalisation
in Swedish aviation
Ingrid Cherfils
ECAC President and Director Strategic Development
and Management Department, Swedish Transport Agency
In June 2017, the Swedish government adopted a digital strategy for sustainable digital transfor-
mation in Sweden. The overall objective is for Sweden to become the world leader in harnessing
the opportunities of digital transformation (1). A clearer central government leadership in this trans-
formation is necessary and aviation is no exception.
D igitalisation reshapes the whole
aviation sector and several
initiatives have been taken to im-
challenges, one of them being the
management of cyber security.
port Agency will take in the coming
years. One of our main activities is
How policymakers and regula- related to blockchain and big data.
prove daily operations for airlines, tors enable and facilitate this tech- To enable us to evaluate our
airports and air navigation service nical evolution in a safe and secure progress, we regularly monitor our
providers. The aim is to provide to environment is one of the most performance with an e-index,
the consumers a safe and secure air challenging tasks ahead. It requires which measures services provided
transport sector which they can a shift of mind set, which is easy to to citizens, digital steps in our inter-
rely on. It is aviation´s “raison d´être”. say but not always easy to do. nal processes and the degree of
One of the most recent techni- In 2017, the Swedish Transport data shared with other authorities.
cal innovations in Sweden is the Agency adopted a digital agenda The index gives us a better under-
development of remote tower, a which defines the following princi- standing of the needs of citizens
functional system which comprises ples: and businesses, it raises awareness
technology, safety procedures and • Think digital first. and helps us prioritise our efforts.
human factor. In 2015, the first • Assume citizens´ and business The digital transformation re-
flight was operated at Örnsköldsvik requirements. quires people, businesses and or-
Airport using a remote tower • Use and develop common digital ganisations to have trust and
service in Sundsvall. Now remote infrastructure. confidence in the digital services
tower operations are conducted in • Think new to create added value. provided. The effective, safe and
Sundsvall and, in the future, in
Based on these principles, we secure use of new technologies will
Linköping.
also identified three focus areas: require adaptive rule-making and
The Swedish air navigation ser- the citizen at the centre, internal new skills but above all the ability
vice provider, LFV, plans to provide efficiency and security and, lastly, to adapt even faster to the rate of
remote digital air traffic control to innovation. An action plan for the change. We need to combine
bigger and more complex airports period 2018-2020 also defines the knowledge in a new way but also
– Malmö, Östersund, Umeå and concrete steps the Swedish Trans- to think new. ■
Kiruna. The future brings more ad-
vanced technical features, the dig-
ital revolution creates additional (1) Government offices of Sweden
Ingrid Cherfils was elected as President of ECAC and Focal Point for External Relations in December 2014. She was
appointed Director Strategic Development and Management of the Swedish Transport Agency in June 2017 and
additionally became its Deputy Director General last September. Ms Cherfils began her career in aviation in 1998 as
an advisor within the Swedish Civil Aviation Administration, where she dealt with bilateral agreements, competition and
consumer protection issues. She became head of the market analysis section in the Swedish Civil Aviation Authority in
2005, and in 2009 she was appointed head of the legal unit within the Civil Aviation Department in the Swedish
Transport Agency. Ms Cherfils then became Director of the Swedish Civil Aviation Authority in 2010 and Director of the
Civil Aviation and Maritime Department between 2013 and 2017. Ms Cherfils has a master’s degree in law from Lunds
University, as well as in international and European Law from the University of Paris Assas II.
ECAC NEWS # 65 3
Digital transformation
at EASA
Patrick Ky
Executive Director, European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
What is digitalisation? Digitisation simply means converting analogue or physical data into digital
data. The role of this digital technology is rapidly shifting, from being a driver of marginal efficiency,
describing the automation of processes and business models, to an enabler of fundamental inno-
vation and disruption, so-called digitalisation. Digitalisation enables access to a wealth of infor-
mation and knowledge which can fundamentally drive major improvements in the aviation sector,
in particular on safety issues. For instance, by giving a better understanding of ‘low noise signals’
which, when aggregated, can lead to safety loopholes; or systematising and organising access to
product history and contextual information.
The access to large amounts of
Impact on the regulatory framework decentralised aviation-related data
as well as the increased capability
T the
he aviation industry has been at
forefront of the digital trans-
Overall, the infusion of digital
technologies in aviation manage-
to process it will allow authorities
to better identify weaknesses and
formation, changing the way peo- ment has had a positive impact for take action where it is most
ple travel. These changes have all stakeholders by supporting: efficient. “Digital Twins” of aircraft
been mostly dealing with effi- • process optimisation and indus- and products aggregating data
ciency and costs issues, such as try 4.0; and records from manufacturers,
digital maintenance organisations, • enhancement of non-aeronauti- operators and maintenance organ-
or digital boarding cards. Regula- cal revenue streams, which are isations. Data and record manage-
tors have not so far been associ- now becoming commercially sig- ment requirements will need to be
ated to most of these changes, nificant; reconsidered across the regulatory
creating a risk of disconnect be- • introduction of new business op- silos.
tween the regulatory and opera- portunities (e.g. total care pack-
The increased connectivity will
tional frameworks. Now that ages, Uber-type aviation services,
change the way flight safety is
digitalisation is likely to profoundly unmanned aircraft delivery ser-
managed with real time access to
change processes and operational vices, etc.);
key open source data and informa-
activities, regulatory authorities • overall improvement in the pas-
tion. The database required by the
can no longer distance themselves senger experience.
new Basic Regulation could include
from this topic. new technologies much more information, in a se-
new business models Digitalisation is now widely ac- cure environment, where anyone,
Over the past ten years, a num- cepted as a disruptive force that including authorities, could have
ber of business terms have come changes management mind sets, access to the information they are
into common usage in the aviation business processes and business entitled to, thanks to the use of
industry. All of these terms relate to models. The concept is defined blockchain technology.
the ongoing digital transformation around three separate, but inter- Also, numerous elements will
of aviation, which is not really a twined, drivers: digitisation, con- be dematerialised. Already the use
new trend but something which nectivity and data. of RFID technology (radio fre-
has been evolving for decades. Digitalisation does not only quency identification technology)
Since the first automated baggage have a huge impact on the flight is becoming common in aviation.
sorting systems appeared in the experience of passengers, on cost Soon, all information will be digi-
1990s and the first e-ticket was is- reductions and on flight efficiency, tised, rendering the old manuals
sued in 1994, it has affected both but there will also be improve- and forms obsolete. Improved con-
the passenger journey and internal ments within flight safety and an nectivity will even allow real time
processes. important transformation of the collection of vast amounts of oper-
role of regulators in the near future. ational and technical data.
4 ECAC NEWS # 65
Digital transformation at EASA
lenge for our certification process,
Examples of digital transformation at EASA which is fundamentally determin-
istic.
dAtA4sAfety vulnerabilities in the system across
The more widespread use of
Data4Safety (also known as terabytes of data.
complex numerical tests instead of
D4S) is a data collection and analy- EASA has now set up a pilot physical tests in the certification of
sis programme that will support phase in D4S, in cooperation with new aircraft and products is also
the goal to ensure the highest a group of pioneer partners, includ- expected to create new challenges,
common level of safety and envi- ing aircraft operators, authorities, in particular in a context of artificial
ronmental protection for the Euro- manufacturing industry and, last intelligence where numerical test
pean aviation system. but not least, social partners. This beds can increasingly complexify
The programme aims at col- pilot phase will enable to prove the the scope and range of tests, sub-
lecting and gathering all data that concept of sharing information in a mitting machines to an enhanced
may support the management of secure, confidential framework, virtual reality.
safety risks at European level. This and is expected to show the power electronic pilot licences –
includes safety reports (or occur- of big data analysis. eleAp
rences), flight data (i.e. data gener-
AdAptive systems And The electronic Licences for EU
ated by the aircraft via the flight
ArtificiAl intelligence Aviation Pilots (eLEAP) Programme
data recorders), surveillance data
The next generation of aircraft is presented in the context of the
(air traffic data), weather data…
will embed artificial intelligence or EU digital public services as part of
But those are only a few from a
adaptive systems. The aim of the the EU eGovernment Action Plan.
much longer list.
aircraft manufacturers introducing The objective of eLEAP is to replace
As for the analysis, the pro- the current paper-based licences
these technologies is to improve
gramme’s ultimate goal is to help by a fully digital licence. It is a very
the aircraft autonomy and safety
to “know where to look“ and to “see good example of how far a digital-
gains.
it coming“. In other words, it will isation project can go, not limiting
support the performance-based However, such systems have
itself to pure replacement of ana-
environment and set up a more specific characteristics that might
logue data with digital but also,
predictive system. be incompatible with the current and foremost, enabling full access
certification requirements: non- to all ancillary data and information
More specifically, the pro-
gramme will allow a better under- determinism, no possible nor com- through an interoperable, real-time
standing of where the risks lie plete specification of the behaviour, platform. The project is expected to
(safety issue identification), deter- not complete verifiability, etc. start with a pilot phase, for which
mine the nature of these risks (risk As through artificial intelli- four countries have already volun-
assessment) and verify whether the gence, machines are supposed to teered (Austria, Ireland, Italy and
safety actions are delivering the learn continuously during their life- Norway). If successful, and on the
needed level of safety (perfor- time. And because how and what basis of a thorough cost/benefit
mance measurement). It aims to they learn determine part of their analysis, the project could then be
develop the capability to discover behaviour, this constitutes a chal- extended to other European States.
© Lagarto Film - Fotolia.com
ECAC NEWS # 65 5
Digital transformation at EASA
General considerations and conclusion
D igitalisation is already taking
place in aviation at a rapid
of safety issues. It is also the duty of
regulators to think strategically
pace. It has an impact on opera- about the evolution of careers, so-
tions, on vehicles and systems, and cial and societal aspects of this dig-
on the ability of the community to ital journey. It is also the duty of
learn from a very large amount of authorities to build the proper safe-
information. Digitalisation will guards that will ensure interoper-
moreover have a deep impact on ability, but also protection of data
jobs, skills profiles for aviation pro- and appropriate use of such data.
fessionals, possibly also offering
Authorities in general, and EASA
new perspectives and opportuni-
in particular, may need to rapidly
© Maksim Kabakou - Fotolia.com
ties for different types of profes-
sions. modify existing regulations in order
to enable digitalisation, and will
Authorities cannot stay idle.
possibly need to revise the rule-
The regulatory framework can and
making programme to accelerate
should facilitate digitalisation in
some work, in order to seize new
aviation with all its promises of in-
creased quality of service, safety opportunities but also minimise
and efficiency. But not at all costs, the potential embedded new risk.
in particular on the human- This is the start of a new era, full
machine/system interfaces which of promises, challenges and inter-
are well known to be a major cause esting work! ■
© lolloj - Fotolia.com
Patrick Ky became Executive Director of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on 1 September 2013. His mission
is to further consolidate the role and responsibilities of the Agency to become a worldwide reference in aviation and to
make the European aviation regulatory system a fully consistent, efficient and reliable framework. Prior to leading EASA,
Mr Ky was in charge of the SESAR programme, Europe’s ATM modernisation programme. He also held different
managerial positions in the French Civil Aviation Authority, in a consulting company and in EUROCONTROL. In 2004, he
joined the European Commission to work on SESAR. In 2013 Mr Ky was the recipient of the The Glen A. Gilbert Memorial
Award of the Air Traffic Controllers Association as a recognition of his achievements in the field of aviation and for being
an advocate of innovation and change in air traffic control. In 2015, he was designated “Industry Leader of the Year”
by the German publication Fliegermagazin for his commitment to develop simpler, better and lighter rules for general
aviation. In total, Mr Ky has more than 24 years of work experience in civil aviation. A graduate from the Ecole
Polytechnique and the Civil Aviation Engineering School in France, Mr Ky also holds degrees in economics from the
University of Toulouse and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
6 ECAC NEWS # 65
SESAR and the digitalisation
of Europe’s skies
Florian Guillermet
Executive Director, SESAR Joint Undertaking
European aviation has been at the forefront of innovation for many decades. Some might think
that our industry has reached its zenith and that it is now just a matter of operating and fine-tuning
the system. Florian Guillermet, Executive Director, SESAR Joint Undertaking, does not share this
belief. He sees the opportunity and potential for the aviation industry to soar to even greater
heights. The key to unlocking this potential is digitalisation. In this article, he explains how SESAR
is harnessing digital technologies to transform the European aviation and air traffic management
systems and infrastructure.
Fmentanticipated
ifty years ago European leaders
that the develop-
of commercial aviation was
frontier in aviation, which presents
many opportunities but also chal-
creasing need for transportation
within and between them. This
lenges for the European aviation growth opens up possibilities for
about to literally take off and industry – let me spell out just European aviation players or new
change the world forever. With it some of the factors shaping the entrants to create markets, such as
would come new opportunities debate. urban mobility, with drones in par-
and challenges requiring individual ticular positioned to provide new
States to go beyond their own na- services across industries. New
tional interests and to team up on Air traffic growth infrastructure (e.g. new airport
very strategic and ambitious deci- models, traffic management sys-
sions. These decisions would bring
together the brightest minds from O ndoubles
average, global air traffic
every 15 years, and is
tems for drones, communication
and network technologies) and the
across the continent to build ex- expected to continue its natural appropriate level of regulation will
traordinary aircraft and gradually growth reaching up to four times be needed to support these new
the tools and operating environ- its current level by 2050 (1). Air traffic markets.
ment to make them fly – the launch management will need to adapt to
of the A300 and subsequent cre- this increased traffic and the move
ation of Airbus is a case in point. from thousands of conventional Technological
These decisions led to what avia- aircraft in the sky every day to po-
tion is today, the lifeblood of our tentially hundreds of thousands of
disruption
economy, the key to mobility in Eu- highly connected and automated
rope and a driver of connectivity
with the rest of the world.
air vehicles or devices, offering ad-
vanced data-driven services and T heworldtoptoday
five companies in the
are digital plat-
But the world of aviation is operating in all environments. forms (2). With their access to finan-
changing, starting with the aircraft cial capital and skilled people,
itself. In the not-so-distant future, these companies have become in-
air vehicles are set to become more
Urban mobility and novation frontrunners, along with
autonomous, more connected, the creation of new an emerging ecosystem of tech
more intelligent. That’s not all: start-ups, in advanced technolo-
there will be all sorts of new vehi- markets gies that are now overlapping with
cles, such as drones, not to men- traditional aviation. And it is these
tion balloons or even sub-orbital
aircraft. All these vehicles are edg- I nglobal
the future, two-thirds of the
population will reside in
advanced technologies (i.e. big
data, automation, artificial intelli-
gence, connectivity/smart devices,
ing in, claiming their share of the urban areas, which will foster the
skies. This is nothing short of a new creation of megacities with an in- Internet of Things, autonomous
(1) Airbus Global Market Forecast 2017-2036: http://www.airbus.com/aircraft/market/global-market-forecast.html
(2) World Economic Forum White Paper “Digital Transformation Initiative Aviation, Travel and Tourism Industry”, January 2017:
http://reports.weforum.org/digital-transformation/wp-content/blogs.dir/94/mp/files/pages/files/wef-dti-aviation-travel-and-tourism-white-paper.pdf
ECAC NEWS # 65 7
SESAR and the digitalisation of Europe’s skies
© SAAB
vehicles, augmented reality, virtual ness and leisure travel will be trans- vacy, data protection and other so-
reality, etc.) that are revolutionising formed by travelling-on-demand cietal challenges that will result
the business landscape. European and door-to-door service capabilities. from this digital transformation.
aviation needs to embrace this
change and engage in its digital
transformation based on data, con- Safety and security Automation
nectivity and automation.
and drones grow, the T automation beyond routine
he recent and rapid evolution of
High customer
A scraftthe number of manned air-
work and its expansion (in combi-
future infrastructure needs to pro-
expectations vide robust enablers for ensuring nation with artificial intelligence)
collision avoidance and safety. into machine learning and mobile
Equally, with the digital transfor- robotics have opened new busi-
Tsmartcated
he expectations of a sophisti-
customer base living in
megacities will be reshaped
mation will come increased con-
nectivity and data sharing, which
ness opportunities in many indus-
tries. Digital transformation
will open the system up to cyber demands a different skill set from
by hyper or ‘always-on’ connectiv- workers in today’s economy, and
ity, and personalisation stemming threats. Mitigating cyber security
will create new types of jobs. Chal-
from data-driven customer insights risks in systems will require the es-
lenges such as balancing automa-
and the imperative to save increas- tablishment of a sustainable frame-
tion and the human factor, and
ingly valuable time. Connectivity work in which high-level security
reskilling the workforce for the
and innovation are driven by tech requirements in each of the tech-
digital economy will need to be
actors setting new standards in all nological solutions are defined. At
tackled collaboratively by industry,
industries (e.g. retail, broadcasting, the same time an integrated oper- regulators and policymakers.
automotive, consumer goods), rais- ational and technical architectural
ing the bar of customer expecta- approach is required, leading to
tions and adding impetus for increased operational resilience Global competition
digital transformation within tradi- against cyber attacks. There will
Esation.
tional industries. Traditional busi- also be a need to address the pri- urope is not alone in its efforts
to generate value from digitali-
The United States, South
© DSNA
Korea, Japan and China are signifi-
cantly investing into technology
and innovative businesses. The
EU Innovation Scoreboard report (3)
shows that while the innovation
performance of the EU is improv-
ing, progress must accelerate.
Many of our global competitors are
increasing their innovation perfor-
mance at a much faster pace, and
within the EU performance gaps
must be addressed.
(3) European Innovation Scoreboard 2017:
https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/
24829/attachments/1/translations/en/rendi-
tions/native
8 ECAC NEWS # 65SESAR and the digitalisation of Europe’s skies
Delivering Aviation 4.0
Twhether
o deliver this new era of air
travel, digitalisation is key –
it’s through harnessing
age the airspace.
• high-tech video, synthetic and
enhanced sensor technologies
the Internet of Things, big data, to operate air traffic services for
artificial intelligence, augmented airports or to enable aircraft to
reality or quantum computing. We land in low-visibility conditions.
need to embrace the technologies • big data analytics and open
on offer to build an aviation ecosys- source data usage to encourage Growing momentum
tem that can handle the growth the creation of new services and
and diversity of traffic efficiently, to allow for better integrated trans- for digitalising
safely and with minimum environ- port delivery for the passenger. Europe’s skies
mental impact. In doing so, we will • system modularity to allow for
be able to deliver the best possible scalable and easier upgrades and
passenger experience while also
unlocking tremendous economic
greater interoperability.
• system flexibility to handle in- B uttalisation
this is only the start, as digi-
will play an increas-
value for Europe. creasing number of air vehicles, ingly important role in the future
such as drones. safety and efficiency of the aviation
This future aviation ecosystem
industry, not to mention ensuring
is characterised by: The SESAR Joint Undertaking
greater air connectivity with the
• higher levels of autonomy and is exploiting investment in these
lowest carbon footprint. Realising
connectivity of all (air) vehicles technologies. In 2016 we delivered
this ambition cannot be achieved
coupled with a smarter, more au- a first set of technologies or solu-
by any one organisation alone as
tomated management of the traf- tions for which deployment plans
fic, and enabled by an “intranet of are underway. These have been val- the infrastructure is shared and
flight”. idated by all stakeholders, includ- needs to rely on homogeneous
• mobile, terrestrial and satellite- ing air traffic controllers. With these standards to foster innovation.
based communications, which solutions, we have set in motion That’s why the SESAR collaborative
are used to provide real-time the digital transformation of avia- model is so critical to achieving this
vehicle trajectory information, tion, enabling better information digital transformation as it breaks
shared between vehicles and with sharing and synchronisation, and down silos and brings together
the ground infrastructure. the delivery of a high-performing both established aviation players,
• digital and automated tools aviation and air traffic manage- and new entrants, such as digital
provided on board the air vehicle ment system. With SESAR 2020, the start-ups, SMEs, academia, research
itself, or as part of the ground- next wave of research and innova- centres, as well as other industries.
based infrastructure. tion, we are progressively integrat- The result is a mode of public-pri-
• virtual technologies to decou- ing into the programme digitally vate partnership which blends cor-
ple the physical infrastructure enabled solutions, in line with EU porate and academic values, new
such as sensors, communication Aviation Strategy and with stake- talent, expertise and capital, giving
or navigation devices from the holders’ needs both now and in the rise to fresh ideas that are fed into
services that are provided to man- future. the innovation pipeline.
© Heathrow
ECAC NEWS # 65 9SESAR and the digitalisation of Europe’s skies
There is clearly growing mo- ing the aspirations of the EU Avia-
mentum among all stakeholders to tion Strategy and Flightpath 2050.
go digital. In November 2017, Euro- The 2018 edition will bring to-
pean industry leaders representing gether aviation stakeholders for a
manufacturers, solutions providers, 12-month consultation to further
airspace users, airports and air nav- investigate the potential of techno-
igation service providers published logical advances and identify the
a signed declaration (4), committing key development and deployment
to creating a “Digital European Sky” activities needed to bring Europe’s
by working collaboratively to trans- aviation infrastructure into the dig-
form their business processes, ital age. The results of this consul-
services and systems to enable tation will be published in the
more connected aviation and with fourth edition of the European ATM
that, seamless travel and transport Master Plan (December 2018).
for all. SESAR has set in motion the
An important means to ensur- digital transformation of aviation
ing that digitalisation is mapped, and its infrastructure. New innova-
developed and effectively de- tions will continue to be delivered,
ployed by these stakeholders will increasing the pace of change
be through the European ATM towards this new era in aviation. ■
Master Plan, the European roadmap
for ATM modernisation in line with
> read more about sesAr and (4) Joint Industry Declaration Towards the Digital
the performance goals of the Sin-
the digital transformation: European Sky: Airlines for Europe, CANSO,
gle European Sky. The 2015 edition Airports Council International, EBAA, ASD
www.sesarju.eu/letsgetdigital
flagged this digital shift, referenc- Europe, IATA and the EHA (November 2017).
About SESAR
> As the technological pillar of the Single European Sky initiative, SESAR
aims to modernise and harmonise air traffic management in Europe.
The SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU) was established in 2007 as
a public-private partnership to support this endeavour. It does so by
pooling the knowledge and resources of the entire ATM community in
order to define, research, develop and validate innovative technological
and operational solutions. The SESAR JU is also responsible for the
execution of the European ATM Master Plan which defines the EU prior-
ities for research and development, and implementation. Founded by
the European Union and EUROCONTROL, the SESAR JU has 19 mem-
bers, who together with their partners and affiliate associations rep-
resent over 100 companies working in Europe and beyond. The SESAR
JU also works closely with professional staff organisations, regulators,
airport operators, airspace users and the scientific community.
Florian Guillermet, was appointed as Executive Director in April 2014. Mr Guillermet is responsible for leading the
SESAR JU public private partnership, which is modernising Europe’s air traffic management system. Mr Guillermet has
worked in the civil aviation field for 20 years. He is an engineer and graduate of the École polytechnique and Civil
Aviation Engineering School in France. He holds a master’s degree in aeronautics and airport management.
10 ECAC NEWS # 65ECAC Cyber Security Study Group:
Time for an update
Helena Hallauer
Chair of the ECAC Study Group on Cyber Security in Civil Aviation
Optimal digitalisation strategies are accompanied by well-designed cyber resilience frameworks.
Including such a framework in the civil aviation sector requires a progressive update of existing
safety and security policies.
A journey by air brings passen-
gers from one continent to the
next overnight, as the aircraft flies
that are required to ensure contin-
ued safety and security of opera-
tions while addressing cyber risks.
The process of further digitali-
sation in civil aviation is a process
of numerous upgrades of systems
over mountain ranges and vast and procedures. It is a mid-term
bodies of water to a faraway land. process and not an overnight oc-
Temperatures at arrival and depar-
Supporting the po- currence. And just as this process
ture might span between 50 de- tential of digitalisation will lead to adaptations in opera-
grees, and not only passengers but tions, where – as an example –
also crew are probably tired upon electronic flight bags have already
arrival.
On a long 12-hour trip a num-
Fminimise
irst of all, it is important to note
that measures put in place to
cyber risks should be
paved the way to reduce the use of
paper, this process of digitalisation
ber of risks could occur. From designed to accompany the advan- also calls for updates in security
weather influences to technical is- tages of digitalisation. The objec- and safety policies.
sues, from human error to medical tive is to minimise risks as systems
emergencies, many worst-case sce- progress, and not to stop progres-
narios have been thought of and sion of systems or innovation.
Updating security
are actively anticipated by the civil The aviation sector has always and safety policies –
aviation community. Designs, cer-
tification, training and examina-
been a global and integrated sec- joining forces
tor. Information has been transmit-
tions across the globe reflect these ted internationally for years, by
risks and the right response to
them.
telex from departure to arrival sta-
tions, from ground to air to inform
T heandfirstsafety
step to updating security
policies is making
From time to time, bad sur- sure to use the best available
the flight deck about significant in-
prises awaken the civil aviation know-how.
formation, or from air to ground in
community with a jolt to new risks. cases requiring immediate sup- Every day, the aviation sector
The community finds itself having port. Simply put, without interna- employs a large and diverse set of
to find solutions under time pres- tional transmission of information, experts. Experts on de-icing, air-
sure and with intense public flying would not be as safe as it is port bird population and mainte-
scrutiny. today, and it certainly would not be nance experts, for example, each
Hopefully, the cyber risks that as well coordinated. play their own specific role and
accompany increased digitalisation Further digitalisation of these contribute their valuable expertise
will not have this effect, but can communication processes there- to ensure safe and secure flights. In
rather be managed in a step-by- fore, does not change the way the addition, coordinating roles exist
step approach. The civil aviation sector works – it just integrates it that allow the system to function as
sector’s long-standing experience even more. This digitalisation and a whole.
with risk management will allow it integration can bring significant Including cyber aspects into
to move forward with ambitious safety benefits, e.g. allowing for the civil aviation sector now means
projects for digitalisation, as long coverage of aircraft where before welcoming one more category
as safety and security policies are this was not possible. But it also of experts into the exciting world
updated in parallel. comes with risks as more integra- of aviation. Together, know-how
This article provides a short tion may imply more “single points will be built and resilience will
overview of the types of updates of failure”. develop.
ECAC NEWS # 65 11ECAC Cyber Security Study Group: Time for an update
Meeting of ECAC Cyber Security Study Group, September 2017, Paris
But just as digitalisation does between safety and security man- erations, but asking themselves
not happen overnight, gaining ex- agers and national/sectoral CERTs what the potential impact of cyber
perience on cyber risks and re- (Computer Emergency Response attacks could be on flights, and on
silience for civil aviation is also a Teams) allows for an updated civil aviation as a whole. It is not a
slow process. However, a number threat picture. question of “What effect could a
of procedures can be put in place updated vulnerability regis- cyber attack have on my business or
within a short timeframe to allow ters are also required. Increased systems?”, but rather “What effect
for the right conversations to hap- and improved information sharing could a cyber attack have on aircraft
pen. One priority would be to en- regarding relevant IT system vul- in flight and on aviation operations
sure up-to-date risk registers. nerabilities will allow for improved as a whole?”.
As we mentioned in the intro- risk management. Just as the avia- As we ask these questions and
duction to this article, a flight en- tion sector shares information about join forces to find the best answers,
counters numerous potential risks technical vulnerabilities in aircraft it is important to bear in mind the
along the way. From weather, to or operational hazards, it should basics already implemented by the
birds, to fatigue in the cockpit, a also improve information sharing aviation sector for many years.
whole array of risks is encountered about technical vulnerabilities in IT
while flying. systems, especially those common
to the aviation sector.
Keeping the basics
In updating our systems and
procedures to allow for further dig- updated assessment methods – and updating them
italisation, it is important that in With updated and improved threat as digitalisation
parallel, risk registers are updated and vulnerability information avail-
to include cyber risks. We must able, the assessment of the corre- moves forward
understand the potential impact sponding hazards to civil aviation
a cyber attack can have on our
systems and flights, and especially
the increased impact that can come
must also be updated to take into
account the three different per-
spectives synonymous with cyber
A s one of the most international
and well-connected industries,
civil aviation has all the tools it
from increased integration. We must resilience: needs to move forward on digitali-
also consider other risks to our dig- • confidentiality: What are the risks sation, and to do so while address-
ital infrastructure and analyse their to civil aviation when confiden- ing new risks in parallel.
potential impact on the safety and tiality is breached? Aligning core concepts
security of operations. • integrity: What are the risks to As we start combining aviation
updated threat registers are civil aviation when aircraft or know-how with IT security experts,
required. Existing information- pilots and other staff base their we find common core concepts in
sharing processes must be updated action on data that is incorrect or the worlds of aviation security, avi-
to make sure that current informa- incomplete? ation safety and IT security. These
tion regarding cyber threats reaches • Availability: What is the effect on core concepts allow us to align and
the right persons in our civil avia- aircraft or on the civil aviation integrate implementation, and
tion system. It is a matter of con- system as a whole when critical even to coordinate regulation.
necting the right people to ensure functions are no longer available? Examples of such core concepts are:
that information on cyber threats The challenge here is combin- • the importance of designated
can be taken into account on a ing individual risk registers with a points of contact;
daily basis. Much like the weather, holistic perspective of civil aviation. • the importance of incident re-
cyber threats evolve and a static These questions need to be asked porting and information sharing
picture is only part of the picture. by authorities and operators not to inform risk analysis;
Putting in place the right links only with respect to their own op- • the analysis of risks;
12 ECAC NEWS # 65ECAC Cyber Security Study Group: Time for an update
• the management of these risks
within a systemic approach;
• and the existence of coordinated
public-private cooperation.
When we discuss with cyber or
IT security experts regarding the
implementation of these concepts
to address cyber risks, it is impor-
tant to highlight that these basics
already exist in the civil aviation
sector. Solid mechanisms for inci-
dent reporting and risk manage-
© the_lightwriter - Fotolia.com
ment have been in place for many
years and these do not need a full
overhaul. Rather, they just require
an update that integrates cyber
risks into existing mechanisms.
updAting regulAtory
frAmeworks
The above-mentioned core updAted ecAc doc 30, pArt
concepts are existing basics in the ii And guidAnce mAteriAl
Conclusion
civil aviation sector. They are well- The ECAC Cyber Security Study
embedded in our daily business
and of course in our regulatory
Group, in 2017, provided ECAC
members and observers with an A s the digitalisation of civil avia-
tion moves forward even more
rapidly, the updates of aviation risk
frameworks. Even though risk types updated Chapter 14 of Doc 30, Part
might be new, and some of the II related to the management of registers, risk management strate-
technical protection measures might gies and measures must progress
cyber threats. In addition, a consol-
require know-how from outside of in parallel.
idated guidance material docu-
our sector, the regulatory tools re- ment was created to share existing In doing so, let us take to heart
main the same. They are the tools best practices. In doing so, the the notion of “update” – integrating
aviation has been using effectively study group took care to combine one more type of risk into a well-
for numerous years, and they do aviation security, aviation safety working risk management frame-
not have to be reinvented. and IT security know-how. The work is what is required of the civil
available documents provide ECAC aviation sector. Nothing more,
Rather, civil aviation regulators
members and observers with a nothing less.
need to ensure that alignment and
integration of existing concepts are consolidated view and further ref- The ECAC Cyber Security Study
prioritised when updating regula- erences. Group looks forward to continuing
tory frameworks for civil aviation its work in assisting ECAC members
In 2018, this consolidation is
to include cyber elements, or and observers with this update. ■
being further developed, with a
when implementing horizontal focus on specific topics such as
cyber frameworks for the civil avia- combined guidance on contin-
tion sector. gency and resilience planning. In
Properly aligned regulatory re- addition, the members and ob-
quirements will allow the aviation servers of the ECAC Cyber Security
industry to update their existing Study Group actively participate in
processes with only slight tweaks ongoing initiatives at European
where necessary, and to continue and international levels in order to
safeguarding a more digitalised continue to progress on the topic
aviation sector. of cyber resilience in the civil avia-
tion sector.
Helena Hallauer holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Graduate Institute in Geneva, where she
specialised in international law. Her professional experience includes multiple years in the aviation sector, more precisely
in the field of ground handling process management and aviation security regulation. She is currently the chief negotiator
for air services agreements at the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA). Following her former position as security
coordinator, she is the current chair of the ECAC Cyber Security Study Group. In addition, Ms Hallauer represents
Switzerland in numerous international and European civil aviation committees and working groups.
ECAC NEWS # 65 13The Digital Airline
Tim Grosser
Head of Digital Transformation,
International Air Transport Association (IATA)
The airline industry, like other industries,
is being impacted by the digital wave.
This pressure is being compounded be-
cause the industry needs to double the
capacity in the next 20 years, passengers
continue to demand a higher level of ser-
vice through personalisation and trans-
parency, and new digital business models
continue to provide innovative solutions.
To best understand this digital trend, we
have broken down different aspects of
the ecosystem to better understand the
true impact.
Industry trends
A irthetraffic is forecast to double in
next 20 years from 3.8 bil-
lion passengers to 7.8 billion pas- models across industries. The avia- seamless and customer-orientated
sengers per year. This growth tion industry is no different and is real-time communication culture.
forecast is based on a “constant not able to influence this consumer Today is a world of ‘mobile first
policies scenario”, and there are an behaviour. On the contrary, avia- and always on’. Consumers are
estimated additional 3 billion pas- tion must adapt to the new be- connected 24/7 via their mobile.
sengers if the most favorable sce- haviour. 29.7% of e-commerce is now per-
nario is taken into account (1). The most striking change is formed via the mobile device, up
Global revenue passenger kilo- that consumers are now more from 24% in 2014 (4). Mobile com-
metres (RPKs) increased by 7.6% knowledgeable. Consequently, they merce is seeing growth rates of
year on year in 2017 as a whole, are more demanding and more 53.4% (5).
which was another year of above- empowered. They expect a greater The average consumer’s atten-
trend growth and well ahead of the level of transparency. This trans- tion span is getting shorter and
ten year average of 5.5% (2). This parency has a direct impact on shorter. An extreme example is the
growth was faster than capacity at how we should communicate with video-sharing application called
6.3%, resulting in a load factor the passenger. Should we commu- Vine. Vine hosted a service where
increase of 0.9 percentage points nicate to them the real-time status users could share a six-second-long
to 81.4%, a record high for a calen- of a flight? Should we communi- looping video clip. Six seconds is an
dar year (3). cate to them when their baggage incredibly short time to tell a story
is not on the connecting flight? with a start, a middle and an end.
The passenger of today expects However, by 2015, they had 200
The modern million active users, before it was
to know this information in real
consumer time. Putting the systems in place acquired by Twitter and its features
is the first step to ensure we can disabled.
T changing
he “everyday consumers” are
in the way they con-
communicate in real time, but the
next and more important capabil-
Customers are being more col-
laborative. As they increasingly
sume technology. This is having a ity is to ensure we have the right bring their own devices, applica-
profound impact upon business supporting processes to ensure a tions and other tools from outside
14 ECAC NEWS # 65The Digital Airline
the ecosystem of the service However, currently the critical
provider, they increasingly deter-
Digital technologies path is not installing the sensors
mine not just what services they and collecting data but rather
wish to consume but exactly how
they wish to consume them. W hilst there are many digital
technologies in the market-
place today, the really interesting
being able to interpret this data in
a meaningful and timely manner.
The latest Airbus A350 has 50 000
ones are those which have a direct sensors on board collecting 2.5 ter-
Digital business impact on business models. These abytes of data every day (6).
can be categorised into two areas:
model consumer experience and ability to This brings us to the next cate-
run the business. gory of digital technologies, and
T henologies
importance of digital tech- perhaps currently the most impor-
Consumer experience tech-
on the traditional tant: artificial intelligence. How can
nologies enable the consumption
business models cannot be under- airlines use all of this newfound
of a business service to be more
estimated. Digital technologies data to help make better decisions
personalised and easier. Aug-
have the capacity to change busi- - decisions which impact the cus-
mented or virtual reality, and per-
ness models. Previous technology tomer experience, improve rev-
sonalisation of content are key
waves such as web, e-commerce or enue opportunities and optimise
areas to watch out for.
ERP systems did not have this ca- operations faster and more reli-
Ability to run your business ably? Aviation inventory is a perish-
pacity to change business models.
technologies cover many different able asset: once the flight has
Those “pre-digital” technologies
areas; however, two main areas departed, that product has “ex-
enabled operational efficiencies
stand out. Firstly, the Internet of pired”. How can airlines maximise
and incremental revenue opportu-
Things (IOT) which, in a physical revenue before the product has ex-
nities and provided a more effec-
business, allows one to track the pired?
tive channel to sell to the customer.
location of remote objects, such
(See box below). as people, bags or assets. If a com- Underlying all of these tech-
The famous technology exam- pany can place a sensor in this nologies is the need to share data
ples of transformation such as object, then they can read informa- between entities in a trusted, effi-
Airbnb, Uber, Netflix and many oth- tion from this sensor (such as tem- cient and timely manner.
ers have been so successful be- perature, humidity and location) The above technologies drive
cause they were able to transform and then make actions from these the consumer’s ability to transact
the business model. decisions. without friction, be fully aware, en-
DIGITAL BUSINESS MODEL EXAMPLE – THE TOOTHBRUSH
Currently, a toothbrush used. Now, assume that the In this example, we have
is manufactured by the toothbrush has a life of 300 been able to significantly
supplier, then sold to the minutes of brushing. Once change the business model
wholesaler, who sells it to the consumer has registered so that the middle man is
the retailer, and then it is their account, the manufac- no longer needed, the sup-
finally sold to the customer. turer can now automatically plier now has a direct rela-
The manufacturer has no send out a new brush to tionship with the customer,
relationship with the cus- arrive the day before the enabling additional revenue
tomer and therefore the current toothbrush hits 300 opportunities. We have cre-
manufacturer’s influence is brushes. In addition, we can ated a new revenue model
restricted to traditional offer to send the brushing of a data subscription and
marketing and pricing history to the customer’s increased our likelihood of
models. dentist for $5 per month. repeat sales via a friction-
Now, let us overlay digital Plus for an extra $5 per less process. We have been
technologies onto this busi- month, we can provide a able to directly increase the
ness model to see what is detailed analysis of the customer satisfaction and
possible. The customer’s brushing history for the engagement by gamification
first toothbrush is still sold whole family. We could even and greater transparency.
in the retail store. But this gamify toothbrushing for the This is a very simple example
toothbrush has an embed- children. Would insurance of how digital technologies
ded Internet of Things (IoT) companies offer rebates to can radically change busi-
sensor which counts how families who could prove their ness models.
many minutes it has been brushing history?
ECAC NEWS # 65 15The Digital Airline
© vege - Fotolia.com
able personalisation and keep the to play a key role. Can we use IoT to nentially over the next 20 years.
customer in control with full trans- better manage the passenger flow Corporations that are able to effec-
parency. Perhaps this is one reason and predict disruptions to further tively gather, store, keep safe and
why Uber is so successful. The pas- increase airport capacity? Is there a use for commercial and non-com-
senger transacts in a frictionless possible scenario where each pas- mercial purposes will come out on
way (the application knows the lo- senger has their own personalised top. Will airlines eventually have
cation, the payment is automatic), journey which is seamlessly com- more data scientists than baggage
and they are aware of the status at municated to them? For example, handlers?
all times (who the driver is, where the passenger looks up at the large The issue of sharing data
the car is, where the passenger is, flight status screen and rather than
will also grow with the additional
they can even share the ride de- seeing every flight, he has a per-
data. How can all entities in the
tails). Ultimately, the passenger is in sonalised view and only sees his
value chain share data in a trusted
control of their experience through flight and the directions to his gate.
and efficient manner? IATA is work-
the use of technology. The person standing next to him
ing on an Open API concept (9)
looks at the same screen and she
where we encourage each party to
only sees her flights.
Future of aviation Flight disruptions continue to
share key operational data via an
Open API. This allows an open data
cause headaches to airports today. sharing ecosystem. Underpinning
A report recently released by
IATA regarding the future of
Can we make better use of technol-
ogy to predict disruptions, then
this concept is the Aviation Indus-
try Data Model (AIDM) which en-
aviation (7) found 11 key themes make better and faster decisions
that were important when under- sures everyone has the same
about what needs to change, and definitions enabling sharing at a
standing what aviation could look then quickly re-communicate this?
like in 2035. There were two scale possible (10).
Imagine if an airport could predict
themes in particular that are di- whether a flight in two-days’ time
rectly impacted by the digitisation will arrive late (perhaps due to the Passenger of the
of the aviation industry: infrastruc- weather forecast in two days). It
ture and data. could then use artificial intelligence
future
Lack of infrastructure develop- to realign the gates, staff rosters or
ment is already a major challenge
for the travel and tourism industry.
connections to minimise the im-
pact – and all this is in advance of T healsopassenger of the future is
taking all of these changes
When the forecasted growth of the incident occurring. Since Jan- on board. According to the annual
passenger traffic doubles in the uary this year, Google has been IATA Global Passenger Survey, pas-
next 20 years, then this problem offering this feature: “Using historic sengers want to use more technol-
will not be going away. How can flight status data, our machine ogy to improve their experience.
airports become more efficient and learning algorithms can predict some Passengers want more, and to
effective to manage this additional delays even when this information deliver these services airlines and
growth by using digital technolo- isn’t available from airlines yet.” (8) airports will need to potentially
gies? Technologies such as IoT and It is inevitable that the impor- rethink their existing model and
artificial intelligence should be able tance of big data will grow expo- look to various digital solutions. For
16 ECAC NEWS # 65You can also read
