NAVBLUE

Their core work

NAVBLUE is an Airbus subsidiary specializing in flight operations software and services for airlines, including flight planning, navigation charting, and operational optimization. Within H2020, they contribute aviation domain expertise — particularly in flight operations centres, business trajectory management, and communication/navigation/surveillance systems. Their work spans from aviation safety research to green flight trajectory optimization, reflecting their core business of making airline operations safer, more efficient, and more sustainable.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

NAVBLUE's early H2020 involvement (2015-2019) centred on aviation safety fundamentals — managing risks, human performance, and resilient systems through the Future Sky Safety project. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward operational optimization (business trajectories, extended flight plans, dynamic mobile areas) and environmental sustainability (green flight, CO2 emission reduction). This mirrors the broader aviation industry pivot from safety-first research toward decarbonization and ATM modernization under SESAR.

NAVBLUE is moving toward sustainable flight operations and trajectory optimization, making them a relevant partner for projects targeting aviation decarbonization and next-generation air traffic management.

How they like to work

NAVBLUE operates almost exclusively as a third-party contributor (3 of 4 projects), providing specialized aviation software and domain expertise to large SESAR Joint Undertaking consortia rather than leading projects directly. Their single participant role in Future Sky Safety was their only directly funded engagement. This pattern is typical of an industry provider embedded in the Airbus ecosystem — they bring operational know-how to large multi-partner research programmes without taking on coordination overhead.

Through participation in large SESAR and aviation research consortia, NAVBLUE has touched 101 unique partners across 24 countries — an extensive but indirect network driven by the size of the programmes rather than direct bilateral relationships.

What sets them apart

As an Airbus subsidiary dedicated to flight operations software, NAVBLUE brings real airline operational data and tool development experience that academic or pure-research partners cannot match. They bridge the gap between ATM research concepts and actual airline deployment, which is critical for SESAR and similar programmes where industry validation matters. Their combination of safety, navigation, and green trajectory expertise in a single entity is uncommon outside the major aviation OEMs.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Future Sky Safety
  Their only directly funded H2020 project (EUR 178,071), covering a broad aviation safety research agenda from fire safety to human performance.
• ALBATROSS
  Focused on CO2 emission reduction and sustainable aviation — signals NAVBLUE's strategic move into green flight operations.
• PJ14-W2 I-CNSS
  Part of the SESAR 2020 programme addressing next-generation integrated communication, navigation and surveillance infrastructure for air traffic management.