Europe’s sky is a patchwork of many national regulations. Strikes in one country can lead to failures in other EU countries. The EU Commission is looking for solutions to guarantee overflights even if there are no flights.
At Ryanair alone, flights by more than 600,000 passengers were canceled in the first three months of this year due to strikes by French air traffic control. The Irish airline then launched an official petition to the EU Commission, which should prevent the EU airspace from being closed in the future.
For the FDP member of the European Parliament Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Vice-Chairman of the Transport Committee of the EU Parliament, this is a problem that must finally be solved. “However, of course, a petition does not replace a legislative procedure,” he clarifies.
In this respect, the members of the European Parliament would try to find a solution to this problem. “Technically, it’s not a problem at all if, for example, a German air traffic controller accompanies an aircraft after it has taken off in Germany via French airspace to Spain, to its holiday destination.”
Euro Control has only a limited mandate
However, Europe’s sky is a patchwork of many national regulations. The European Organization for the Safety of Aviation (Euro Control) does exist, but its mandate is limited, explains EU MP Jens Gieseke. The CDU politician also sits as deputy chairman of the European Parliament’s Transport Committee.
“Within national borders, the respective member states are responsible for regulating overflights,” he says. As a European air traffic control organization, Euro Control has a coordinating function, but no direct options for intervention. At most, Euro Control could direct overflights past the countries on strike via the respective network managers. “But that only applies to individual cases.”
The EU Commission has drawn up a proposal
The air traffic control organization can therefore not be a solution to the problem. Because it must be a matter of guaranteeing 100% continuity of overflight operations even in the event of strikes, as the EU Commission communicated in writing on request.
The authority therefore lets it be known that it has submitted a proposal to reduce the impact on the European air traffic network. This is currently being negotiated between the Council and Parliament. “The aim is to reduce the number of flight cancellations during strikes,” says the answer.
Among other things, the proposal provides for measures such as the provision of data so that air traffic control in other countries can take over the necessary services in this case. This should prevent flight cancellations or air traffic diversions.
Many EU countries do not want to cede competences
However, such a minimum service agreement is not in sight. You have to be realistic, says CDU traffic expert Gieseke: “The minimum service level agreement demanded by Ryanair, relating to the whole of Europe, in the event of strikes to guarantee overflights is not enforceable.” Strikes in aviation security would be subject to the national right to strike. “The European Commission cannot and should not interfere with national responsibilities here.”
The main problem is that many EU member states have little desire to cede competences to the EU in the area of air transport. That is why the negotiations on the proposal for a single European sky, which has been on the table since 2013, are making little progress. This would not least lead to shorter flight routes and thus also to significantly less pollutant emissions.