Tern Systems signs the Joint Statement - Transition to a new service delivery model for ATM in Europe

Magnús Már Þórðarson (Tern Systems CEO) and Alain Siebert (Chief Technology and Strategy at SESAR Joint Undertaking)

We're excited to share that at Airspace World 2025, we signed the Joint Statement supporting the transition to a new service delivery model for air traffic management in Europe, reaffirming our commitment to the Digital European Sky and the modernisation of air traffic management in Europe. This collaborative effort, under the SESAR umbrella, will pave the way for a more efficient, resilient, and sustainable aviation sector.

The Joint Statement highlights our collective commitment to the transition to a modern, data-driven, and cloud-based Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) delivery model for ATM. This new approach is not only crucial for faster deployment of new features and improvements, and ensuring interoperability across ANSPs, but it will also significantly enhance the safety, efficiency, resilience, and sustainability of air traffic management.

Moreover, this model will provide greater scalability and flexibility in managing traffic flows, especially during disruptive events such as pandemics or volcanic eruptions. It will also enable the development of a future-proof technical regulatory framework, allowing for quicker updates and alignment with best practices in other safety-critical sectors.

This initiative is open to all interested partners. For more information, please visit the SESAR website: https://www.sesarju.eu/servicedelivery

Tern Systems Achieves Landmark Success at Airspace World 2025 in Lisbon

Tern Systems recently concluded its most impactful participation to date at Airspace World 2025, held from May 13-15 in Lisbon, Portugal. The conference proved to be a great platform for showcasing our advancements in our Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems and strengthening our industry collaborations further. Our joint stand with Isavia ANS attracted significant attention, marking this year's event as our largest and most successful Airspace World experience yet.

Tern Systems was at the forefront of key industry discussions, with our experts participating in two prominent panels that garnered considerable interest.

Collaborative Innovation in ATM: Building the Next-Gen System through SOA Architecture

This compelling session explored the transformative potential of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) in the ATM domain. The panel delved into how SOA will revolutionise ATM systems by enabling the development of interoperable components, which serve as essential building blocks for the next generation of ATM solutions.

Key discussion points included the pivotal role of SOA in fostering seamless integration and adaptability, practical examples of shared components and their impact on accelerating time-to-market. Furthermore, the panel discussed invaluable lessons learned so far and best practices.

Our CEO, Magnús Már Þórðarson, represented Tern Systems on this panel, alongside Kjartan Briem, CEO of Isavia ANS, Claude Lecacher, CEO of SkySoft-ATM, and Arnaud Chivad, Head of Applications Engineering at Skyguide. The strong turnout and enthusiastic support for this subject, both during the panel and throughout the exhibition, underscored the industry's keen interest in building future systems based on the SOA concept.

The Role of AI in Supporting Air Traffic Control

Tern Systems also contributed to the vital conversation surrounding the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in air traffic control. Gunnar Þór Magnússon, a research engineer from Tern Systems, participated in this panel, which featured experts from the SESAR AWARE (Achieving Human-Machine Collaboration with Artificial Situational Awareness) project.

The discussion centered on how AI Assistants can empower air traffic controllers by intelligently understanding and helping them achieve operational goals. Panelists from diverse sectors of the aviation industry, including air navigation service providers, ATM research, human factors, and aviation technology, offered a comprehensive, multidisciplinary perspective. The session provided valuable insights into both the challenges and opportunities presented by integrating AI into ATM systems, emphasizing AI's potential to enhance situational awareness, improve decision-making, and adapt to the evolving demands of the aviation ecosystem. The panel generated engaging discussions and further solidified the importance of AI in the future of ATM.

Affirming Commitment to a Digital European Sky

A significant highlight of Airspace World 2025 was the signing of the Joint Statement supporting the transition to a new service delivery model for air traffic management in Europe. Tern Systems proudly reaffirmed its commitment to the Digital European Sky and the modernization of European ATM through this collaborative effort under the SESAR umbrella.

The Joint Statement highlights our collective commitment to the transition to a modern, data-driven, and cloud-based Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) delivery model for ATM. This new approach is not only crucial for faster deployment of new features and improvements, and ensuring interoperability across ANSPs, but it will also significantly enhance the safety, efficiency, resilience, and sustainability of air traffic management.

Moreover, this model will provide greater scalability and flexibility in managing traffic flows, especially during disruptive events such as pandemics or volcanic eruptions. It will also enable the development of a future-proof technical regulatory framework, allowing for quicker updates and alignment with best practices in other safety-critical sectors. This initiative remains open to all interested partners, with more information available on the SESAR website: https://www.sesarju.eu/servicedelivery

SESAR Walking Tours

Beyond the main panels, Tern Systems actively participated in two SESAR Walking Tours, offering deeper dives into our contributions to key European ATM research initiatives.

Heimir Þór, from our team, presented Tern Systems' and Uniflys' collaboration in the ENSURE project alongside Youri De Bondt from Unifly. This tour highlighted our collaborative efforts in advancing a more resilient and sustainable aviation infrastructure.

Separately, Gunnar Þór Magnússon showcased our work within the AWARE project, demonstrating our advancements in leveraging AI to enhance situational awareness for air traffic controllers. Both tours provided valuable opportunities to share our expertise and engage directly with attendees interested in the practical application of SESAR research.

Fostering Connections and Icelandic Hospitality

Beyond the strategic discussions, Airspace World 2025 provided an excellent opportunity to connect with industry peers and demonstrate Icelandic hospitality. We were delighted to congratulate Armin Weibel from Skyguide as the lucky winner of our annual Iceland trip giveaway, generously sponsored by Icelandair. We eagerly anticipate hearing about his adventures in the land of fire and ice.

Our appreciation also extends to the partners who contributed to the success of our presence at the event. The unique taste of Ólafson Gin, the exquisite Saltverk salts, and ChitoCare's revitalizing hand cream were all highly popular giveaways, further enhancing the attendee experience. The generous sponsorship from Icelandair for our raffle was also instrumental in creating a memorable event.

Tern Systems extends its sincere gratitude to all attendees, collaborators, and partners who made Airspace World 2025 an outstanding success. We are already looking forward to an even more impactful event next year, continuing our commitment to innovation and collaboration in the global aviation industry.

From Monoliths to Modules: The Strategic Imperative for Multi-Vendor ATM

An article by Magnus Mar Thordarson CEO at Tern Systems

Air Traffic Management (ATM) is undergoing a much-needed transformation. While new technologies promise greater efficiency, scalability, and safety, progress has often been slow. Complex, monolithic systems dominate the landscape, leading to vendor lock-in and limited innovation.

A promising solution is Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA). Yet, the meaning of SOA can vary widely depending on whom you ask—a topic we’ll explore in more detail in upcoming articles. SOA is a modular software design approach. It breaks large systems down into smaller, independent services. This allows ANSPs to integrate best-in-class components from multiple vendors rather than relying on a single supplier. SOA fosters interoperability, reduces costs, and accelerates innovation.

This kind of transformation is neither new nor unique. Other critical industries have already experienced similar shifts:

• Telecommunications: Previously dominated by single, large providers, this industry adopted modular, open systems. The result was greater competition, lower costs, and rapid technological innovation.

• Banking and Financial Services: Transitioning from large, proprietary mainframe systems to modular fintech solutions has revolutionized this sector, improving customer service and efficiency.

Similarly, SESAR Joint Undertaking and several forward-thinking ANSPs are recognizing SOA's potential to support flexible, scalable ATM environments. At Tern Systems, we are aligning closely with this vision through collaboration with various industry partners. Importantly, SOA also opens the door for smaller suppliers to contribute specialized modules, enhancing agility and encouraging fresh thinking—essential during this era of rapid technological change.

Yet, adopting SOA isn’t without challenges. Transitioning away from familiar, all-in-one solutions requires significant investment in new skills and infrastructure, careful management of operational risks, and a substantial shift in organizational culture. Many ANSPs hesitate to disrupt established systems, but that status quo can no longer keep pace with the industry’s evolving needs.

The Role of ANSPs: Leading the Change

To make multi-vendor ecosystems a reality, ANSPs must lead. It’s not enough to hope vendors will collaborate—they must create an environment that fosters innovation and incentives for openness and interoperability.

To enable multi-vendor solutions, ANSPs can:

• Clearly establish procurement strategies that prioritize modularity and openness.

• Reward open, modular proposals during procurement processes.

• Advocate for common industry-wide interoperability standards.

• Support joint development projects involving multiple vendors.

• Offer long-term commitments to vendors aligned with open architectures.

By taking these steps, ANSPs can unlock a dynamic marketplace where innovation thrives, costs are controlled, and operational resilience is strengthened. This shift will also rebalance industry power dynamics, moving influence away from dominant vendors and back to ANSPs, where strategic control rightly belongs.

At the same time, it's critical that evolving regulatory frameworks—such as upcoming EASA regulations—do not unintentionally hinder innovation. These rules must support flexible, modular architectures and the inclusion of diverse suppliers. Regulatory clarity and alignment with technological progress are essential to realizing the full benefits of SOA and multi-vendor ecosystems.

Looking Ahead

This is a pivotal moment. With vision and leadership, ANSPs can shift the industry away from lock-in and toward collaboration, competition, and growth. Multi-vendor solutions supported by SOA aren’t just possible—they're essential.

I look forward to discussing this further at Airspace World 2025 in Lisbon, where we’ll explore how to build the future of ATM through vendor collaboration and SOA.

📌 Panel: Driving ATM Innovation Through Vendor Collaboration and SOA

📍 Location: Viasat Theatre, Lisbon

🗓️ Date: May 13, 2025 | 10:00 AM

Join us in shaping the future of ATM.