As traffic grows and operations become more diverse, aviation will need the infrastructure, capabilities, procedures, and coordination to manage increasingly complex airspace and airport environments safely.
What to expect: This track examines how aviation can safely manage more traffic, more diverse operations, and more complex airport and airspace environments. Participants can expect discussion of the infrastructure, procedures, technology, and coordination needed to expand capacity without weakening safety margins.
Session 6b Panel | Building Capacity for Complexity: Infrastructure and Capabilities for Tomorrow’s Airspace and Airports
As traffic grows and operations become more diverse, airspace and airports will need infrastructure and capabilities that can safely manage greater complexity. This panel will examine the investments, systems, procedures, data-sharing arrangements, and operational coordination needed to increase capacity without reducing safety margins. The discussion will focus on what air navigation service providers (ANSPs), airports, operators, regulators, and technology providers must build now to support safe growth in an increasingly dense and dynamic operating environment.
Moderator: Tzvetomir Blajev, Director Europe and Global Operational Safety, Flight Safety Foundation
Panelists:
Stephen Creamer, President and CEO, ATCA
Chris Devlin, Vice President of Products and Strategy, Aireon
George Hodgson, Sr. ATC Systems Program Manager, Southwest Airlines
Gerard Van Es, Principal Consultant Flight Operations and Flight Safety, Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR)
Parimal Kopardekar, Acting Director, Airspace Operations and Safety Program, U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Session 7b Action Workshop | Building Capacity for Complexity: Audience Engagement and Practical Action
Building on the Session 6B panel discussion, this interactive audience engagement session will turn the conversation toward participant input, practical priorities, and shared challenges. The audience will be invited to test the ideas raised in the panel, identify infrastructure and capability gaps, and discuss what is needed to manage increasing airspace and airport complexity safely. The aim is to move from expert discussion to a clear understanding of where action, investment, coordination, and collaboration are most urgently needed.
Moderator: Tzvetomir Blajev, Director Europe and Global Operational Safety, Flight Safety Foundation
Panelists:
Stephen Creamer, President and CEO, ATCA
Chris Devlin, Vice President of Products and Strategy, Aireon
George Hodgson, Sr. ATC Systems Program Manager, Southwest Airlines
Gerard Van Es, Principal Consultant Flight Operations and Flight Safety, Royal Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR)
Parimal Kopardekar, Acting Director, Airspace Operations and Safety Program, U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
