May. 28, 2026

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and the Single European Sky ATM Research Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU) have signed a Joint Declaration to work together to advance air traffic management (ATM) capabilities to improve long-term air traffic flows between Singapore and Europe. The Joint Declaration was signed by Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General of CAAS, and Mr Andreas Boschen, Executive Director of SESAR JU, on 26 May 2026, on the sidelines of Airspace World 2026 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Under the Joint Declaration, CAAS and SESAR JU will work together to contribute to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s development of a minimum implementation path to harmonise and enhance cross-regional flight operations. CAAS and SESAR JU will also collaborate in research on future ATM concepts such as trajectory-based operations and the development of common situational pictures of air traffic flows, weather and aeronautical information, with artificial intelligence and automation as enablers. Singapore and Europe will work towards sharing these common situational pictures and optimising flights between Singapore and Europe from gate-to-gate to enhance safety, efficiency and resilience.

Mr Han Kok Juan, Director-General, CAAS, said, “The Joint Declaration signifies our shared commitment to leverage new technology like artificial intelligence and automation to improve air traffic management and enhance the air links between Singapore and Europe. This will make flying between Europe and Singapore, and through Singapore to the rest of Asia, Australia and New Zealand, more seamless for airlines and passengers. ”

Mr Andreas Boschen, Executive Director, SESAR JU, said, “The ability to make aviation systems interoperable and enable trusted, real-time data exchange will be essential to sustaining capacity, efficiency and resilience. This Joint Declaration signed today in Airspace World strengthens cooperation between Europe and Singapore on next-generation air traffic management, advancing innovation in digital technologies, artificial intelligence and automation to support more seamless, sustainable and effective global operations.”

Annex: Air Traffic Management Concepts for Collaboration Between CAAS and SESAR JU

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About the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore 

The mission of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is to grow a safe, vibrant air hub and civil aviation system, making a key contribution to Singapore's success. CAAS' roles are to oversee and promote safety in the aviation industry, develop the air hub and aviation industry, provide air navigation services, provide aviation training for human resource development, and contribute to the development of international civil aviation. For more information, visit www.caas.gov.sg.

About the SESAR Joint Undertaking

The SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU) brings together the EU, Eurocontrol, and more than 50 organisations covering the entire aviation value chain, from airports, airspace users, air navigation service providers, drone operators and service providers, the manufacturing industry and the scientific community. The partnership also works closely with the regulatory and standardisation bodies, notably EASA and EUROCAE, as well as key stakeholders such as professional staff organisations, the space and military communities and global partners. For more information, visit: www.sesarju.eu.

For media queries, please contact:

Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
Ms Linda Wang, Manager (Corporate Communications) 
Email: linda_wang@caas.gov.sg - Tel:+65 9785 6548

SESAR Joint Undertaking
Ms Triona Keaveney, Senior Communications and Media Relations Officer 
Email: triona.keaveney@sesarju.eu /press@sesarju.eu 
Mobile: +32 473 85 05 10

ANNEX

Air Traffic Management Concepts for Collaboration Between CAAS and SESAR JU

Minimum Implementation Path

A “minimum implementation path” refers to the minimum set of capabilities needed to modernise the air traffic management system and associated timelines for global implementation, to support the growth in air traffic. This allows countries and aviation organisations to introduce new air traffic management capabilities in a coordinated manner, ensuring that different regions modernise their systems in a globally interoperable way.

By agreeing on a shared roadmap before introducing more advanced features over time, airlines, airports and air navigation service providers can adopt new technologies safely and efficiently. For passengers, this means smoother international travel, fewer delays and improved safety through better use of airspace.

Common Situational Picture

A “common situational picture” enables all relevant aviation stakeholders, including pilots, air traffic controllers, airports and network managers, to share the same up-to-date operational information.

This information may include aircraft positions, flight plans, weather conditions, airspace restrictions, airport congestion and runway availability. To make this possible, ICAO is promoting the System Wide Information Management (SWIM), which enables trusted operational data to be exchanged securely and in real time. With SWIM, aviation stakeholders can collaborate with the same set of information and make decisions more effectively and efficiently, improving safety and helping flights operate more predictably and efficiently. 

Trajectory-Based Operations

Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO) is a future air traffic management concept developed by ICAO. Traditionally, flights are managed step by step as the aircraft move through airspaces, each under the responsibilities of different air navigation service providers. With TBO, the entire flight path including route, altitude, speed and timing, is managed as one continuously updated trajectory from departure gate to arrival gate.

With TBO, real-time information such as weather, airport capacity and traffic demand will influence the aircraft’s optimum trajectory. These continual adjustments enable the aircraft to fly along more efficient routes, with reduced fuel consumption and emissions. Overall, the predictability of flights is improved and delays are minimised.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) in air traffic management is envisioned to be able to analyse large amounts of operational data and support decision-making. It can predict traffic congestion, identify possible conflicts between aircraft, improve weather forecasting and recommend more efficient flight routes. AI will enable aviation systems to become more adaptive, data-driven and efficient while maintaining high safety standards.

Importantly, AI is intended to support human operators such as air traffic controllers and pilots. Human oversight and accountability will remain at the core of aviation safety, ensuring that technology enhances decision‑making without compromising trust.

This human-centric vision is common to CAAS and SESAR JU and an important foundation for future cooperation. 

Automation

Automation refers to the use of technology to perform routine or repetitive operational tasks with limited need for manual input. In air traffic management, automation is already supporting functions such as surveillance, flight data processing and conflict alerts.

Looking ahead, future automation capabilities could assist with traffic sequencing, airspace management and optimisation of flight operations. Automation reduces the workload for controllers and pilots, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks and decisions. Automation is a common research interest for CAAS and SESAR JU, as Singapore and Europe manage complex traffic flows. Passengers too can benefit from improved automation capabilities, which can contribute to safer, more efficient and more environmentally sustainable air travel.