After two years of collaboration across more than 80 organisations, the Complete Air Traffic System (CATS) Global Council at CANSO has officially launched CATS CONOPS for Future Skies.
The CONOPS, or concept of operations, sets out a strategic and operational pathway through to 2045 and a future of scalable airspace integration for both traditional and merging users.
Co-created by stakeholders across all segments of aviation, the CATS CONOPS is structured around three phases:
- Phase 1: Airspace and Flight Optimisation through Advanced Digital Information Sharing
- Phase 2: Advanced Automation and Real-Time Performance Management
- Phase 3: Seamless Airspace – A Fully Integrated Aviation Environment
The CATS CONOPS will serve as a foundation for future dialogue, regional implementation strategies, and industry innovation. The CATS Global Council invites all aviation stakeholders to explore its content and join in building safe, connected, automated and sustainable skies of tomorrow.
“The CATS CONOPS is a landmark industry effort to shape the future of air traffic management in a way that is inclusive, forward-looking, and globally harmonised. It’s not about incremental change — it’s about rethinking how we manage airspace in the decades to come, for both traditional and new entrants,” said Simon Hocquard, Director General of CANSO and Chair of the CATS Global Council.
Several stakeholders have already welcomed the news. Justin Erbacci, Director General, Airports Council International (ACI) World, said the CATS CONOPS offers “an innovative and comprehensive approach toward an enhanced global airspace navigation solution – a solution developed by experts from major global stakeholders.”
“Not long ago, autonomous flight operations were associated with a distant future,” added Erick Corona, Director of Airspace Operational Integration – Autonomous Flight, Wisk. “But today, the discussions among a range of industry stakeholders and experts have led to a clear roadmap that places autonomous operations on the visible horizon. There’s also a path for these operations to occur in a highly automated and highly integrated airspace environment. Ultimately, as a company entirely focused on demonstrating and advancing automation in the airspace, Wisk is supportive of this document and looking forward to the impact it will have on the entire advanced air mobility ecosystem.”
Kok Juan Han, Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), said CAAS is privileged to be a member of the CATS Global Council and to have participated in the development of CTAS CONOPS. “In the next two decades, air travel will almost triple in the Asia-Pacific region. The CATS CONOPS outlines a pathway for regions to increase their capacities through transformational operational concepts enabled by investments in technology and information sharing,” the Director General said.
The CATS Global Council is calling for extensive and collective changes over the next two decades. These include:
- Design and delivery of services that are truly user-centric so they can be equitable, scalable and resilient.
- Capitalising on advances in information management, automated technology, digitisation, data-based services and connectivity for new, improved and safe services and increased productivity and growth.
- Developments in hybrid technology, cleaner fuels, electrification, carbon capture, flight path optimisation and airspace design to improve the environmental sustainability of the industry and help countries achieve their climate targets.
- Digitisation of the infrastructure of cities to allow aviation operators to create interconnected transport networks, including air taxis and drones.
- Airspace to be reconfigured with a more flexible and dynamic cross-border service provision.
- Investment in learning and development to make aviation accessible to a more diverse range of highly skilled talent.
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