Single European Sky Update (Article by Spyros Danellis)

An excerpt from a very interesting, recently published article by Greek M.E.P. Spyros Danellis on the European Parliament Magazine:

"...Air traffic control in Europe may be plagued by inefficiencies but the necessary institutions of the single sky era have been put into place. These were set up through the two legislative packages (SES I in 2004 and SES II in 2009) and include the national air navigation supervisory authorities, the network manager (Eurocontrol), and the single sky committee. Even functional airspace blocks (FAB), regional sections of European airspace made up of groupings of member states, are now at least formally in existence. Likewise, the single European sky’s research arm known as SESAR is advancing a technological overhaul of aviation with tools like 4D trajectories and remote air traffic control tower operation that promise to revolutionise EU aviation. What is expected of all these initiatives is to finally begin to deliver concrete results for aviation, and ultimately for passengers.

And this is precisely the intended effect of the European commission’s forthcoming legislative package known as SES II+. It will attempt to reinforce the independence of the national supervisory authorities, to allow for the setting of more ambitious performance targets, to unbundle so-called ancillary services like meteorology and subject them to public procurement rules, and to reassess FAB architecture for swifter performance improvements. There is little doubt that the newest round of SES reform is well-intended and pointed in the right direction. It is a known fact, for example, and one emphasised by the European parliament, that the independence of supervisory authorities is crucial and needs to be enforced. A supervisory authority in a cosy relationship with a service provider jeopardises not only efficiency, but also safety. The need for enforcement is equally pertinent when it comes to performance targets: it was, and remains, the duty of the commission to reject any national performance plan (planned improvements in cost, safety, efficiency) that is not in line with EU-wide targets."

The complete article can be accessed HERE