Canso

What Canso does

CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation) is the global industry association for Air Traffic Management (ATM), founded in 1998 and headquartered in Soesterberg (Schiphol area), Netherlands. Its legal entity and wholly-owned subsidiary, CANSO B.V., operate under a membership-governed non-profit structure with 11-50 employees and no external investors or parent company. CANSO unites 96 ANSPs (Air Navigation Service Providers) that collectively support approximately 90% of world air traffic, with a wider network of 34,000 industry individuals and 100 industry supplier members organised across five regional chapters: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and Caribbean, and Middle East.

The organisation's product portfolio spans member services, standards, and advocacy rather than commercial technology. Core offerings include the CANSO Connect member extranet, Airspace Magazine, the annual Global Air Navigation Services Performance Report (covering 48 ANSPs), the ATFM Toolkit, the five-level GreenATM environmental accreditation programme (launched 2022), the CANSO Safety Culture Benchmarking Programme, the CATS Vision for the Skies of 2045, and CANSO-Aireon Data Driven Insights built on space-based ADS-B surveillance data. CANSO's business model is tiered membership subscription (Full ANSP Members, Associate Gold and Silver for industry suppliers, Academia and Research, Intermediate Members) supplemented by paid events (e.g., EUR 650-830 conference fees for non-APAC Full Members), publications, and accreditation fees. Leadership comprises Simon Hocquard as Director General / President & CEO and Andrea Sack as SVP Global Operations, with strategic priorities centred on ATM modernisation, environmental sustainability, and cross-stakeholder policy engagement with ICAO, the European Commission (SESAR), and EUROCONTROL.

Name

Canso

Legal name

Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO)

Website

https://canso.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CANSO is the Netherlands-headquartered global industry association for Air Traffic Management, uniting 96 air navigation service providers that support roughly 90% of world air traffic, alongside 100 industry suppliers and regulators, to share knowledge, set standards, and advocate for safe and seamless airspace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Schiphol

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CANSO operates as the global industry association for Air Traffic Management (ATM), bringing together 96 Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) that support 90% of world air traffic. The organization provides member platforms, industry publications, environmental accreditation programmes, conferences, and advocacy on ATM policy. CANSO also produces strategic frameworks such as the Complete Air Traffic System (CATS) vision for airspace management by 2045.

Product overview

CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation) is the global voice of the air traffic management (ATM) industry. Rather than offering a unified commercial product, CANSO provides a portfolio of member services including the CANSO Connect member-only extranet platform, industry publications (Airspace Magazine, Global ANSP Performance Reports, ATFM Toolkit), the GreenATM environmental accreditation programme, and the strategic Vision for the Skies of 2045. CANSO organizes global and regional events including Airspace World and the CANSO Asia Pacific Conference, and facilitates data-driven insights through its Aireon partnership. The organization advocates for ATM modernization initiatives such as SESAR funding and develops industry standards through global workgroups and committees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GreenATM: Environmental accreditation programme launched by CANSO in 2022 to assess ANSPs' progress in environmental sustainability and operational efficiency, with five levels of accreditation.
• CATS (Complete Air Traffic System)
• CANSO Connect
• Airspace World
• ATFM Toolkit

Products and services

• CANSO Connect Member Extranet Member-only extranet portal providing networking platforms, member listings, and exclusive content for CANSO member organizations (ANSPs and industry suppliers).
• Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) Toolkit Reference document for Air Navigation Service Providers providing an inventory of ATFM solutions with detailed descriptions, application criteria, and implementation guidance for varying operational conditions.
• Global Air Navigation Services Performance Report Annual performance report presenting data for 48 ANSPs with performance indicators and trend data covering 2019-2023, including safety metrics from the CANSO Safety Intelligence Workgroup.
• GreenATM Environmental Accreditation Programme Five-level framework to assess ANSPs' progress in environmental sustainability and operational efficiency, covering facilities and airspace operations, with each level representing increasingly ambitious standards.
• Airspace Magazine CANSO's periodical publication covering ATM industry news, insights, and developments for aviation professionals and member organizations.
• CANSO-Aireon Data Driven Insights Data analytics and insights product leveraging space-based ADS-B surveillance data provided through the Aireon partnership for ANSPs and aviation stakeholders.
• CANSO Safety Culture Benchmarking Programme Programme enabling ANSPs to benchmark their safety culture performance against industry standards for safety management systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members support 90% of world air traffic
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle EastcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East and CANSO signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to strengthen regional aviation capacity and resilience, supporting collaboration between airports and ANSPs in the region.
• IATAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026IATA and CANSO launched a joint webinar series on 'Strengthening ATM Resilience in a Changing World', bringing together airlines, ANSPs, regulators and industry partners to strengthen collaboration and enhance the resilience of the global ATM network.
• Airlines for EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2026Three major European aviation associations co-signed an open letter calling on EU Member States to maintain continued co-funding for SESAR. SESAR has delivered €7.5bn in cumulative benefits by 2025, with projections reaching €34.2bn by 2035.
• ACI EUROPE (Airports Council International Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2026ACI EUROPE co-signed the open letter with CANSO and Airlines for Europe on SESAR funding, emphasizing EU funding has been critical for catalyzing private investment and ensuring harmonized implementation across Europe.
• EUROCONTROLcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2026While not explicitly in the SESAR open letter, CANSO works closely with EUROCONTROL on safety initiatives, including a cooperation agreement between CANSO Europe Safety Directors Group (CESAF) and EUROCONTROL Safety Team.
• European Commission / EU Funding MechanismscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCANSO advocates for sustained EU funding through the Connecting Europe Facility for SESAR, the Single European Sky ATM research and deployment programme. The Commission projects SESAR deployment will generate €7.5bn in cumulative benefits by 2025.
• ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCANSO engages with ICAO on global ATM policy through its ICAO Affairs work programme, contributing to international standards and the Minimum Implementation Path for air navigation services modernization.
• Aviation Stakeholders (General)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCANSO developed the Complete Air Traffic System (CATS) vision for airspace management by 2045 through collaboration among aviation stakeholders, including ANSPs, airlines, airports, and technology providers.
• Airlines for EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean aviation industry leaders including Airlines for Europe have co-signed open letters with CANSO calling for maintaining EU climate policies and 'stop the clock' exemptions for ETS, warning of international trade retaliation risks.
• Destination 2050 PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCANSO partnered with four other associations representing Europe's airlines, airports and aircraft manufacturers on the Destination 2050 roadmap, which estimates hydrogen will contribute 6% of required emission savings by 2050.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IATA (International Air Transport Association): Global trade association for the airline industry, comparable to CANSO as a parallel international aviation membership body. CANSO and IATA jointly host webinar series on ATM resilience, confirming their adjacent roles in convening aviation stakeholders.
• EUROCONTROL: The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, operating as both an ATM coordinating body and a regional ANSP. Directly comparable to CANSO's mission of harmonizing air traffic management across geographies, with formal collaboration agreements already in place.
• ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization): UN specialized agency that sets international aviation standards and works directly with CANSO on the Minimum Implementation Path for ANSP modernization. Comparable as the higher-authority body setting standards that CANSO's members implement.
• Airports Council International (ACI): Global trade association representing airports worldwide, with regional offices including ACI EUROPE and ACI Asia-Pacific & Middle East. CANSO and ACI co-signed the SESAR funding open letter and signed an MOU in Asia-Pacific, confirming them as peer industry associations.
• Airlines for Europe (A4E): European airline trade association that co-signed the SESAR funding open letter with CANSO. Comparable as a peer European aviation association engaging on ATM modernization policy, though focused on the airline rather than ANSP constituency.

Regional players

• Airlines for America (A4A): Trade association representing major U.S. airlines. Comparable as a national-level aviation industry association convening stakeholders around shared operational and policy interests; primarily serves the North American market where CANSO lacks a regional office.
• Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA): U.S.-based association for air traffic management professionals and organizations, comparable to CANSO as a member-driven ATM community. Operates primarily in North America, complementing CANSO's broader international remit.

Emerging players

• Flight Safety Foundation: Independent international aviation safety organization that, like CANSO, operates a member-based model focused on safety culture and best practice sharing. Overlaps with CANSO's Safety Culture Benchmarking Programme and SMS Standard of Excellence work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CANSONews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CANSOcomms
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canso

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Canso