The creation of a Single European Sky and the cutting of air traffic control delays has come a step closer.
Six countries have sealed a treaty creating a unified airspace that should triple capacity by 2020, reducing average delays to 30 seconds per flight by avoiding the need for flights to be passed from one country’s air traffic control system to another.
The initiative is led by IATA, which this week oversaw the signing of the proposal by Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
IATA also claims that a Single European Sky will cut carbon emissions by 10% and costs to airlines by 50%.
An average flight in Europe incurs air traffic control costs of €771 compared to €440 in the US.
Giovanni Bisignani, IATA director general and CEO called air traffic control in Europe “an uncompetitive mess” and called for political intervention to speed the introduction of the Single European Sky.
IATA is also concerned that cost reduction targets for air traffic control providers have been reduced from 4.5 per cent a year in 2012-2014 to 3.5 per cent.