HERON, the Highly Efficient Green Operations project, has won the Demonstrators and People’s Choice Award at the Digital Sky Awards 2026, presented at the SESAR Joint Undertaking annual conference.
The award recognises HERON for demonstrating mature SESAR Solutions in real operations, delivering measurable benefits in emissions, noise reduction, capacity and efficiency. Airtel ATN is delighted that our ANSP team and our LACS product contributed to the project and to the move towards a Digital European Sky.
What is the HERON project?
HERON stands for Highly Efficient Green Operations. It is a SESAR project that demonstrates how better data and smarter procedures can make every phase of a flight greener, from gate to gate. It focuses on three areas:
- Taxi smarter: Engine-off and single-engine taxiing cut fuel burn and emissions on the ground.
- Fly smarter: Better trajectory data enables smoother, more predictable and efficient flight profiles.
- Land smarter: Optimised approaches reduce noise, holding and unnecessary flying while improving runway use.
What has HERON achieved in real operations?
HERON’s results come from live operations and are already delivering benefits today:
- 10,700 tonnes of CO₂ per year saved through permanently implemented trajectory improvements
- 1,500+ tonnes of CO₂ per year saved through increased single-engine taxiing at Paris-Orly
- Up to 3 dBA less noise demonstrated with steeper approaches at Brussels Airport
- +2 runway movements per hour with a solution now permanently used at Istanbul Airport
What is LACS and how does it support the HERON project?
LACS is Airtel ATN’s Context Management and Automatic Dependent Surveillance Contract (CM/ADS-C) product, developed by Airtel ATN under the EU’s SESAR programme. It combines a CM Service and an ADS-C Common Service in one centralised solution. LACS acts as a shared server, distributing data to participating ANSPs via SWIM (System Wide Information Management).
It is a key element in automated position reporting and trajectory management between aircraft and air traffic controllers. For ANSPs, this can reduce controller workload and make it easier to validate FMS trajectories. A common service can also lower deployment costs, optimise bandwidth usage and simplify data link implementation.
This matters for HERON because better trajectory data is what enables smoother, more predictable and more efficient flight profiles, which is the foundation of the “fly smarter” and “land smarter” benefits above.
Where is LACS deployed?
LACS currently operates pre-operationally in Europe. It forms a core component of Viasat’s Iris satellite-based datalink programme, hosted at the European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP).
Airtel ATN has also announced plans to deploy LACS at Viasat’s Singapore Test Facility, a dedicated trials and demonstration environment for ANSPs and aircraft operators in Asia-Pacific. This would be the first deployment of LACS outside Europe. Read the full announcement.
Frequently asked questions
What award did the HERON project win?
HERON won the Demonstrators and People’s Choice Award at the Digital Sky Awards 2026, presented at the SESAR Joint Undertaking annual conference.
What does HERON stand for?
Highly Efficient Green Operations.
What was HERON recognised for?
Demonstrating mature SESAR Solutions in real operations to deliver measurable benefits in emissions, noise reduction, capacity and efficiency.
What is LACS?
LACS is Airtel ATN’s centralised CM/ADS-C solution, developed under the EU’s SESAR programme. It shares data with participating ANSPs via SWIM to support automated position reporting and trajectory management.
What is Trajectory Based Operations (TBO)?
TBO is an air traffic management concept that uses precise four dimensional flight path data (latitude, longitude, altitude and time) to improve airspace efficiency, increase predictability and reduce aircraft holding.
About Airtel ATN
Airtel ATN is a global leader in data link communication systems, providing air traffic management telecommunication software and test equipment to make aviation safer, greener and more efficient. Its technology is installed on over 13,000 aircraft worldwide and is trusted by 60% of European ANSPs for operational and testing software. Airtel ATN serves ANSPs, Communication Service Providers, avionics manufacturers and MRO organisations in more than 35 countries, and is headquartered in Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
