Stakeholders are invited to provide comments on the draft Final Report for the PRC’s consideration before the report is finalised for the EUROCONTROL Provisional Council Meeting in June. The consultation phase is from 24 March to 15 April 2022.
PRR 2021 takes a look at the recovery of the aviation industry in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on the performance of the European ANS system. Increased vaccination levels and the relaxation of travel restrictions in many European states resulted in a continuous increase in demand, particularly in the second half of 2021. Overall, traffic in 2021 increased by 25% compared to 2020 but still remained just above half of the level of 2019. The hopes for a sustained and swift recovery from the pandemic in 2022 were set back by the terrible war in Ukraine, which will, without a doubt, have an impact on the industry.
Following the operational performance improvements in all areas in 2020, there were early indications of rising inefficiency and delay levels in 2021 - despite traffic levels still being well below 2019.
With most of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) costs fixed in the short term, the immediate cost containment measures taken could not compensate for the unprecedented revenue loss which will result in higher user charges for airspace users over the next years and continue to put economic pressure on the industry.
The PRC focus over the coming years will be on the ability of the ANS system to adjust its operations and costs in line with demand, while at the same time preparing for the future in terms of safety, capacity provision, technical transformation and environmental sustainability.