MALTA AIR TRAFFIC SERVICES LIMITED

Their core work

Malta Air Traffic Services (MATS) is the air navigation service provider (ANSP) responsible for managing air traffic in Malta's flight information region. Within H2020, they contributed operational expertise to SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) projects focused on modernizing airspace management across the Mediterranean. Their work centered on adopting satellite-based navigation (EGNOS/Galileo) for approach procedures and advancing air traffic management tools within the BlueMed Functional Airspace Block covering Italy, Greece, Malta, and Cyprus.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

MATS' H2020 involvement was concentrated in a narrow 2016-2019 window, so evolution is limited. Their early projects (2016-2018) focused heavily on promoting EGNOS/Galileo adoption for instrument approach procedures in the BlueMed region, reflecting an operational rollout phase. Their later participation shifted toward broader GNSS demonstrations for general aviation and rotorcraft (GRADE, 2018-2019), suggesting a move from core commercial aviation toward wider accessibility applications.

MATS appears to be broadening from commercial aviation GNSS adoption toward enabling satellite navigation for smaller aircraft and underserved airports, though their H2020 activity ended in 2019.

How they like to work

MATS never coordinated a project — they joined as a participant (3 projects) or third party (3 projects), consistent with an operational end-user providing real-world validation rather than driving research agendas. With 70 unique partners across 24 countries, they operated in large SESAR consortia typical of EU aviation research. Their role is that of a small island-state ANSP contributing operational context and testing environments to much larger pan-European initiatives.

MATS collaborated with 70 partners across 24 countries, almost entirely through large SESAR programme consortia. Their geographic focus aligns strongly with the BlueMed region (Italy, Greece, Cyprus) while connecting to the broader European ATM research network.

What sets them apart

As Malta's sole ANSP, MATS offers a unique operational testing environment: a small island-state airspace at the crossroads of European and North African flight routes. For consortium builders, they provide direct access to Mediterranean airspace operations and real-world validation of ATM tools in a compact, manageable flight information region. Their BlueMed FAB membership makes them a natural bridge for projects targeting southern European airspace integration.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BLUEGNSS
  Largest funded project (EUR 145,567) and most thematically distinctive — directly promoted EGNOS satellite navigation adoption across four Mediterranean countries in the BlueMed FAB.
• GRADE
  Extended GNSS work beyond commercial aviation to general aviation and rotorcraft, addressing airport accessibility — a less common focus for an ANSP.
• PJ10 PROSA
  Part of SESAR's flagship controller tools programme, indicating MATS contributed operational input to core ATM separation management research.