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.