ADMINISTRATIA ROMANA A SERVICIILOR DE TRAFIC AERIAN

Their core work

ROMATSA (Romanian Air Navigation Service Provider) is the state authority responsible for managing Romanian airspace — providing air traffic control, aeronautical information, and flight safety services across Romanian sovereign airspace. In the H2020 context, they contributed as an operational ANSP stakeholder to SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) initiatives, bringing real-world air traffic management expertise and national airspace data to pan-European aviation modernization efforts. Their participation in SESAR projects on SWIM technical infrastructure and controller working positions reflects their role as an end-user and operational validator of next-generation ATM systems. As a national ANSP, they represent the ground-truth operational environment in which research solutions must ultimately be deployed.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both H2020 projects are from the same year (2016), which means there is no temporal evolution visible within this dataset — ROMATSA entered the SESAR research ecosystem in a single wave of project commitments rather than progressively. Their participation covers two complementary SESAR pillars simultaneously: data infrastructure (SWIM-TI) and operator interface (CWP/HMI), suggesting a coordinated engagement with the SESAR2020 programme rather than organic research-driven growth. Any meaningful evolution in their research focus would require data from outside H2020 (e.g., SESAR3 / Horizon Europe participation).

ROMATSA's third-party role in two complementary SESAR2020 projects signals an organization moving from pure operations toward active co-development of next-generation ATM standards — a likely precursor to deeper Horizon Europe SESAR3 engagement.

How they like to work

ROMATSA participates exclusively as a third party — meaning they contribute operational expertise, national airspace access, or validation capacity rather than leading or co-funding research. This is typical of ANSPs in SESAR projects: they are the essential real-world testbeds and regulatory stakeholders whose buy-in determines whether research translates into deployed systems. Their 51 unique partners across 24 countries reflects the large, industry-wide SESAR consortium structure rather than ROMATSA's own network-building activity. A prospective partner should expect ROMATSA to engage as an operational expert and national authority, not as a research lead.

ROMATSA appears alongside 51 unique partners spanning 24 countries, driven by the pan-European SESAR consortium model that brings together all EU ANSPs, aerospace manufacturers, and research institutes. This breadth is structural (SESAR mandate) rather than evidence of independent network-building by ROMATSA itself.

What sets them apart

ROMATSA is Romania's sole national Air Navigation Service Provider — a statutory monopoly with exclusive operational authority over Romanian airspace, making it the unavoidable national gateway for any ATM research or deployment project touching Romanian territory. For SESAR or aviation-adjacent consortia requiring Eastern European ANSP representation, ROMATSA is not one option among many — it is the only credible national partner. Their operational data, controller workforce, and regulatory standing give research projects direct access to a real EU airspace environment that no private company can replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PJ17 SWIM-TI
  SWIM-TI is one of the foundational SESAR2020 projects building the pan-European aeronautical data exchange backbone — participation places ROMATSA at the center of European airspace digitalization.
• PJ16 CWP HMI
  Controller Working Position / HMI directly shapes the tools used daily by air traffic controllers across Europe, and ROMATSA's involvement as an operational ANSP gives the project real-world validation authority.