Thales and technology company Sopra Steria outlined a plan to collaborate on a platform and related services to aid a move to digital air traffic management (ATM) in Europe.

The multi-year partnership involves work on developments related to Thales’ OpenSky Platform, a product promoted as a fully open and secure system for air navigation service providers.

Sopra Steria is a France-based IT consulting and digital services player, which runs its aerospace activities through dedicated division Aeroline.

Thales noted the pact would support the latest version of the European ATM Master Plan, a partly European Union-funded initiative which aims to make the region’s airspace more efficient and environmentally friendly through use of modern digital ATM systems.

It added the use of open architectures in the ATM industry would improve interoperability, enable seamless integration of new technologies and allow cost efficiencies.   

Thales VP of airspace mobility solutions Christian Rivierre noted achieving the digital transformation of ATM in Europe would require “a strong focus on the resilience and cybersecurity of our platforms”, adding with the latest partnership it is “extending its cybersecurity expertise and end-to-end digital transformation capabilities in the ATM sector”.