After nearly 30 years of operation, the ELECTRA Enroute ATC simulation system (Ensemble Logiciel pour l’Enseignement du Trafic Aérien) has been permanently decommissioned at ENAC.
Developed by the DSNA for ENAC and the French Area Control Centres (CRNA), ELECTRA was based on a strip-based environment.
ELECTRA system - the strip tray is still visible
Since 2015, it has been gradually replaced by ESCAPE (Eurocontrol Simulation CApabilities and Platform for Experimentation), a fully stripless simulation system developed by EUROCONTROL.
ESCAPE stripless system
The final transition phase, completed in November–December 2025, took place over six weeks, with the involvement of the company Intelec, under the coordination of ENAC’s IMS department (ATC Simulator Setup and Maintenance).
The Enroute workstation furniture was retained, while the screens and computing units were renewed, including those of the Echo Radar pilot positions.
Today, ESCAPE is used for:
- initial ATC training (MCTA),
- continuation training for professionals,
- conversion training for controllers (airport ↔ Enroute),
- as well as the training of international air traffic controllers as part of international partnerships.
This decommissioning confirms ENAC’s commitment to modern ATC simulation, capable of supporting a wide range of training needs, in line with European standards and the ongoing evolution of air traffic control.
