Rethinking weather and collaboration in air traffic management.

Weather has always shaped the way Europe’s skies move. But lately, it’s been more unpredictable and more disruptive. According to Eurocontrol, weather-related delays increased by 59% in summer 2023 compared to the previous year, followed by another 41% rise in 2024. Every one of those minutes’ ripples across the network, affecting pilots, controllers, and operations teams alike.

At DSNA, France’s air navigation service provider, this growing challenge sparked a deeper question:

Can weather become less of a disruption and more of a shared insight across the network?

It all started with Gaël

Gaël Barbezier knows air traffic control inside out. He’s spent years supervising the skies, and when he stepped into a leadership role, he brought with him not just deep operational knowledge, but a real drive to make things better.

Gaël cares deeply about the airlines that rely on DSNA. He knows that every storm, every delay, every reroute puts pressure on those relationships. And he wants to change that. He wants to make weather management smarter, more transparent, and more collaborative for everyone involved.

But there was a problem. Gaël and his team couldn’t see what was happening in the sky in real time. They were working with static weather maps, issued just a few times a day, showing coloured zones of expected disruption. Based on those maps, they had to choose between two strategies:

Option 1: Wait and React

• Hold off on restrictions.
• Watch aircraft start to reroute.
• Then reduce capacity in affected areas.
• This avoids unnecessary delays, but leaves sectors exposed and often leads to overcorrections.

Option 2: Act Early

• Apply restrictions hours in advance.
• Protect sectors before the weather hits.
• This keeps the network stable, but causes widespread delays, many of which turn out to be unnecessary.

Neither option felt right. And the forecasts often didn’t match reality.

A New Idea: Real-Time Weather, Shared Understanding

So Gaël started looking for a better way. At an industry forum, he came across SITA’s Mission Watch, a tool designed for airline dispatchers that shows live weather data with high resolution and frequent updates.

He told the SITA team: “I need something like this in my control centre.”

We listened. With a few of our best designers (and some chocolates), we sat down with Gaël and his team to understand exactly what they needed; what layers to show, how to visualise the data, and how to make it work for flow managers.

While we began adapting Mission Watch for DSNA, the summer weather season was already approaching. Gaël couldn’t wait. So, we offered a portable solution: SITA eWAS, an iPad-based app originally built for pilots. It uses the same trusted METEO France data, but breaks it down into more detail and shows it in a way that’s easy to interpret.

And here’s where it gets exciting: many airlines already use Mission Watch. So, when they fly through Reims airspace, they’re seeing the same weather picture as Gaël and his team. Everyone’s on the same page. The reasons behind restrictions are clear. The decisions make sense. And collaboration becomes much easier.

What Happened When DSNA Went Live

Over the next 60-day trial at LFEE ACC eWAS In July DSNA got the eWAS and later Missin Watch when it was ready, over the next 60-day trial at LFEE ACC the tol were atcicly used on 19 adverse weather days, representing 31% f the summer peak traffic period. And here are the key outcomes.

1. The digital weather tool helped avoid an estimated 40,000 to 120,000 minutes of delay, contributing to a 40% to 65% reduction in weather-related delays.
2. On 15 out of 19 adverse weather days, the tools provided more accurate and frequent updates than traditional sources, enabling better decision-making and safer operations.
3. On 1 August, eWAS accurately predicted bad weather in the Eastern region, with strong alignment between forecast and actual conditions. In one sector, delays dropped from 5,000 minutes to 1,500 when eWAS was used alongside traditional data. Regulations were applied and lifted with more precision, and traffic flowed better.

The final verdict?

Gael says:

“This is a game changer! With these digital weather tools, we can now anticipate tough conditions and make smarter decisions. That means safer and smoother operations for all of us!”

For Gaël and his team, the introduction of eWAS and Mission Watch has transformed decision-making for air navigation service providers (ANSPs). These tools are reshaping how airspace is managed during challenging and unpredictable weather, moving from reactive measures to proactive, data-driven choices.

What’s especially powerful is that these solutions have already proven their value for pilots and dispatchers and now, they’re indispensable for Gaël and his flow managers too. With a unified, multi-purpose platform, everyone benefits from the same real-time insights, leading to better coordination and more effective operations.

This trial highlights just how vital digital weather tools have become in aviation technology. It also showcases SITA’s leadership in delivering innovative, cross-functional solutions that are driving real change across the industry.

What’s Next

A tailored version of Mission Watch is now installed at DSNA. Together, we’re refining it to meet the specific needs of flow managers: live tracking, frequent updates, and clear alerts.

This trial is just the beginning.

Gaël is leading the way, pushing for smarter, more connected air traffic management. And with results like these, we can’t wait to see what’s next.