Aviation authorities in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands plan common licensing system

 Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands hope to have a common licensing system for their air navigation service providers (ANSP) defined within three months. The objective is to agree a common acceptable means of compliance with the new European Commission Single European Sky (SES) requirement that all ANSPs and aeronautical information suppliers be licensed by October 2006.

The Maastricht upper area centre, from which the upper airspace over Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and part of northern Germany is controlled, provides the rationale for developing a joint compliance standard for licensing. The participating states all have a stake in the Maastricht operation, but the group has delegated the task of licensing the centre to the Netherlands.

The Netherlands civil aviation authority says the first session – from 15 June to 10 July – of the eight sub-groups tasked with producing the compliance standard has proved “very encouraging” and they have defined the licensing process for the national aviation authorities, including project management, granting of certificate and supervision. In line with the Commission’s draft licence requirements, the groups will draw up standards for the ANSPs in:

  •  business and financial management and reporting;
  •  liability and insurance cover, ownership and organisational structure;
  •  safety and quality management;
  •  security management;
  •  human resource management;
  •  certification of aviation information service providers; communications, navigation and surveillance providers; technical and operational competence and capability of air traffic services;
  •  certification of meteorological service providers.

When standards

specified, a steering group will oversee the adoption of the measures in each of the four countries, says the Netherlands CAA.

DAVID LEARMOUNT/LONDON

Source: Flight International

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