The first report into the Single European Sky (SES) air traffic control initiative warns that unless changes are made to the project there are no guarantees of improved efficiency.
The report, which was published in March by the region's air traffic management body Eurocontrol, says there have been many positive developments since the initiative was launched in 2004, including improved co-operation between air navigation service providers and separation of regulation and service provision.
It warns, however: "SES lacks overall impetus and incentives to performance improvement", pointing out that many of the tools for improving performance lie in the hands of national governments, which could well lead to inconsistencies - something that SES is meant to tackle.
Eurocontrol believes, however, that there is scope within SES to tackle many of these issues, without the need for new legislation.
The report says that it is "crucial" that air navigation service providers make transparent their performance objectives, and warns that key safety performance indicators at European level should be developed "as a matter of urgency".
On the critical issue of developing more rational functional blocks of airspace, the report says the current initiatives "are not providing evidence of likely performance improvements in terms of safety and efficiency". Eurocontrol says: "This may be due to a lack of genuine commitment of member states", but adds there are also legal and institutional issues that need to be addressed.
Source: Airline Business
