UAB and UPM launch an innovative project to optimize European air traffic management
Researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) have launched the AirST-Frame project, an initiative using artificial intelligence and predictive analysis to enhance the management and safety of European air traffic, reducing delays and improving operational efficiency for commercial flights.
AirST-Frame is funded under the 2023 call for “Knowledge Generation Projects” and aims to anticipate air traffic management requirements through advanced complexity predictions. This coordinated effort between both universities proposes a dynamic management system designed to address the current imbalance between airspace capacity and demand.
The primary objective of AirST-Frame is to develop an automated system capable of identifying aircraft clusters suitable for early transfer between airspace sectors, balancing workload among air traffic controllers and optimizing available airspace capacity. This proactive management approach will minimize congestion and reduce the need for drastic measures such as delays or flight cancellations.
UAB will be responsible for the overall project coordination and design, as well as the development of the automated aircraft early handover mechanism. Meanwhile, UPM will lead the definition and validation of air traffic complexity indicators, developing predictive models capable of anticipating congestion or overload scenarios in specific European airspace sectors.
AirST-Frame represents a significant advancement in modern European air traffic management, aligning with strategic objectives set by the European Commission to address the expected increase in air traffic demand over the coming years.
On 19th March, a Day in UPM was organised in which the different projects of the department were presented. On this day, AirST-FRAME was presented by José María Arroyo, a student involved in the activities of the project, marking an important milestone in its public dissemination and highlighting the collaborative research efforts currently underway at our department.
About AirST-Frame:
AirST-Frame (Operational Enhancement of Airspace Capacity: Management of Synergies of Spatiotemporal Interdependencies between Airspace Sectors) (Grant PID2023-150782OB-C21 funded by MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and FEDER, UE) is a project coordinated by researchers from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. The project, funded by the 2023 Knowledge Generation Projects initiative, proposes innovative methods to optimize European airspace management through artificial intelligence.