Trade association CANSO has called for the EU to scrap spending restrictions on ANSPs to help ATM capacity to enable investment for air traffic growth.
According to CANSO, which represents air navigation service providers (ANSPs), EU regulations for the Single European Sky, the ATM Performance and Charging Scheme, restricts the amount that ANSPs can invest in staffing and infrastructure.
In a statement, it said that scrapping the cost efficiency targets recently set by the European Commission would enable ANSPs to better meet the requirements of the aviation industry in terms of reliability and punctuality.
Simon Hocquard, director general of CANSO said, “Airlines and their passengers expect ever more capacity but CANSO’s members are limited in what they can invest to provide what is needed.
“We therefore call on the European Commission to adopt a new approach to ATM regulation and support levels of future investment in ATM that will transform our industry. Only in this way can ANSPs address the continued traffic growth.”
European ANSPs are obligated to deliver safe, stable, and efficient airspace operations but must also accommodate increasing levels of traffic in an increasingly challenging environment. Other factors, such as the conflict in Ukraine and more incidences of adverse weather, also disrupt flight plans.
The result, said CANSO, is more volatility in European airspace at a time when there is more air traffic crossing the skies.
It said the cost efficiency targets set by the EC for the Fourth Reference Period of the Performance Scheme (RP4, 2025-2029) result in insufficient ATM capacity and more air traffic flow management delays, particularly during peak travel seasons.
“We recognise that the EC is in a difficult position in finding a commonly acceptable long-term solution to the issue of airspace capacity. Therefore we call on the airline industry and the Commission to work with CANSO to ensure the efficient growth of the aviation sector in Europe,” said Hocquard.