CEATS implementation will create a single functional airspace block from 28,500ft (8,550m) upward above the eight participating states, to be controlled from the Vienna upper area control centre (UAC). Eurocontrol has announced the UAC will go live in the winter of 2009-10. It will ease into operation at first, taking control of an airspace sector roughly over Austria, but will have taken charge of the whole CEATS upper airspace FAB by 2012-13. Those states now fully committed to go ahead with CEATS implementation are Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia. The Czech Republic, Italy (only the north-eastern sector of Italian airspace is involved) and Slovenia have still not signed, but they have cleared implementation by the others and committed to a final decision by December 2006. Slovenia, however, is expected to sign imminently.
Source: Flight International