You joined ESSP quite recently, how would you describe the Company, the staff and the services provided?

First of all, I would say that I have made a good choice and that ESSP is a company where we want to grow with values of trust, respect, human-centered, customer satisfaction and care of the environment. The main pillars of the company are its people and its expertise on Safety, Performance and Security.    

ESSP is a pan-European operator and provider of satellite-based Navigation, Communications and Surveillance services whose shareholders are the main 7 European civil aviation companies, and ENAV has an important role as shareholder as well as for providing services with the MCC (Mission Control Centre) and managing the RIMS. ESSP’s core activity is the EGNOS Service Provision (ESP) with EUSPA (the European Union Agency for the Space Program). We have developed a safety expertise that allows us to be the only European private operator certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Our services are well recognized. The users are very satisfied and one of our main clients, EUSPA, renews its confidence with the new EGNOS contract on a long-term perspective.

ESSP staff have, in particular but not limited to, a strong engineering experience that enable them  to operate systems in constrained environments with demanding specifications and high levels of performance.

How do you see the company evolving in the next five years?

The company is strong. One of the main priorities is to maintain a very good quality of service and the appropriate level of security, providing high performance for aviation and other users facing different challenges.

We are developing the company ensuring longterm sustainable growth based on close relationships with end-users. Being the reference in safe and secure navigation services in Europe, ESSP is moving towards a multi-service company addressing new markets, operating complex satellite systems and providing mission critical services.

What is your view on the future challenges for aviation and what role can we expect for satellite technologies in general and for ESSP in particular?

After the last 3 years we faced, the main challenges for aviation are to bring back sustainable air travel and reduce the environmental impact of flying, while simultaneously improving its efficiency. I am convinced that the digitalization of our skies will lead to a greener environment, a better passenger experience, and a more competitive European economy.

In that context, space-based solution is a game-changer for the aviation industry, providing the most advanced new technology to complement datalink communications and enabling unified services thanks to its global coverage.

At ESSP, we are proud to work on the IRIS program that is contributing to modernise air traffic management by enabling real-time collaboration between pilots, air traffic controllers and an airline’s operation center using cost-effective, secure and highly resilient satellite datalink communications.  By receiving digital information such as weather updates, aircraft can be pinpointed in four dimensions using '4D trajectories’ to calculate the shortest available routes and optimal altitudes. This not only improves airspace usage to accommodate future growth, but also allows airlines across Europe to minimize delays, save fuel and reduce the environmental impact of their operations.

To conclude, I would like to highlight that we operate with high-end systems, so our customers get secure performance for greener, more connected worlds. In this light, I would like to take this opportunity to anticipate that we are working on a new motto which will emphasize even more our commitment to safe and connected worlds.