Future NAS

In the second decade of the most comprehensive modernization of the National Airspace System (NAS), we continue to operationally integrate or “operationalize” the various elements of NextGen and improve upon their function and performance. Operationalizing maximizes benefits and achieves the NextGen vision. Simultaneously, we continue to prepare for the future.

Trajectory Based Operations (TBO)

TBO is the ultimate goal of NextGen because it will transform the NAS by expediting aircraft movement between airports. With improved knowledge of the flight path from gate to gate, air traffic controllers and pilots can assess how to best balance capacity and demand, and minimize the effects of disruptions, such as severe weather.

Expected benefits of TBO include enhanced flight efficiency, increased aircraft throughput, and improved operational predictability and flexibility. The FAA has demonstrated global leadership through the international harmonization of NextGen technologies.

Time-based management and Performance Based Navigation, along with supporting technologies such as Data Communications and System Wide Information Management, are the capabilities necessary to operationalize TBO.

TBO implementation requires complex, regional integration to provide airspace users with the right tools at the right place at the right time. The four initial operating regions are Northeast Corridor, Mid-Atlantic, Northwest Mountain, and Southwest.

Info-Centric NAS

The FAA is implementing a future vision of the NAS in the 2035 timeframe that will be flexible and inclusive of all stakeholders. As we continue to operationalize NextGen and realize TBO, we will build on these two foundations to give you the NAS of the future: an information-centered or “info-centric” system built for diverse operations and supported by a resilient and evolving infrastructure to enhance safety and efficiency. Learn more about our vision for the future.