Modernizing Europe’s Air Traffic Network Manager.

Digital transformation reaches the core of European aviation in a highly regulated sector.

EUROCONTROL, the agency responsible for coordinating air traffic across Europe, faces the challenge of managing unprecedented growth in air traffic while operating in an environment where safety and regulatory compliance are paramount. With daily flights projected to increase from 37,000 in 2019 to over 58,000 by 2030, efficiency and sustainability in the air traffic network are more critical than ever. Paradigma has been a key partner in this transformation, delivering a solution that is already operational, enabling the secure management of Europe’s critical aviation systems with a scalable platform designed for the future.

Can European aviation handle 58,000 daily flights by 2030?

At the heart of European aviation lies a monumental challenge: How will the industry manage the unprecedented increase in air traffic projected for 2030? With more than 50,000 daily flights, issues such as safety, capacity, and environmental sustainability become critical. EUROCONTROL, tasked with overseeing Europe’s airspace, needed to modernize its core systems to tackle these challenges. However, technical complexity, stringent regulations, and legacy systems presented significant obstacles. EUROCONTROL’s goal was clear: to build a robust digital core for its iNM (Integrated Network Management) program, capable of supporting this growth with maximum efficiency.

A clear path to modernization with Platform Engineering

Paradigma was selected as the strategic partner to build the operational platform that would support mission-critical applications. The solution was developed on a robust Kubernetes-based platform using Red Hat OpenShift, providing a solid and scalable foundation for the future of air traffic management. By leveraging platform engineering principles, we created "Golden Paths" that simplify development and operations through abstractions that reduce cognitive load for development and platform teams. This enables EUROCONTROL to focus on its business objectives without being hindered by the technical complexity of managing more than 40 diverse technologies within its platform.

Key methodologies and technologies

Our approach emphasized modularity and resilience. We adopted a continuous delivery strategy, dividing the project into phases that facilitated a seamless transition to the new system:

The use of Red Hat OpenShift and CNCF technologies was crucial in providing a cloud-native experience and reducing integration complexity. OpenShift enables simplified and optimized management, minimizing manual effort in integration and ensuring the platform stays updated with industry best practices.

Security / Compliance

SDLC Tools

Automation

Infrastructure

Guarantee of flexibility in future developments

cloud-agnostic

Results:
A future-ready platform.

Paradigma’s collaboration with EUROCONTROL has enabled the development of a digital infrastructure that meets high standards of performance, availability, and security, designed to support continuous 24/7 operations for years to come. With a cloud-agnostic approach, EUROCONTROL can deploy the platform across multiple environments, ensuring flexibility for future evolution.

• Reduced cognitive load. "Golden Paths" allow development and operations teams to manage the platform more efficiently, reducing errors and ensuring consistent deployments.
• Accelerated time-to-delivery. Continuous delivery enables rapid integrations and constant improvements, optimizing response times and adapting to changes in demand.
• Scalability and sustainability. The platform is designed to handle the projected increase in air traffic through 2030, minimizing environmental impacts by optimizing routes and reducing delays.

Air traffic management with a sustainable and resilient approach.