Major EUROCONTROL reforms to benefit European aviation

The Provisional Council meeting of 12-13 November has mandated the Air Navigation Services Board to perform on its behalf major functions, such as the review of the Business Plan, and other important programmes. This mandate has been given for those activities of the Agency that are concerned with service support, such as central flow management, and all technical and operational programmes. Regulatory activities remain excluded from this remit. European CANSO CEO Committee Chairman Marc Hamy commented: This is a major achievement, in which the air navigation service providers together with the airline and airport associations have invested great effort for several years. Indeed it is a vindication of the principle of separation between regulatory activities and service provision. European ANSPs have been separated for many years and we have been calling for the governance arrangements of EUROCONTROL to recognise that same essential principle in their working arrangements. The new Air Navigation Services Board will have to address major challenges. The service providers together with the airline and airport representatives will have the task of coming up with consensus decisions on all the major developments in air traffic management. We look forward to a constructive cooperation, and congratulate the President of the Provisional Council and the Director General of EUROCONTROL on their important achievement.