COCTA is a research project within the SESAR-JU Horizon 2020 program. It aims at improving efficiency as well as quality of air navigation service provision in Europe by a better coordination of capacity and demand. The COCTA concept tackles the issue of different planning horizons of capacity suppliers and aircraft operators. Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) have to decide on their capacity provision several weeks or even months in advance, whereas aircraft operators need flexibility in flight planning and prefer to make their route choice decisions at rather short notice.

The basic idea of COCTA is to strengthen the role of the network manager in order to overcome the problems sketched above. Therefore, a reform of the regulatory framework will be suggested, based on an in-depth analysis of possible designs. On the capacity side, the network manager purchases airspace capacities in line with expected demand, employing a network-centered, demand driven approach, as opposed to the current, piecemeal and supply-driven practice, which is tailored against local (ANSP) traffic peaks. As a consequence, excessive provision of airspace capacity is to be reduced, with associated cost savings. On the demand side, the network manager performs trajectory pricing, offering route menus to aircraft operators, including novel, flexible products, aiming at an appropriate balance between cost-efficiency, delays, environmental impact and equity, without compromising safety.