AWARE project – first results of air traffic controller – AI cooperations

BUDAPEST, Hungary - Nov. 8, 2025 - PRLog -- The AWARE team – comprising FTTS, ZHAW, LFV, TERN, and UPM – held a workshop at LFV's Research and Development Centre in Malmö to test and gather feedback on the first prototype of the Artificial Situational Awareness (ASA) system.

Nine air traffic controllers (ATCO) from UkSATSE, IFATCA, and LFV participated in the session, providing valuable insights into how the ASA system supports air traffic management, particularly in areas such as ATCO-AI collaboration, workload, trust, and situational awareness. The demonstrations, conducted with TERN's Polaris ATM system and Orion simulator, showcased AI components developed by FTTS and UPM.

Controllers evaluated the system in both advisory and execution modes, exploring how AI can assist in service quality, transfer tasks, and conflict detection and resolution. They expressed strong interest in AI collaboration, noting a current preference for the advisory mode to maintain operational control while building trust.

The AWARE team will use this feedback to further refine the ASA system as it moves towards the validation phase.

The Achieving Human-Machine Collaboration with Artificial Situational Awareness (AWARE) project, launched on 1 June 2024, is coordinated by the University of Zagreb with partners IFATCA, LFV, Slot Consulting, TERN Systems, UkSATSE, UPM, JKU Linz, and ZHAW. Building on the AISA project, AWARE aims to develop and test an AI Assistant Application that provides adaptive, human-centric support to enhance air traffic controllers' performance and reduce workload in complex environments.

The system will recognise ATCO intent, mental load, and situation awareness, offering tailored assistance or autonomously handling tasks when appropriate. The project runs until 30 November 2026 and is funded by the SESAR Joint Undertaking and the European Commission.

The SESAR 3 Joint Undertaking drives research and innovation to deliver the Digital European Sky, uniting over 50 aviation partners across Europe. Learn more at www.sesarju.eu.