Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Thales and DSNA unveil a new vision of air traffic management with 4-FLIGHT

08/12/2022

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

The first operational implementation of 4-FLIGHT, the En-Route management system at the East Area Control Centre (ACC), was inaugurated in Reims on December 8, 2022.

4-FLIGHT is a new-generation air-traffic control system designed to ensure a smoother flow of flights, while being more environmentally friendly. It is the result of the close collaboration between the French Air Navigation Service Provider (DSNA) and Thales, the world leader provider in air traffic management.

Marseille ACC has just implemented 4-FLIGHT on 6 December 2022. The next key steps are the extension to the other three En-Route centres by 2025.

As part of the modernization of Frances air-traffic management system (ATM), Thales and the Direction des Services de la Navigation A rienne (DSNA) inaugurated, in the presence of Cl ment BEAUNE, the French Minister of Transport, the first operational commissioning of the 4-FLIGHT system at the Reims ACC, the first deployment site for the program. This system, which takes into account the most recent regulatory requirements in terms of cybersecurity and safety, is one of the most advanced stripless Air Traffic Control systems in Europe.

4-FLIGHT comes equipped with an intuitive Human-Machine Interface (HMI), the latest generation of equipment, as well as innovative and sophisticated tools to support flight management and safety, making it one of the most advanced stripless Air Traffic Control systems in Europe for high-density airspace.

The advanced Flight Data Processing system, Coflight, at the heart of 4-FLIGHT, provides air traffic controllers with more accurate forecasts of 4D flight trajectories, enabling them to better optimize air routes and contribute to sustainable aviation. With Coflight, the controller has a better-planned and optimised aircraft trajectory, resulting in shorter flight times and lower fuel consumption and emissions.

With 4-FLIGHT, air traffic controllers can focus on their essential tasks, thus improving flight safety and efficiency.

4-FLIGHT, registered as a SESAR(1) Solution, is interoperable with other European air navigation systems and strengthens the coordination between civil and military controllers for flight safety. At short term, the operational performance of this new ATM system would be of immediate benefit not only to France and the FABEC(2) airspace but also to the entire European network. Indeed, 4-FLIGHT is connected to ten Air Navigation Service Providers neighbouring France: ENAIRE (ESP), DGAC Algeria, ENAV (IT), Skyguide (CH), DFS (DE), the Maastricht UAC (EUROCONTROL), Skeyes (BE), ANA (LUX), NATS (UK), IAA (IRL) and the Network Manager (EUROCONTROL).

4-FLIGHT, which is co-funded by the European Union within the Single European Sky technical modernisation programme, meets innovative European concepts such as the Free Route and new environmental efficiency requirements.

Marseille ACC, the other pilot-centre, has just implemented 4-FLIGHT on 6 December 2022. DSNA has scheduled to extend the use of 4-FLIGHT to the three other ACCs in France by 2025. Air traffic controllers will then be able to operate with a single system over the entire French upper airspace, covering one million km .

Florian GUILLERMET, DSNA CEO, said: This success is a source of pride for DSNA staff who have been very involved in this complex ATM project. The implementation in 2022 of 4-FLIGHT at Reims UAC, then at Marseille ACC proves the commitment of DSNA to pursue its technological modernization to deliver the challenges of the Digital European Sky, and high-quality and more competitive service. This represents a major European air navigation milestone for the sustainable recovery of air transport!

Christian RIVIERRE, Vice President of Airspace Mobility Solutions Business Line, Thales said: We are very proud at Thales to have contributed to the deployment of 4-FLIGHT in Reims. This is the result of a strong mobilization and collaboration between all the DSNA and Thales teams. Together, we have been able to transform our way of working, becoming much more agile, to deliver even more quality and operational value. We still have other important milestones in the coming months, and I am confident that we will deliver them successfully by maintaining this spirit of trust and transparency between our two organizations.

Mariagrazia La Piscopia, Executive Director, SESAR Deployment Manager I am happy to witness today the successful implementation of 4-FLIGHT, a perfect example of how SESAR Air Traffic Management modernization projects are deployed into concrete operational benefits by stakeholders truly thinking and acting as one team. Congratulations to DSNA and Thales for their ongoing efforts to modernize and digitalize Air Traffic Management in France. This SESAR Deployment Manager coordinated project will now be able to deliver concrete benefits to pilots, air traffic controllers and passengers in Europe.

FABEC means the Functional Airspace Block for Europe Central. The airspace of the six FABEC States of Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland is one of the busiest and most complex in the world. FABEC airspace covers 2 million km and handles about 55% of European air traffic. Winner of the ATM 2020 Research, Innovation and Environment Award.

SESAR means the Single European Sky for ATM Research. This innovative public-private partnership is the technological pillar of the SES.

Documents

Press Release Thales_DSNA_SDIP 4FLIGHT - 8 dec 2022.pdf

Contact

Camille Heck, Thales, Media Relations Land & Naval Defence

+33 (0)6 73 78 33 63 camille.heck@thalesgroup.com

Alice Pruvot, Group and Innovation

+33 7 70 27 11 37 alice.pruvot@thalesgroup.com

Anne-Sophie Malot, Group & Innovation

+33 (0)6 31 62 01 60 anne-sophie.malot@thalesgroup.com

22 Dec 2022

Thales Austr
LINK: https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/aerospace/press_release/thale...
See more stories from thales

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

07/07/2026

Open call: Apply for the Media Innovation Europe Validation Booster

Applications are now open for the Validation Booster, a six-month acceleration programme supporting journalists, media organisations, content creators, media in...

07/07/2026

HAND Issues Persistent Digital IDs to 50 Top 2026 MLB Draft Prospects

The Universal Talent Identifier (HAND) has issued HAND IDs to 50 top prospects ahead of the 2026 MLB Draft, including consensus top-ranked players Roch Cholowsk...

07/07/2026

Cisco and McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team Extend Technology Partnership

Cisco and the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team have announced an extension of their partnership, expanding the scope from networking and communications to incl...

07/07/2026

LucidLink Announces Enhanced Integration with Adobe Frame.io

LucidLink has announced a workflow integration with Adobe Frame.io that gives production teams unified access to Frame.io projects alongside supporting producti...

07/07/2026

Chyron Appoints Ahmed Magd as Middle East Sales Director

Chyron has announced the appointment of Ahmed Magd as Sales Director for the Middle East. Magd joins from previous senior commercial roles at Riedel Communicati...

07/07/2026

Leader Electronics T&M Equipment Used in Live Broadcast of Pope Leo XIVs Visit to Sagrada Famlia

Leader Electronics of Europe has announced that its PHABRIX Qx rasterizer and Le...

07/07/2026

eCLUTCH Secures EMEA and MENA Broadcast Rights for Esports World Cup 2026

eCLUTCH has announced it has acquired broadcast rights to the Esports World Cup 2026 for EMEA and MENA, covering the Middle East, Africa, the Balkans, Sweden, a...

07/07/2026

Riedel and ARRI Support Cinematic Live Production at Eurovision Song Contest 2026

Riedel Communications and ARRI supported ORF's host broadcast of the Eurovis...

07/07/2026

ARRI Releases ALEXA 35 Live Xtreme With High-Frame-Rate SDI Output for Live Production

ARRI has announced the ALEXA 35 Live Xtreme, a camera that adds high frame rate ...

07/07/2026

IBC 2026: LiveU To Exhibit With LU900Q, Sony Integration, EcoSystem Expansion

LiveU will exhibit at IBC 2026 (Stand 7.C24), showcasing the LU900Q Intelligent Production Unit, expanded Sony collaboration, and additions to its open IP-video...

07/07/2026

Peacock Advances Spanish-Language World Cup Streaming With Visin de Campo, Dolby Vision, Real-Time Highlights

Telemundo's coverage is packaged with Multiview, Catch Up with Key Plays, in...

07/07/2026

Australian Rugby League Commission Secures $5.3 Billion Media Rights Deal with Foxtel, Nine, and Sky NZ

The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) has announced a seven-year media r...

07/07/2026

BYUtv Partners With Big 12 for Football Media Days Production

Produced onsite at The Star in Frisco, TX, live coverage of the two-day event airs on ESPN platforms The season for Football Media Days is here, and the Big 12...

07/07/2026

Rogers To Become 100% Owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment

Rogers Communications Inc. has announced an agreement to acquire the remaining 25% ownership stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) from Kilmer Spo...

07/07/2026

Mobile TV Groups Nick Garvin on Success of MTVG Production Platform at New Mountain Media Center

End-to-end broadcast solution includes fleet of mobile units, Cloud Control, and...

07/07/2026

SVG Executive Perspectives 2026: Industry Leaders Discuss Biz and Tech Trends for the Year Ahead

Sports-production-tech experts sound off on the state of the industry...

07/07/2026

Mix Buddy instrument mixer from Heritage Audio

New mixer aimed squarely at instrument-level sources Heritage Audio have clearly been busy recently, as alongside their all-new Tubestrip, they've also ...

07/07/2026

Heritage Audio unveil the Tubestrip

New channel strip combines popular hardware designs The latest arrival to the Heritage Audio line-up brings together a selection of their praised hardware d...

07/07/2026

Clear-Com Powers Ross Production Services Mobile Productions

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......

07/07/2026

New Nielsen data shows Kiwis' wellbeing is shaped by fitness, finance and mental health

New Kessler 10 data now available in Nielsen CMI gives brands a deeper view of h...

07/07/2026

Vitamin brands boost ad spend by 27% as 11.8 million Australians turn to supplements

New Nielsen Ad Intel and CMV data reveals rising competition in Australia's ...

07/07/2026

DAS Disputes Wiegels 3.0 EAS Limitations

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/07/2026

LiveU to Showcase Q Era Innovations at 2026 IBC Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/07/2026

LucidLink Unifies Adobe Frame.io, Enterprise Storage

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/07/2026

ARRI Introduces ALEXA 35 Live Xtreme Camera

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/07/2026

Riedel and ARRI Bring Cinematic Live Production to the Eu...

Riedel Communications and ARRI played a key role in one of the most technically ambitious Eurovision Song Contest productions to date. For the first time in the...

07/07/2026

Berklee Valencia Honors Eric Whitacre at the 2026 Commencement Ceremony

Berklee Valencia Honors Eric Whitacre at the 2026 Commencement Ceremony The Grammy-winning composer was celebrated alongside this years cohort of masters degr...

07/07/2026

Disagreements Abound Over the Adequacy of C-Band Replacements

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/07/2026

Cameras Become More Connected to Production Workflows

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/07/2026

NFL on TV: Time to Move the Regulatory Goal Posts?

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/07/2026

Building a Future-Ready Facility for Tomorrow's Broadcasters

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/07/2026

Rewriting the Control Room: How Broadcasters Are Going Remote

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/07/2026

Fincons Group appoints Andrea Fravega as Global BU Media...

The appointment will drive growth and innovation across the Media Business Unit Fincons Group, a leading IT business consultancy and systems integrator company...

07/07/2026

Big Blue Marble debuts next-gen ultra low latency MoQ str...

International broadcast and streaming expert Big Blue Marble has announced a multi-month Proof of Concept (PoC) for Media over QUIC (MoQ) during a major interna...

07/07/2026

Leader provides Test and Measurement for global broadcast...

Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, is proud to announce that two of its leading products, the PHABRIX Qx rasterizer and LeaderPhabrix L...

07/07/2026

Clear-Com Powers Ross Production Services Mobile Producti...

Clear-Com announced that Ross Production Services (RPS), a leading provider of mobile production solutions for live events and broadcasts, has standardized on ...

07/07/2026

Q Era Innovations Take Center Stage for LiveU at IBC2026

LiveU redefined live newsgathering with the invention of cellular bonding. At IBC2026, Stand 7.C24, the company will show how that foundation is evolving into t...

07/07/2026

Camera to Cloud Meets Camera to Timeline LucidLink Unifi...

LucidLink, a leader in cloud-based file services for content creators, today announced an enhanced workflow integration between LucidLink and Adobe Frame.io tha...

07/07/2026

Comcast's Sky to Acquire ITV Media and Entertainment

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/07/2026

Digital Alert Systems Details ATSC 3.0 EAS Capabilities to FCC

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/07/2026

New appointments to Screen Australia board

New appointments to Screen Australia board 7 July 2026 The Albanese Labor Government has made new appointments to the Screen Australia board. Dr Tania Chamber...

07/07/2026

The right team. The right time.' How The Killings at Parrish Station stuck to their creative guns.

The right team. The right time.' How The Killings at Parrish Station stuck t...

07/07/2026

Record audiences tune into the ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2026 on Sky Sports

Tuesday 7 July 2026 Record audiences tune into the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 on Sky Sports The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 was the most watche...

07/07/2026

Official trailer released for Fightland, a revenge drama from executive producer Curtis 50 Cent Jackson coming August to Sky and NOW

Tuesday 7 July 2026 Official trailer released for Fightland, a revenge drama fr...

07/07/2026

Riedel and ARRI Bring Cinematic Live Production to the Eurovision Song Contest

Wuppertal July 7, 2026 Riedel and ARRI Bring Cinematic Live Production to the Eurovision Song ContestRiedel Communications and ARRI played a key role in one o...

07/07/2026

Seven paradoxes shaping the next era of media production - Episode 2

How MXL Connects More Than Media In this series, we explore the technologies, architectures and operational realities shaping modern media operations. Along the...