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Airspace World 2026: Meet SITA in Lisbon
Air traffic is rising, weather patterns are becoming less predictable, and operational pressure across airspace and airport environments continues to grow.
At Airspace World, SITA will demonstrate how the industry can respond to these challenges through resilient communications, improved operational visibility, and stronger coordination across the aviation ecosystem.
Meet us in Lisbon to explore practical solutions, live demonstrations, and forward-looking thinking shaping the future of airspace operations.
Keeping airspace operations moving under pressure
Discover how secure, trusted operational communications and connected systems support continuity when traffic volumes are high, conditions change rapidly, and decisions need to be made faster across airspace and airport operations.
SITA solutions are designed to support safe, coordinated operations when pressure builds across the network.
Earlier visibility and better decision-making for airspace
Learn how SITA helps bring earlier visibility to operational pressure points across airspace, enabling teams to anticipate disruptions sooner, coordinate responses more effectively, and improve decision-making across stakeholders.
This clarity is essential as airspace environments become more complex and interconnected.
What to expect at Airspace World Lisbon
Meet our team for live conversations, product discussions, and demonstrations focused on the future of airspace operations.
Date & Time
Start: Tuesday 26 May 2026
End: Thursday 28 May 2026
Location
Airspace World 2026 | FIL, Lisbon, Portugal | Booth H1-C68
Agenda
Join SITA experts on stage at Airspace World 2026 for discussions on the future of ATM communications and the next generation of airspace connectivity.
3 :00 PM - 3:50 PM Panel: The future is already in orbit: user perspectives on space-based VHF communications
Date: 27 May
Time: 3:00pm–3:50pm
Location: Viasat Theatre
SITA participant: SITA Expert
This panel explores early demonstrators for space-based VHF voice and data communications, bringing together industry perspectives on the future of airspace connectivity.
Be ready for the future of aviation: Modernize, secure and future-proof ATM communications ground-ground networks
4:00 PM - 4:25 PM Be ready for the future of aviation: Modernize, secure and future-proof ATM communications ground-ground network
Date: 27 May
Time: 4:00pm–4:25pm
Location: Frequentis Theatre
This session looks at why modernizing ground-ground communications is becoming a strategic priority for airspace operations.
Book a meeting
Q&A
Not in the immediate term.
Summer 2025 showed that, with the right investments, VDL can handle today’s traffic reliably and at scale. We are continuing to invest and increase capacity, and we are confident the network can sustain traffic growth for many years.
At the same time, we know that future concepts like Trajectory‑Based Operations will put even more demand on the network. That’s why, alongside strengthening VDL, we are working on Future Datalink and HYCON – so when the next wave of usage arrives, the capacity is already there.
We are already deploying the third alternate frequency. By summer 2026, we expect Wester Europe and part of Central Europe to be covered, giving you more headroom during peaks.
Right now, the air and ground data link system does not always meet the latest industry standards. We see this gap. Progress will take teamwork from everyone in aviation because if some aircraft lag behind, the whole system slows down.
Making the VHF Datalink network bigger helps, but it is just one part of a larger plan to reach our goals.
Yes. We are involved in industry discussions and technical assessments. SuperVGS is the most mature today; compression and Advanced VHF are being evaluated in step with the wider community.
We applied for DPO in December 2025. Part 373 is due by 2030; we are working towards that regulatory timeline and will keep ANSPs informed as we hit key milestones.
VDL remains the backbone today and for many years ahead, and we are actively enhancing this service through ongoing investments in our infrastructure. Iris is a complementary link that will become more useful as equipage grows
Our view is simple: the future will be multilink.
VDL carries the operation today, Iris joins as an additional path, and future links will expand capacity even further. Our role is to make these links work together.
HYCON is our long‑term vision for using commercial networks as part of safety‑grade datalink. It offers massive capacity potential at lower cost, but it’s a long‑term path. We’re working with partners like Thales and participating in European forums so ANSPs aren’t surprised by what comes next.