Operational and safety benefits Air/ Ground Cooperative ATS will improve the productivity of existing Air Traffic Services by increasing aircrew involvement in the ATC decision making process. It will lead to the accomplishment of effective Air/ Ground cooperation and collaboration achieved through the progressive introduction of new forms of communications, airborne situational awareness, separation assurance, surveillance and automation services. The benefits of Controller/ Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) include increased controller efficiency and reduced voice congestion. These benefits offer reductions in controller workload and, consequently, will lead to capacity increases. The availability of a second communication possibility, reduced communication errors, and reduced pilot and controller fatigue will also contribute to higher safety levels. ATM data communications have the potential to provide innovative situation awareness enhancements on the ground and in the air and facilitate advanced automation functions. Seen in the context of gate-to-gate operations, these improvements, when validated in terms of operational requirements, safety and cost benefit, will contribute significantly to ATM productivity. Programme benefits The creation of a single Programme, aiming at the development and validation of Methods of Operation for Air/ Ground Cooperative ATS, has the following benefits: � Cost saving through shared development, validation and trials work; � Organisational efficiency through the use of a single forum for achieving European consensus on development, validation and standardisation activities; � The existence of a recognised authority on Operational Requirements, which can provide consistent guidance to the technical Domains, thus enabling more efficient infrastructure development; � Maintenance of a demonstrably efficient feedback loop between early implementation and trials activities and the requirements development and standardisation processes; � The availability of a pool of expertise in a complex area (where consistent knowledge requires a lot of time and experience to build up).