Abstract: A method of detecting conflicts between aircraft passing through managed airspace, and to resolving the detected conflicts strategically. Air traffic control apparatus arranged to manage airspace through which aircraft are flying is provided that comprises processing means configured to receive aircraft intent data describing an aircraft's intended flight path, to launch a conflict detection procedure in which it computes a user-preferred trajectory for each of the aircraft based on the aircraft intent and determines whether any conflicts will arise, to launch a conflict resolution procedure in which it calculates revisions of the aircraft intent of the conflicted aircraft to remove the conflicts, and to transmit to the aircraft the revised aircraft intent data.

Abstract: A method of detecting conflicts between aircraft passing through managed airspace, and to resolving the detected conflicts strategically. The method may include obtaining intended trajectories of aircraft through the airspace and time constraints corresponding to time of arrival at specified locations, detecting conflicts in the intended trajectories, forming a set of the conflicted aircraft, calculating one or more revised trajectories for the conflicted aircraft such that the conflicts are resolved and the time constraints met, and advising the conflicted aircraft subject to revised trajectories of the revised trajectories.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a computer-implemented method of generating a description of aircraft intent expressed in a formal language that provides an unambiguous description of an aircraft's intended motion and configuration during a period of flight. A flight intent description is parsed to provide instances of flight intent that span a flight segment, the flight segments together spanning the period of flight. The parsed flight intent is converted into parametric aircraft intent by generating an associated flight segment description for each flight segment that comprises instances of flight intent to close all associated degrees of freedom of motion and of configuration of the aircraft. At least some flight segment descriptions contain a parameter range, and the method further comprises optimising the parametric aircraft intent by determining an optimal value for the parameter of each parameter range.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method of producing a description of the flight intent of an aircraft expressed using a formal language. The description may be used to generate a predicted aircraft trajectory, for example by air traffic management. Rules are used in association with information provided to express the flight intent of the aircraft in a formal language. The flight intent describes a flight in terms of flight segments, and provides information of the path to be flown and how it is to be flown. The flight intent does not necessarily define unambiguously the aerodynamic configuration of the aircraft and the motion of the aircraft during the flight. The flight intent is used alongside other information to generate the aircraft intent that does describe unambiguously the aircraft's trajectory.