Impact of ATM related strikes on the European ATM network

Whereas industrial action normally occurs relatively few times a year and for a limited duration, the impact of each event can create major traffic disruptions which are particularly challenging for the European network. Generally, ATM strikes result in a reduction in staff resources to control air traffic in the European ATM network. To ensure safety as a matter of priority, ATM strikes inevitably result in a reduction of capacity in the airspace of the ACC/State concerned and also in congestion in the airspace of neighbouring States/ACCs.

ATM related strikes are today subject to a close monitoring by the EUROCONTROL Network Manager with the contribution of all operational stakeholders. Coordinated management takes place in order to mitigate their impact. However, they cannot all be addressed in the same way, as their level of predictability, their impact and their nature can differ.

The study was carried out by EUROCONTROL on the request of the European Commission. This study has four main tasks:

1. It establishes a baseline showing impacts of strikes on the entire European network on the basis of strikes that took place in the years 2018-2022 for both arrivals/departures and overflights;
2. It puts forward a list of possible mitigating measures to be analysed;
3. It analyses (locally and network-wide) impacts of a number of possible mitigating measures identified on the basis of the 2017 study compared to the baseline;
4. It proposes a ranking of the possible mitigating measures according to their impacts (locally and network-wide) and their practical feasibility

Download and read the study below to find out more.