Vianair leverages trajectory-based operations & 4D trajectory data to create shared route and schedule information across a flight’s five operational areas.
The 4D trajectory serves as the shared language. The 5A framework links the participants.”— Robert KiddPEACHTREE CITY, GA, UNITED STATES, September 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Vianair has unveiled a 5A framework designed to enhance the exchange of flight data across five operational areas that oversee an aircraft’s complete journey from gate to gate.
This framework tackles a long-standing issue in aviation: airlines, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), Air Traffic Control (ATC), the aircraft and its flight deck, and airports all contribute to a single flight, yet they frequently make choices using independent operational systems and workflows.
Vianair’s 5A framework labels these five areas as Airline, ANSP, Airplane, ATC, and Airport, relying on a unified aircraft trajectory as a standard operational reference point.
The framework is built on Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO), which is supported by four-dimensional trajectory data. A 4D trajectory incorporates time alongside the conventional three spatial dimensions of an aircraft’s route.
A 4D trajectory merges latitude, longitude, altitude, and time to indicate where an aircraft is predicted to be and when it will arrive there. As operational circumstances shift, the trajectory can be adjusted to reflect the aircraft’s anticipated path and schedule.
“The 4D trajectory serves as the shared language. The 5A framework links the participants,” stated Robert Kidd of Vianair.
Tackling Separate Operational Environments
Each of the five areas holds a distinct role within the aviation system.
Airlines oversee schedules, aircraft usage, crews, passengers, and fuel. ANSPs manage broader airspace capacity, traffic flows, and system-wide demand, whereas ATC handles the tactical management, separation, and sequencing of individual aircraft. The Airplane area represents the aircraft and flight deck, where crews execute the trajectory and adapt to changing conditions mid-flight. Airports manage runways, gates, ground movements, and infrastructure that supports arrivals and departures.
Choices made in one area can impact several others.
For instance, a runway change might modify an aircraft’s departure or arrival procedure and trajectory. This shift can affect flight duration and fuel needs, ATC sequencing, airspace demand, arrival schedules, gate availability, and airline planning.
Currently, information about these effects may travel through multiple systems and organizations as the operation progresses.
With the 5A framework, an continuously updated 4D trajectory would offer a shared reference that participating organizations could use to assess how a change might impact their specific parts of the operation.
Applying TBO and 4D Trajectories Throughout the Flight
The framework builds on the aviation industry’s broader push toward trajectory-based operations, where an aircraft’s predicted trajectory becomes a key element in planning and operational choices.
In a 5A setting, airlines could use trajectory data to evaluate fuel, schedules, fleet, and other operational factors. ANSPs and ATC could integrate trajectory and timing information into decisions about demand, airspace, and sequencing. The flight deck could receive updated trajectory data as conditions evolve, while airports could use projected arrival and departure times when planning gates, runways, and ground activity.
The aim is to give the various operational areas a shared reference while preserving their individual duties and specialized systems.
Vianair is advancing the framework through tools across its aviation technology platforms, such as procedure design, automated charting, operational analysis, flight tracking, and airport visualization. Core capabilities are already deployed within Vianair’s platforms, with further cross-area integration still in progress.
About Vianair
Vianair is an aviation technology company established in 2017 that creates software and data platforms for airlines, airports, and air navigation service providers. Its technologies support aviation planning and operational decision-making across fields like instrument flight procedure design, automated charting, flight tracking, airport operations, and aviation analytics, with a focus on enhancing safety, efficiency, and the passenger experience
Stavros Sidiropoulos
Vianair, Inc.
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