📋 Tender Overview
Managing air traffic in Europes busy skies is challenging enough without unpredictable weather. Storms and turbulence can cause thousands of delays every year, forcing controllers to make rapid decisions to keep flights safe and on schedule. To improve how weather is managed, DSNA, Frances air navigation service provider, has worked with SITA to trial real-time weather tools designed to give controllers the same live data already used by pilots and airline dispatchers.
The proof-of-concept at the Reims Control Centre tested SITAs Enhanced Weather Awareness System (eWAS) and Mission Watch over the summer of 2025. Across 21 days with weather-related capacity impacts between July and October 2025, DSNA used these tools to track and respond to fast-changing conditions across multiple airspace sectors. The results were clear. Flow managers were able to anticipate weather shifts more precisely, reducing delays by up to 65 percent - an estimated 60,000 to 105,000 minutes saved - while maintaining full safety. These operational gains also translate into financial benefits: handling 2,700 extra flights at an average en-route charge of EUR750 per flight equates to roughly EUR2.02 million in additional revenue for the same period. No incidents related to loss of traffic awareness were reported during the trial.
Weather is one of the biggest challenges for air navigation service providers, said Gael Barbezier, Head of Operations at Reims ACC. Working with SITA allowed us to maintain full safety, avoid any weather-related uncontrolled situations, and adjust capacity precisely to the weather avoiding unnecessary reductions in traffic. It feels like weve found the key to bringing stability to something that has always been unpredictable.
Originally developed for airlines, SITA eWAS and Mission Watch give pilots and dispatchers a detailed, continuously updated view of global weather. Together, they provide a single, consistent source of information that helps controllers adjust regulations precisely and restore normal traffic flows more quickly.
said Yann Cabaret, CEO, SITA for Aircraft.
Following the success of the trial, DSNA has access to a refined version of Mission Watch and continues to work with SITA to tailor the solution for the evolving needs of air navigation service providers.
