Aviation both impacts and is affected by climate change, prompting stakeholders to aim for carbon neutrality by 2050. Achieving this requires contributions across the air transport system, including improved trajectory management in dense terminal manoeuvring areas. Current procedures and controller interventions often introduce level-offs and speed-brake usage, reducing vertical flight efficiency and increasing fuel burn, emissions and noise.
DYN-MAX addresses this with four interoperable solutions to reduce uncertainty and enable environmentally sustainable operations. Solution 1 develops enhanced air traffic control tools and procedures, solution 2 adds advanced flight management system functions for dynamic trajectory and energy optimisation, solution 3 extends controller–pilot data link communications use with expected route messages, and solution 4 introduces geometric terminal manoeuvring area procedures. Benefits include a 10–20% improvement in vertical flight efficiency, fewer level-offs, reduced thrust and drag, higher rates of stabilised approaches, and an overall smaller environmental footprint, while maintaining safety and capacity.