Paving the way for more efficient and sustainable European airspace

Addressing inefficiencies in how European airspace is managed, and its fragmentation, will significantly reduce delays. That means improving the performance of Europe’s air navigation services. How? Through better incentives, better network coordination and more modern technology.

The Commission has sought to improve and update the regulatory framework so that it addresses the challenges faced by air traffic management in Europe more directly. And in December 2024, 15 years after the European Union’s (EU) air navigation rules were last updated, the Single European Sky (SES) II Plus (SES2+) Regulation was finally adopted and came into force. With that hurdle cleared, it is now crucial that we all work towards ensuring that SES2+ fully delivers on its potential.

The new rules will facilitate innovative service provision. In the short term, air traffic service providers and airport operators have more choice as to how they organise the services they provide, including having the option to buy services on the market. In the medium term, a fully-fledged regulatory framework for air traffic data services should make it easier for air navigation service providers (ANSPs) to provide more innovative data services. This in turn creates opportunities to modernise the sector, including through a data layer, which would open the door to more interoperability between different service providers, and facilitate cross-border cooperation. We need capacity on demand, whereby services are run by different providers, with greater flexibility to respond to changes in demand.

These developments should help the sector to put in place a new service delivery model supported by cloud-based data processing and AI-empowered assistance solutions, in line with the ATM Master Plan. Sharing data between the various civil and military stakeholders will also be key to managing growing demand.

SES2+ will strengthen the European ATM network, reducing the risk of congestion and suboptimal flight routes. The revision of the rules on network management will put increased focus on promoting what is best for the European network. EUROCONTROL, appointed by the Commission as Network Manager (NM), will be able to provide more coordination and support for the delivery of air traffic control capacity within the network, in particular ensuring that stakeholders deliver on their commitments, as outlined in the Network Operations Plan. The Network Manager will also be able to support Member States and air traffic service providers when they choose to delegate service provision.

We can make more of innovative SESAR solutions by deploying them in a more streamlined manner, in accordance with the European ATM Master Plan, last updated in December 2024. This will help solve many persistent ATM issues in Europe. The new SES rules focus on effective coordination between the definition, development and deployment phases of the SESAR project. They also address the need to deploy air traffic management functionalities that have a network-wide impact and have reached sufficient maturity.

In line with SES2+, the Network Manager is expected to work with the stakeholders to ensure the coordinated deployment of network infrastructure in Europe. It will be important that the sector works hard to ensure the uptake of new technologies that enables more collaboration and innovation between service providers. Ensuring funding for the development of EU-wide solutions and infrastructure that the market would not deliver on its own will be equally important – and urgent, given the rapid increase in traffic levels forecast for the coming years. Although we all know that it will be tough to roll out new innovations at the same pace as traffic increases, haste is needed. The sooner roll-out happens, the better.

The new rules also provide opportunities to stimulate improved performance by air navigation service providers (ANSPs), in particular through incentives to reduce the environmental footprint of aviation. The network functions should now ensure that airspace users can operate climate-optimised flight trajectories. Future rules on the economic regulation of air navigation services and network functions will apply as of 2030. Environment and climate performance targets for air navigation service providers will promote improved environmental performance, as will the modulated charges that airlines will need to pay.

In the short term, one way to mitigate delays is to address the shortage of air traffic controllers, which restricts network capacity. This could involve updating the training and licensing of air traffic controllers, making training shorter and more flexible, and focusing on a systems-based approach rather than the current geographical approach. This could facilitate mobility and increase the attractiveness of the sector for young professionals, which is increasingly important in a context where a large share of the current workforce will retire within the next five years.

All of these changes will need to be supported by a stronger institutional set up, guaranteeing independence, adequate expertise, and transparency. And the SES2+ Regulation introduces such requirements: a new permanent and independent Performance Review Board (PRB) will start work in the second half of 2025. It is currently being set up by the Commission and will later advise the Commission and provide technical expertise for the setting of targets and for regulating the performance of monopoly air navigation service providers.

The PRB will comprise seven members, each with a non-renewable mandate of five years, who will balance expertise, nationality and gender. It will be supported by a Secretariat established within the Commission, whose staff will provide analytical, administrative and technical support to the PRB. This stable structure and staffing arrangement will put the PRB in a position to deliver high-quality advisory services.

In parallel, SES2+ also introduces stronger requirements for the independence of the national supervisory authority, and on the transparency of air navigation service providers’ accounts, which Member States and ANSPs must implement by December 2026.

All of these strands of work will rely on close collaboration between all Member States and stakeholders to realise our ambitions.

We know that the Commission’s initial SES2+ proposals contained more ambition than today’s Regulation. We expect additional challenges in the near future – they will once again be very visible in the summer, when traffic is at its peak. Ultimately, we need a comprehensive dialogue with Member States and stakeholders to address the inefficiencies in air traffic management within the Single European Sky. And where barriers persist, we will need to propose action.

But most of all, we will need to work collectively to increase capacity within the network in the short run, and to improve the cost-efficiency of services while reducing the environmental impact of ATM. Working together will also be paramount in the medium and long run, when we shift towards more automation.