Brussels, 05/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - With the incentive of an envelope of €3 billion, airlines, airports, air traffic controllers and the European Commission will work together to modernise the current system of air traffic management in Europe.
The European Commission signed a partnership agreement to this effect, on Friday 5 December, with the SESAR Deployment Alliance consortium (the technical arm of the Single European Sky). The partnership will bring together the main stakeholders of the Single European Sky and the European Commission to implement projects aimed at improving air traffic management in Europe.
“The current system is fragmented and inefficient, meaning that airspace is currently structured on the basis of national borders and flights cannot follow direct trajectories”, explained Jakub Adamowicz, a European Commission spokesperson. This partnership is a first victory for the European Transport Commissioner, Violeta Bulc, and aims to change the air navigation system “for good”. In terms of knock-on effects, Bulc calculates that the projects will generate economic benefits equivalent to €400 billion on GDP, 300,000 jobs and 50 million tonnes less of CO2 emitted by the aviation sector. (MD).