The European Parliament’s Committee on Transport adopted (39 votes in favour, 7 against, 2 abstentions,) on Thursday 17 June, its mandate to negotiate with the Council of the European Union on the reform of the Single European Sky rules.
In concrete terms, MEPs want to focus on reducing fragmentation in European airspace management and optimising flight routes, including more direct flights.
The text calls for a rationalisation of the airspace management system responsible for issuing economic operating licences to air navigation service providers and airport operators.
Fewer borders
The Parliament also wants to see performance plans for airspace management put in place. These will be established by the new Performance Review Body, operating under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA ), the text says.
A balance will have to be found with the EU Council on this issue. It wants Member States to remain responsible for the performance planning process of air traffic service providers (see EUROPE 12733/2). The verification of the consistency of the national performance plans’ objectives with those set by the EU would, according to the EU Council, be the responsibility of the European Commission.
“Europe’s current airspace architecture is built according to national borders. This aviation nationalism means longer flights, more delays, extra costs for passengers, higher emissions, and more pollution”, said the rapporteur Marian-Jean Marinescu (EPP, Romania).
“With a truly Single European Sky and a unified European air management system, we would create a new airspace architecture based not on borders but on efficiency. Unfortunately, the position adopted recently by the EU Council is based on national considerations. Therefore we urge Member States to fly high, so we can finally address the problems of cost, fragmentation and emissions plaguing European aviation”, he added.
European Green Deal and competition
MEPs also stressed the importance of including the Single European Sky in the framework of the European Green Deal, in order to achieve the objective of a 10% reduction in climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions.
They also demand that the charges levied on airspace users for the provision of navigation services should encourage them to be more environmentally friendly.
Lastly, the text supports further opening up of competition between air traffic controllers. To this end, the paper proposes that Member States, or groups of Member States, should themselves select air traffic service providers through tenders.
The parliamentary committee also adopted the rules on the extension of EASA's mandate on 17 June (38 votes in favour, 7 against and 3 abstentions). Interinstitutional negotiations on this issue are expected to start in parallel with those on the Single European Sky. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)