CATS CONOPS and Flight Rules Think Paper anchor ICAO Assembly dialogue on AI and Innovation

CANSO has submitted its landmark Complete Air Traffic System (CATS) Concept of Operations (CONOPS) to the 42nd ICAO Assembly, presenting a clear and collaborative pathway for transforming global air traffic management (ATM).

The paper invites ICAO to incorporate this industry-developed concept of operations into future updates of the Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP) and related strategic initiatives, including Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and Higher Airspace Operations (HAO). It also encourages States to prioritise early investment in digital infrastructure and to consider the strategic actions identified in the CONOPS as they plan for the future.

Complementing this operational roadmap is CATS’ Think Paper on Modernising Flight Rules, which calls for a digitally enabled framework to support the safe and inclusive integration of highly automated and diverse operations. It recognises that today’s Visual and Instrument Flight Rules were built for a different era and must evolve to accommodate machine-led decision-making, performance-based separation, and mixed human–digital operations.

These contributions align closely with the Assembly’s wider focus on artificial intelligence and innovation. Many States are urging ICAO to foster collaboration, expand research, and lay the groundwork for AI-enabled systems in a broad range of applications, while seeking practical ways to streamline and accelerate modernisation through service-oriented ATM architectures.

Together, the CATS CONOPS and the Flight Rules Think Paper demonstrate how industry and States are converging on a shared ambition: to build a globally connected, digitally enabled, and future-ready airspace where innovation and safety advance hand-in-hand.