Press release

European aviation leaders discuss impact of COVID-19, system financing and vision for future European ATM

24 September 2020

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Brussels, Belgium - In a virtual meeting, Europe’s air traffic management (ATM) leaders have today addressed the key issues facing the aviation industry in the context of the COVID-19 crisis and in particular how to manage the expected massive €140 billion in lost revenue in 2020.

The meeting, bringing together the Europe CANSO CEO Committee (EC3) members and the Director General of EUROCONTROL, Eamonn Brennan, jointly assessed options for managing the financial crisis caused by the huge and ongoing decrease in the number of flights. They also discussed how best to support the implementation of the newly published Single European Sky proposal (SES2+) with the aim of ensuring that the European ATM system will be in a position to manage the recovery and future demand while taking into account environmental concerns.

“COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on all parts of the aviation industry and the air navigation service providers have also been hit. With an expected loss of 6 million flights this year alone across Europe, and no good expectation of recovery yet, our shared challenge is to see how we can be ready for the recovery when it happens even though financing for high-priority projects is increasingly tight.”

Eamonn Brennan Director General, EUROCONTROL

“CANSO is very pleased to have had today’s opportunity to exchange views with Eamonn on our common challenge. Our members have maintained their services throughout these difficult times, and must now plan for how they can provide the required capacity to our customers, the airspace users, in the years ahead.”

Raine Luojus CEO, Air Navigation Services Finland

“CANSO looks forward to working with EUROCONTROL and other aviation stakeholders to facilitate our industry’s recovery and the transition to the Digital European Sky.”

Tanja Grobotek Director Europe Affairs, CANSO

For more information:

Lucia Pasquini,
Press Office
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +32 2 729 34 20

Debora Seymour,
Communications Director
Tel: +31 63 047 5595
Email: [email protected]

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About CANSO
The Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) is the global voice of air traffic management worldwide. CANSO Members support almost 90 percent of world air traffic. Members share information and develop new policies, with the ultimate aim of improving air navigation services on the ground and in the air. CANSO represents its Members’ views in major regulatory and industry forums, including at ICAO, where it has official Observer status. CANSO has an extensive network of Associate Members drawn from across the aviation industry. For more, visit canso.org.

About EUROCONTROL
EUROCONTROL is a civil-military intergovernmental organisation committed to supporting European aviation to become safer, more sustainable, more efficient and more cost-effective. Our activities touch on operations, service provision, concept development, research, Europe-wide project implementation, performance improvements, and support to the future evolution and strategic orientation of aviation. EUROCONTROL has 41 European Member States and comprehensive agreements with the Kingdom of Morocco and the State of Israel.
www.eurocontrol.int