Continuing our new series of coverage from Airspace World 2026.
In Lisbon, Global Airspace Radar met with Yann Cabaret, CEO of SITA for Aircraft, and Frédéric Risdorfer, Director of Product Management at SITA Communications & Data Exchange (C&DE). The conversation covered SITA’s investment in the Very High Frequency Data Link (VHF/VDL) network, its involvement in Common Project 2 and the company’s direction for 2026.
The VDL investment verdict
A year ago, Yann was cautiously optimistic about the positive contribution SITA could make to European traffic management at peak times. At Airspace World 2026, he brought us up to date: “The VDL network held. No congestion, no outages – a marked contrast to the difficulties of 2024. The investment into the network worked well.” Frequencies are up, redundancy is up and the ATN layer delivered reliably throughout the season. The result matters beyond SITA: around 90 ANSPs globally use SITA’s ATC Datalink Service, with over 25 European ANSPs on the ATN/VDL Mode 2 solution. On the peak day, more than 37,000 flights relied on the VDL Mode 2 network for CPDLC communications.
An essential CP2 component
SITA committed capital ahead of the Common Project 2 (CP2) draft finalisation. “We made the decision to invest in the network before CP2 is concluded,” Yann said. It is a signal of confidence in the direction of regulation, and the expectation that the frequency expansions and capacity enhancements being embedded now will be incorporated in the final CP2 definition, expected later in 2026. Controllers and pilots in Europe are already using datalink for more than half of ATC clearances, so it is already ahead of voice in upper airspace. While it will not entirely replace voice, which will remain as an always‑on safety backup, SITA expects datalink usage to increase at lower altitudes quickly. “We are already seeing interest and specific requirements emerging in lower airspace. Overall, datalink usage will continue to grow rapidly at all levels. The fact that a separate CP2 stream is devoted to datalink capability speaks volumes about its importance.”
Giving controllers the why, not just the what
Weather remains one of the primary causes of air traffic management delays. SITA’s approach began with a proof-of-concept at the Reims Area Control Centre, testing its Enhanced Weather Awareness System (eWAS) and Mission Watch in 2025. French ANSP, DSNA used the SITA tools to track and respond to fast-changing weather conditions across multiple sectors. The results were notable: flow managers reduced delays by up to 65 percent, saving an estimated 60,000 to 105,000 minutes, while handling around 2,700 additional flights. What’s more, there were no incidents related to loss of traffic awareness reported during the trial.
“Today, when a pilot requests a route change, the controller receives the ‘what’ but not the reasoning behind it – the weather picture the pilot is looking at remains invisible,” explained Yann. With enhanced weather awareness, eWAS, the controller sees the same shared picture: the storm, the tailwind opportunity, the developing turbulence. The ‘why’ becomes visible. Extending that common operating picture across cockpit, dispatch and ATC is the next step. Summer 2026 serves as an extended validation period with full operational implementation targeted for 2027, following the safety assessment and certification before the tool moves from support layer to operational instrument.
Cloud-native architecture for ANSP messaging
Frédéric brought a complementary dimension to the conversation. SITA’s messaging portfolio connects airlines and ANSPs through the Aeronautical Message Handling System (AMHS) network – the ICAO-defined successor to AFTN, primarily handling flight plan exchanges across all regions. A new software-as-a-service product, ATC Bridge, enables ANSPs to connect to the AMHS network without managing on-premises infrastructure, shifting local installation, maintenance and compliance to a cloud environment. “This is the philosophy of cloud-native architecture, with all its benefits,” said Frédéric. The first live customer is expected by the end of Q4 2026. The product sits outside SESAR and CP2 funding structures and follows a simple operating principle: ANSPs should run airspace, not data centres.
The next big test
For SITA, 2026 is another year of delivery. The VDL network has proven its resilience under peak load, and the next test is on its way: summer 2026 traffic peaks will show again whether the gains hold at scale. Broader uptake of CPDLC by pilots and ANSPs remains the condition for sustained network stability and efficiency gains. Yann remains committed to ATM modernisation through CP2 and the wider SESAR stakeholder process, though the pace of that process, as ever, is not SITA’s alone to determine.
