FABEC and Network Manager sign agreement for closer co-operation

FABEC and the Network Manager have signed a Declaration of Intent to reinforce their cooperation and better meet Single European Sky objectives. FABEC’s central position within the European Air Traffic Management network, its airspace complexity and the fact that it handles 55% of overall European traffic makes it a key asset to improve the overall performance of the network.

The Declaration of Intent provides that the Network Manager and FABEC will closely cooperate to conduct research, development and tests in domains of mutual interest, e.g. airspace management and route design, free route airspace, daily operational procedures, air traffic flow management, safety, data exchange, the effective use of the airspace by both civil and militaries, capacity or crises management procedures. This cooperation also aims to ensure that both partners are in a position to meet their respective performance targets set in the context of the Single European Sky. To this end, common performance indicators will be developed and key performance areas will be jointly managed. Finally, this close collaboration will also support medium- to long-term developments such as SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) implementation packages, e.g. traffic complexity, the introduction of four-dimensional trajectories or cross-border arrival management.

Cooperation between FABEC and the Network Manager is not new. Both partners have already worked together on many occasions in the past on several projects including live trials, fast-time simulations in support of operational projects and airspace strategies and real-time simulations.