CANSO OSC Connect 2026
Following the success of the 2025 OSC Annual Summit at NASA Ames Research Center, the CANSO Operations Programme will reconvene in Abu Dhabi on 2-5 February for the CANSO OSC Connect 2026, a flagship forum bringing together operational leaders, innovators, safety professionals, and technical experts to explore how collaboration, technology, and leadership are shaping the skies of tomorrow.
Under the theme ‘Skies in Transition: Forum on Operations, Innovation, and Safety’, the event will feature high-level conversations, interactive roundtables, and integrated workgroup sessions focused on the transformation of air traffic operations through a leadership workshop and dialogue session, an education forum on Trajectory Based Operatios (TBO), Safety and Operations: Hand-in-Hand, and and an Advanced Air Mobility integration workshop.
Participants from across all CANSO regions will engage directly with peers to align strategies, strengthen operational resilience, and advance the implementation of the Complete Air Traffic System (CATS) CONOPS, while contributing to ICAO’s evolving global frameworks.
Building on the momentum from NASA Ames, OSC Connect 2026 marks the launch of CANSO’s refreshed operational structure, linking innovation with execution. Each workgroup and task force will meet to progress in important areas including SWIM and FF-ICE implementation, TBO readiness, digital towers, space and AAM integration, airspace optimisation, environmental performance, and COMPASS global deployment.
Through a mix of leadership forums, collaborative workshops, and regional dialogues, the CANSO OSC Connect 2026 will empower ANSPs and partners to move from concept to coordinated action accelerating digital transformation, strengthening safety and sustainability, and building the next generation of operational leadership.
This is more than a meeting it is a global movement to move from operating in silos to connecting and collaborating across expertise, sharing solutions, to connect and co-create the roadmap for seamless, sustainable, and future-ready skies.
This forum is open to all Operations Programme co-chairs, chairs, and participants within CANSO workgroups, task forces, and the OSC Steering Group. If you are not currently part of a workgroup but wish to participate, please visit the New myCANSO page to support Member focal points – CANSO and have your organisation’s focal point request for you to join a relevant group before registering under the workgroup. If you are interested and unsure of which workroup you sit under or would like to participate in, please email operations@canso.org
Venue and travel
Accommodation Details
The CANSO OSC Connect 2026 will be held at the Park Rotana Abu Dhabi/A five-star business and leisure hotel
The standard room rate is AED 735 per night, inclusive of taxes and charges. However, participants of OSC Connect 2026 benefit from a special discounted rate of AED 650 per night when using the booking code: ROGEAV.
Visa Letters and Requirements
If an attendee requires a visa support letter from GCAA, please provide the following documents:
- A colour copy of your passport (including the passport cover)
- A recent personal photo with a white background
These documents should be submitted no later than 45 working days prior to the event.
Please send your request to htowaiti@szc.gcaa.ae and CC operations@canso.org when submitting the documents.
Our programme
Day One: 2 February
The Now: Industry Status and Regional Voices
| 08:00-09:00 | Registration Participants will receive a table number at registration , which will correspond to round-table assignments for discussions throughout the day |
| 09:00 – 09:15 | Welcome & Introductory Remarks Speakers: Nicki Harricharan, Operations Programme Manager, CANSO Maartje Van Der Helm, Chair, CANSO Operations Standing Committee Steering Group |
| 09:15 – 09:45 | Keynote Address – Setting the Scene for Global Operational Transformation This opening address will set the strategic tone for OSC Connect 2026 by exploring the global drivers shaping air navigation and operational transformation. It will highlight key regional and global priorities and challenges facing the aviation community, while emphasising the significant role of the human element in navigating change. The address will frame the discussions that follow, supporting participants as they produce a shared vision for resilient, future ready operational excellence. Speaker: Ahmed Al Jallaf, Assistant Director General, Air Navigation Services UAE – GCAA and OSC Champion, CANSO Board of Directors |
| 09:45 – 10:30 | Executive Forum: Skies in Transition Panel and Interactive Session: Operations, Innovation, and Safety at the Forefront Moderator: Maartje Van Der Helm, Chair, CANSO Operations Standing Committee Steering Group Panellists: Hamad Rashid Al Belushi, Senior Expert – Air Traffic Management, GCAA Lakisha Price, Acting Vice President of System Operations Services, FAA ATO MP Berman, Vice-Chair, CANSO Operations Standing Committee Steering Group Anthony MacKay, Chair, CANSO Safety Standing Committee Steering Group Urs Lauener, Chief Operating Officer, Skyguide William Estrada, Sr. Director, ATM Product Manager Civil Solutions, Leidos |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Networking Break |
| 11:00 – 12:00 | Regional Dialogue: What’s Happening on the Ground – From Global Strategy to Regional Impact This dynamic session will feature short video messages from CANSO Regional Directors from Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, and the Middle East, providing firsthand insights into regional priorities, challenges, and progress. Building on these perspectives, participants will engage in facilitated roundtable discussions focused on how the Operations Programme can better translate global strategies into tangible regional impact, and which regional challenges require stronger global support. Table leads will guide the discussions at each table, with insights reported back to shape future coordination and action. Roundtable discussions: How can the operations programme help translate global strategies into regional impact? What regional challenges need global support? Moderator: MP Berman, Vice-Chair, CANSO Operations Standing Committee Steering Group |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Networking Lunch |
| 13:00 – 14 :15 | A Shared Path Forward: Safety, ICAO & CATS Across the OSC Community Safety, ICAO, and CATS representatives will each deliver a 20 minute briefing, followed by a five-minute Q&A, to engage participants and stimulate forward looking discussion on future workplans, regional collaboration, and alignment with global programs. The session will provide a shared understanding of current developments in Safety, ICAO, and CATS, linking ICAO Assembly outcomes, GANP and ASBU developments, and the CATS CONOPS, including the minimum implementation path with CANSO’s strategic priorities for 2026 and beyond. Participants will explore how safety and operations can be better aligned, how global direction translates into regional action, and how OSC workgroups enable coordinated and collaborative work for the future of ATM. Further engagement will continue during networking breaks and Day 2 workgroup sessions. Speakers : Eduardo Garcia, Senior Manager, Future Skies, CANSO Michelle Bishop, Director of Programmes, CANSO John Wennes, Safety Programme Manager, CANSO |
| 14:15 – 14:45 | Networking Break |
| 14:45 – 16:15 | Education & Digital Transformation: Demystifying TBO, SWIM, FF-ICE & ATFM From Concept to Implementation This interactive education session, led by the Trajectory Based Operations (TBO) Readiness Taskforce Chairs and extended to incorporate SWIM, FF-ICE, and ATFM, will unpack the core concepts of each area and its digital and operational enablers. Moving beyond the buzzwords, the session will clarify how TBO, SWIM, FF-ICE, and ATFM work together to support seamless information exchange, collaborative decision-making, and demand capacity balancing. Participants will explore how these capabilities link directly to the Operations Programme workgroups and regional priorities through guided discussion and real-world examples. The session will conclude with an interactive roundtable Q&A focused on one key question: How can education on TBO, SWIM, FF-ICE, and ATFM be effectively scaled? Speakers: Blake Cushie, Programme Director, Service Delivery, NAV CANADA Sherry Yang, Senior Manager, Boeing Technology Innovation, Boeing Lisa Bee, Director – Air Traffic Services, Viasat Wayne Osse, Chief Architect, Global Aviation and Transport, Solace Jean-Luc Thirion, Technical Advisor, DSNA Alan Li, Senior Electronics Engineer, HKCAD Stuart Ratcliffe, Product Manager AireonFLOW, Aireon Sugoon Fucharoen, ATFM/CDM Specialist, AEROTHAI |
| 16:15 – 16:30 | Closing Reflections Speaker: Maartje Van Der Helm, Chair, CANSO Operations Standing Committee Steering Group |
Day two: 3 February
Activating Collaboration: Safety, CATS, and Workgroup Synergy
| 08:00 – 10:00 | Meeting 1 Operations Standing Committee Steering Group Meeting Meeting 2 Non-CANSO Members meeting to discuss GreenATM, Safety, CATS CONOPS (Eduardo, Michelle, John) Meeting 3 Breakout to Operations Workgroup Meetings |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Networking Break |
| 10:30 – 12:00 | Operations Workgroup Meetings |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Networking Lunch |
| 13:00 – 14:30 | Operations Workgroup Meetings |
| 14:30 – 15:00 | Networking Break |
| 15:00 – 16:00 | Operations Workgroup Meetings |
| 17:00 – 21:45 | Festival and Dinner 17:00: bus departs 18:00 – 19:30 Festival 19:30 – 21:30 Dinner 21:45 – Buses depart to Hotel |
Day three: 4 February
Building Capacity and Shaping the Future
| 09:00 – 09:05 | Welcome and Recap of Day 2 Speaker: MP Berman, Vice-Chair, CANSO Operations Standing Committee Steering Group |
| 09:05 – 10:30 | Leadership Development and Change Management Workshop: Building the future of the CANSO Operations Programme together while sustaining today’s operational delivery, this session focuses on leading through change, maintaining continuity, and modelling collaborative leadership, regardless of role or title. Speaker: Conor Mullan, Managing Director, Think Research |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Networking Break |
| 11:00 – 12:30 | Leadership Development and Change Management Workshop: Continued |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Networking Lunch |
| 13:30 – 15:00 | Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Workshop Preparing for Integration of New Entrants: A highly interactive, multi-disciplinary session bringing ANSPs and our industry together to build a shared understanding of global AAM developments, explore what “integration” really means in practice, and identify the minimum operational, safety, and digital requirements needed to safely enable AAM within existing ATM environment. Speakers: Eduardo Garcia, Senior Manager, Future Skies, CANSO Elizabeth Chau, Head of UTM Strategic Development, NATS Alan Chapman, Director, RPAS Traffic Management, NAV CANADA Brandon Lint, Regulatory Affairs and Certification Specialist, SkyGrid |
| 15:00 – 15:30 | Networking Break |
| 15:30 – 16:45 | Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Workshop continued |
| 16:45 – 17:00 | Closing Reflections Speaker: MP Berman, Vice-Chair, CANSO Operations Standing Committee Steering Group |
Day four: 5 February
Reflection and Recognition
| 09:00 – 09:10 | Welcome and Recap from Day three Speaker: Maartje Van Der Helm, Chair, CANSO Operations Standing Committee Steering Group |
| 09:10 – 11:00 | OSC Community Town Hall and Closing Session This final session brings the OSC community together to reflect on progress, align on what lies ahead, and formally close OSC Connect. The session begins with workgroup briefings highlighting priority focus areas and deliverables for 2026 and beyond, with an emphasis on cross-workgroup collaboration, regional engagement, and alignment with OSC strategic priorities. The Community Town Hall then provides an open and candid forum to reflect on what worked, what did not, and how the OSC must adapt and accelerate moving forward, including an outlook toward 2027 and the introduction of the OSC Awards and peer recognition approach. The session concludes with formal recognition and appreciation of the OSC community, followed by closing reflections and a transition briefing for those attending the cultural and centre tours. |
| 11:00 – 15:00 | Depart for Cultural Tour and Centre Visit |
Registration
Event Details
Contact us
For all CANSO events information please contact:
CANSO Events
Tel: +31 (0)23 568 5390
Email: events@canso.org