Coordinating to ensure efficient air traffic during EURO 2024!

Good news for football fans across Europe: EUROCONTROL is collaborating with UEFA, Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) and operational staff from various aviation partners to ensure efficient, sustainable air traffic across the European aviation network during the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship. The tournament will be hosted in Germany, Europe’s third busiest State in terms of air traffic, during one of the peak summer months for aviation, when the network is expecting to see up to 37,000 daily flights.

That is where EUROCONTROL, in its role as Network Manager (NM), has a key role to play, as we act as the focal point for any events that could test the capacity and resilience of the network. EUROCONTROL is dedicated to ensuring efficient planning and identifying any capacity challenges in advance to keep disruptions to a minimum. All major sporting finals or tournaments trigger meticulous planning with the relevant authorities and network operational actors which starts many months before.

Over the month of the tournament, Germany will see a total of 51 matches played in 10 cities, namely Berlin, Cologne, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and Stuttgart. German air navigation service provider DFS has worked for months on the preparations for the tournament in close coordination with EUROCONTROL and UEFA to optimize planning for the arrival of teams, sponsors and fans.

The multi-city nature of the tournament makes close cooperation with all aviation partners essential to manage increased flight requests and deal with potential air traffic congestion. Many aircraft operators have already added thousands of extra seats to fly fans to the cities where games are taking place, and more will be added as the tournament enters its knockout stage triggering increasing demand from fans of the teams that have remained in the contest. The influx of teams and fans for the tournament can also affect airports and airspace capacity, as well as clash with rules and regulations at airports regarding noise and curfews affecting late flights. And classically, the final match may see thousands of fans travelling via commercial airlines – and typically over 100 private jets and turboprops – to the venue hosting the final, which is Berlin for EURO 2024. To accommodate the latter, secondary airfields may need to be utilised to alleviate capacity constraints at major airports.

By working closely with UEFA and operational stakeholders, EUROCONTROL aims to mitigate any potential disruptions and ensure a smooth and sustainable flow of air traffic. EUROCONTROL is committed to working closely with UEFA and all stakeholders to ensure a successful and sustainable tournament, and we wish the participating teams the best of luck. May the best team win!