DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung - Air Traffic Management Consultancy and Systems

The German air navigation service provider DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung manages one of the busiest and most complex airspaces and provides consultancy services and training worldwide. It sells its in-house-developed air traffic control (ATC) and air traffic management (ATM) systems to the aviation community; that is to say airports, airlines, air navigation service organisations and civil aviation authorities.

Our services include:

• Organisational concepts and financial issues
• System design and implementation
• Operational concepts and airspace design
• Simulations and training
• Safety management systems (SMS)
• Airport collaborative decision-making (A-CDM), in cooperation with Munich Airport
• ATM systems and software

ATM consultancy

For more than 17 years, DFS has been providing consultancy services to other organisations. We have extensive knowledge in corporatisation and privatisation matters, as well as in cooperation or integration of civil and military ATC.

Our ATC operational concepts consultancy spans planning of ATS routes and design of airspace structures, civil-military concepts, capacity analyses and simulations, delay monitoring and delay analyses, and operational transition planning and familiarisation training.

DFS provides fast-time and real-time ATC simulations and offers simulator systems. We are also a leader in SMS, due to the development of its own comprehensive system, which is based on an assessment of all components of the complex air transport system.

A-CDM consultancy

With the aim of creating greater efficiency and easing congestion, Munich Airport and DFS provide their expertise in A-CDM to other interested parties. The approach to collaborative decision making (CDM) is based on the European Airport CDM of the Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol). It was put into operation at Munich Airport in 2007, making it the first A-CDM of its kind implemented in Europe, and brought about a 10% reduction in taxi times and lower emissions.

It is a coherent process, spanning from flight planning to landing and the subsequent turnaround process on the ground before the next take-off. Available capacities and operational resources can be fully used, costs reduced, emissions lowered, punctuality improved, and stronger partnerships forged.

A four-phase model provides the necessary steps for implementing an A-CDM, starting with an introductory workshop and finishing with a detailed action plan and the final implementation.

Arrival management system 4D Planner

The arrival management system 4D Planner can easily be integrated into existing environments due to its generic and modular structure. Customer-specific needs can be taken into account, ensuring the delivery of an efficient and cost-effective solution.

The 4D Planner allows processing more movements at one time, reduces costs and the impact on the environment. Early results in Germany showed a reduction in the average arrival time of approximately 60s. Controllers can also optimally manage arrivals and departures by using the 4D Planner together with departure managers, for example with the system from delair Air Traffic Systems. The 4D Planner is implemented in Germany and at other locations worldwide.

Radar data processing system Phoenix

The radar data processing system Phoenix displays the ground and air situation, so that aerodrome controllers can easily zoom in from the air to the ground. The safety-net functions short-term conflict alert, area intrusion alert and minimum safe-altitude warning are integral parts of Phoenix. Weather data are also processed and visualised on the radar screen. It is in use at several towers throughout Germany and worldwide.

Flight data processing system

The flight data processing component of Phoenix is a new development by DFS. Controllers can edit flight plan data of arrivals and departures, process it, correlate it to tracks, and write with a pen directly on the screen on the electronic flight progress strips. The different pieces of information are displayed in different colours to ensure greater clarity. Bird migration can also be shown.

Other systems

Besides these, DFS offers other systems such as a position logging system (PoLo) to electronically record working times and responsibilities of air traffic controllers, the operational incident analyser (InA) to visualise and analyse occurrences in airspace, and the meteorological data display system (GMET) to assist controllers in assessing weather conditions more accurately.