Within the SESAR ATM Target Concept that proposes a service-oriented approach based on a performance partnership amongst stakeholders, each single flight shall be performed according to the owner’s request. This is the main driving principle for the ATM Target Concept, which is centred on the reality of the “business trajectory” representing the airspace users’ intention with respect to a given flight. Business trajectories will be expressed in all 4 Dimensions (position and time) and flown with much higher precision than today, reducing uncertainty and allowing an increased reliance of airborne and ground based automation. This will open innovative ways to envisage new separation modes to allow for increased capacity. SESAR has identified new separation modes as TC-SA (Trajectory Control by Speed Adjustment) that will use trajectory control and airborne separation systems to minimize potential conflicts and hence reduce controllers’ interventions and workload.

The ERASMUS Strategic De-Conflicting function aims at adjusting the 4D Business Trajectory in order to optimise the separation management with the provision of conflict free trajectory on short segment of 15 minutes, reducing controller’s workload associated with routine monitoring and conflict detection as well as reducing the interventions of ATC in changing flight profiles to resolve potential conflicts. To adjust the 4D Business Trajectory, ERASMUS project investigates:

• A high-precision Trajectory Prediction performed by the FMS TP Capabilities; 
  
  
• A Trajectory Modification performing through minor speed adjustments (subliminale action) not directly perceivable by controllers and will not interfere with their own action and responsibility. ERASMUS estimates that the residual number of conflicts to be considered by controllers could therefore be significantly reduced (up to 80%).

The main part of the innovative ideas the present EC FP6 research project proposes to explore, results from personal work of Jacques Villiers [2003-2006], General Engineer of the French Civil Aviation (in retirement). They made its share the object of a French patent filling (N° 0313260 date:12 November 2003) and of an opening of procedure of deposit in Europe and America.