Eurocontrol upgrades cockpit/ATC datalink
Eurocontrol has introduced a new screen-to-screen datalink between pilots and air traffic controllers at its Maastricht upper-area control (UAC) center in

Eurocontrol has introduced a new screen-to-screen datalink between pilots and air traffic controllers at its Maastricht upper-area control (UAC) center in the Netherlands. The controller-pilot datalink communication (CPDLC) system supplements existing voice contact by allowing text messages between screens in the cockpit and on the ground to reduce workload at both ends. The new procedure should also free congested voice channels for more urgent communication.

“Eurocontrol’s Maastricht UAC handles 1.2 million flights a year and up to 4,000 flights on peak days. With the number of civil airplanes in Europe’s skies set to double in the next 20 years, it was very clear to us that unless we could simplify standard voice communication between controllers and pilots, we would face serious safety and capacity issues,” said Eurocontrol director general Victor Aguado.