Demand for air travel is growing rapidly. Shortfalls in capacity
and other constraints on the efficiency of airport and aircraft
operations have negative effects on airline costs, passenger
convenience, and the environment. Making efficient use of finite
airspace and airport resources while ensuring high levels of
safety is the primary mission of ATM which involves considerable
coordination of planning and operations among regulators,
service providers, and users at the global, regional, and
national levels. This section discusses the conventional ATM
system in the context of operational phases of flight,
highlighting constraints and limitations and the negative
effects they have on airport and aircraft operations-including
unnecessary fuel burn and, consequently, excessive emissions.
The section then describes changes anticipated for the future
based on new technologies and improved procedures that are
expected to lead to the creation of a more efficient and
integrated global ATM system. Improved ATM as envi