As the summer season approaches, the European transport ministers discussed air traffic congestion at an EU Council meeting in Luxembourg on Thursday 1 June. They discussed possible solutions to the issue.
The European Commission initiated the discussion by distributing a document indicating an increased risk for the sector (see EUROPE 13191/20). The Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean summed up the situation. “This summer is expected to be one of the busiest traveling session seasons so far, 15% above 2022 traffic levels resulting in up to 37,000 flights per day, combined with a reduced capacity of European airspace as a consequence of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine”, she pointed out.
She also spoke about the large-scale strikes by air traffic controllers, with 34 days of strikes between 1 March and 9 April. Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, has estimated that the strikes affected up to 237,000 flights, or 30% of all European flights on those days. “It is essential that Member States notify of strikes quickly and cooperate in order to mitigate their impact on other Member States”, said Ms Vălean.
She also spoke about the labour shortage, recruitment difficulties and the length of training and safety clearances. “Member States need to ensure that recruitment meets staffing needs for public officials central to the operation of airports, including police”, she stressed.
In June, the Commission is expected to present an initiative to facilitate international travel at this critical time, when the EU’s digital Covid-19 certificate is due to expire.
The Belgian, Spanish and Irish ministers have called for progress on the ‘Single European Sky’ initiative, an airspace reform aimed at increasing the efficiency of traffic management and navigation services (see EUROPE 13131/30). Raquel Sánchez Jiménez, the Spanish minister, announced that during her country’s six-month Presidency of the EU, due to begin next month, it would “research appropriate technological solutions” for this issue.
The Belgian minister, Georges Gilkinet, also spoke of increasing the accessibility of international rail transport, in particular by supporting night trains.
“With regard to the impact in terms of flight withdrawals or cancellations, we hope that all Member States will seek to strike a balance between the right to strike and our citizens’ right to mobility”, concluded Ms Sánchez Jiménez. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)