What this session covers
The Opening Plenary frames the entire Airspace World 2026 conference. Tim Arel — Chair of CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation) and Chief Operating Officer of the FAA Air Traffic Organization — delivers the State of Global ATM address alongside CANSO leadership, setting out the operational status of the global air traffic management system and the strategic priorities that shape the rest of the programme. The session puts a single operational question on the table: where is the global ATM network strong enough to absorb 2026 demand, and where are the structural gaps that ANSPs, regulators, and industry must close in the next twelve months?
Why it matters now
2026 is a pivot year for global ATM. European traffic is at or above pre-pandemic peaks under a system still working through the recovery-era staffing and capacity constraints that produced record delays in 2023–24. North American operations are absorbing the largest FAA controller hiring programme in a generation while the next-generation NAS modernisation transitions out of pilot phase. NIS2 audit cycles are live for ANSPs designated as essential entities, GNSS interference has hardened into a persistent operational hazard across European and Middle Eastern airspace, and the first SESAR 3 deployment programmes are moving from architecture into delivery. The Opening Plenary is where CANSO's read on those forces is delivered to the industry, on the record.
Key takeaways for ATM operators
- Demand and capacity in 2026. Eurocontrol's seven-year forecast through 2030 has European traffic continuing to grow against a capacity baseline still constrained by ATCO recruitment and training lead times. The plenary frames the operational headroom — and the bottlenecks — going into the summer 2026 season.
- Modernisation programmes moving from plan to delivery. SESAR 3 (the EU's Single European Sky ATM Research partnership) and FAA NAS modernisation are both transitioning from design and pilot phase into deployment, with implications for ANSP investment cycles, interoperability standards, and the controller training pipeline.
- Safety, security, and resilience as strategic priorities. CANSO's published 2024–26 strategic priorities centre on safety, sustainability, resilience, and a future-ready workforce — the lenses through which Tim Arel's remarks should be read, and which thread through subsequent ASW 2026 sessions on cyber, GNSS, and automation.
Frequently asked questions
Who delivers the Opening Plenary at Airspace World 2026?
Tim Arel chairs the Opening Plenary in his capacity as Chair of CANSO. Tim Arel is Chief Operating Officer of the FAA Air Traffic Organization, the operational arm of the United States Federal Aviation Administration that runs the National Airspace System. He is joined by CANSO leadership delivering the State of Global ATM address that opens the conference programme.
When and where was the Opening Plenary at ASW 2026?
The Opening Plenary took place on Tuesday 26 May 2026 from 10:00 to 10:25 local Lisbon time (WEST, UTC+1) in the Frequentis Theatre at FIL — Feira Internacional de Lisboa, the Parque das Nações venue that hosted Airspace World 2026 from 26 to 28 May 2026.
What is CANSO and why does it host Airspace World?
CANSO — the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation — is the global trade association representing the air navigation service providers (ANSPs) that manage roughly 85 percent of the world's air traffic. CANSO organises Airspace World as the global ATM industry's annual trade show and conference, bringing together ANSPs, regulators, airspace users, and the technology and infrastructure supply chain.
What is the State of Global ATM address?
The State of Global ATM is the CANSO Chair's traditional opening address at Airspace World. It is a structured industry update covering global ATM performance, the strategic priorities of CANSO's membership, and the operational and policy questions that frame the conference agenda for the three days that follow. The 2026 edition is delivered by Tim Arel in his first conference as CANSO Chair.
How does the Opening Plenary connect to the rest of the Airspace World 2026 programme?
The priorities articulated in the Opening Plenary thread through the four ASW 2026 conference themes — Innovation to Enable Future Skies, ATM Modernisation, Sustainability, and Safety, Security & Resilience — and into the panel sessions, technical briefings, and exhibitor demonstrations that follow on 26–28 May. Operational leaders typically use the plenary as the reference point for which sessions to prioritise across the rest of the week.