Why European air traffic collaboration matters

Most people don’t think about what’s happening when they fly. You board a flight, fasten your seatbelt and trust that you’ll arrive at your destination. But every journey relies on an invisible web of cooperation that stretches across Europe and beyond.

Airspace, of course, doesn’t stop at borders, and because of the UK’s geography and the volume of traffic we handle, what happens in the wider European air traffic network impacts UK airspace and vice versa. That’s why close collaboration is essential.

How Europe manages its skies

Whilst national air navigation service providers (ANSPs) each manage their own airspace, the reality is that the network only functions smoothly because these organisations work together every day.

Facilitating this cooperation is the Network Manager, a function provided by the intergovernmental organisation Eurocontrol, which oversees the flow of air traffic across Europe. We work closely with the Network Manager on a daily basis to optimise flight efficiency in the UK and across the wider European airspace network.

The Network Manager is guided by a Network Management Board (NMB), which brings together ANSPs, airlines, airports and military representatives to steer the network’s strategic direction and ensure that decisions benefit the entire European air traffic network and all of its users.

Since the UK left the EU, we have only been able to participate in the NMB on a rotating basis as an associated country, despite the network management function being pan-European and delivered by an entity of which the UK is a full member. However, we continue to share operational expertise and help shape the decisions that keep Europe’s busy airspace running smoothly, including through a number of network management working groups we actively participate in.

The Regulation governing membership of the NMB is under review this year and we, with the support of many operational stakeholders across Europe, believe it is in the interests of everyone for the UK to be able to contribute to these discussions on a more permanent basis due to the volume of traffic we manage – close to 25% of European traffic.

Influencing the future of air traffic management

Collaboration isn’t only about daily operations. We’re also helping shape the future of Europe’s skies through our work with the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU), Europe’s flagship programme for developing next-generation air traffic management technology.

From Time Based Separation, which improves runway efficiency in strong winds, to Extended Arrival Management, which reduces holding and fuel burn, we’ve been at the forefront of deploying several SESAR solutions to the benefit of passengers across Europe. We also continue to contribute to European research in critical areas such as automation, non-CO2 emissions and the safe integration of new airspace users.

Cooperation after Brexit

Although the UK is no longer part of the EU, the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement recognises how important it is to keep working together and sets out areas in which the UK and EU should collaborate to enhance the safe and efficient functioning of air traffic.

Some processes have inevitably become more complex since the UK left the EU, especially cross-border services like delegated Air Traffic Services. ANSPs providing these services – on both the UK and EU side – must now be certified and overseen by both sets of regulators, despite the ongoing commonality in the rules governing the safe provision of air traffic services.

Practical, day to day cooperation continues across the network but there is clear potential for deeper cooperation at institutional and regulatory level to give effect to the UK-EU Aviation Safety agreement, something we believe would benefit everyone. Some progress is being made but it’s essential this evolves and expands if we’re to ensure cross-border operational collaboration continues to benefit all who use Europe’s airspace.

Importantly, the need to work together has not changed. Both industry and the European Parliament have continued to call for deeper UK EU cooperation because of the UK’s strategic role in European air traffic.

Aviation is international by nature, and no single country can keep Europe’s air traffic flowing efficiently without the cooperation of others, as the geopolitical complexities in recent times have shown. From daily operations to future technology development, cooperation is what keeps Europe’s air traffic network safe and efficient.

You may never see this cooperation, but every time you fly, you benefit from it – and protecting that operational cooperation and ensuring it continues is essential for passengers and industry alike.