During Dubai Airshow 2025, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Frequentis proudly announced their collaboration on the flight information validation and exchange (FIV-X) system. This project lays the foundation for TBO and positions the UAE as a leader in the global shift towards future-ready air traffic management.
“The FIV-X system is a major milestone in our efforts to modernise air traffic management,” says Air Navigation Sector GCAA assistant director general Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim Al Jallaf. “It is an important step toward ensuring UAE’s leadership in aviation, both regionally and globally. By enabling more efficient, collaborative operations, FIV-X will help us deliver safer, smarter, and more sustainable air traffic management for the future.”
TBO is a transformative concept that changes the way flights are managed. By moving beyond traditional sector-based control, it introduces collaborative decision-making based on four-dimensional trajectories. This improves predictability, reduces fuel use and emissions, and enhances safety and efficiency across the entire flight lifecycle.
“The FIV-X project is more than a technology initiative,” says Frequentis Comsoft managing director Josef Kutschi. “TBO marks a significant shift in the industry, strengthening regional aviation infrastructure and showing how global partnerships can turn vision into reality. Frequentis is proud to support GCAA in shaping the future of air traffic management.”
To support this shift, FIV-X will be integrated with the UAE’s existing aeronautical information management (AIM) system, awarded to Frequentis last year. Together, they form a strong foundation for smarter, more connected air traffic operations and pave the way for future capabilities that support even more efficient skies.
About FIV-X and FF-ICE/R1
FIV-X enables the implementation of flight and flow information for a collaborative environment release 1 (FF-ICE/R1) by introducing services such as flight plan filing and data requests. Based on system-wide information management (SWIM) principles, it ensures real-time, accurate information sharing between aviation stakeholders. Integrated with the AIM system, FIV-X forms the backbone of FF-ICE/R1 and supports future capabilities like demand/capacity balancing (DCB).