InterFAB cooperation delivers added value – Exchange on a better Single European Sky

On 16 October representatives from 23 European States, National Supervisory Authorities (NSAs) and Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) representing European Functional Airspace Blocks (FABs) met at the 7^th InterFAB Coordination Platform. The goal of the meeting was twofold. In the first part of the meeting the functioning of the InterFAB cooperation inaugurated in 2014 was discussed. The participants concluded that InterFAB is providing added value mainly in respect to two aspects. First, the work on common topics concerning Air Navigation Service (ANS) performance and SES-related dossiers is delivering tangible results. Second, InterFAB has proven its importance as a platform to enable European-wide exchanges and coordination on important topics.

The second part of the meeting discussed current proposals concerning the future of the Single European Sky (SES). Driven by the commitment of all participants to improve the SES further, participants shared their views on the SESAR CP1 and the SES2+ proposal. Overall, the discussion was driven by two basic questions. As both proposals were written prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and as it is obvious that European aviation will be very different in the coming years, participants raised the question whether 2020 is the right moment to introduce severe structural changes in the current set-up. Today, it seems impossible to set definite objectives and to assess the consequences of a new regulation.

Hence, it would be timely to use the current crisis to re-think and to first develop a sound and adapted foundation for a better Single European Sky – able to support European citizens, the economy, the airspace users and their passengers.