Single European Sky Regulation enters into force, aiming for a more efficient and sustainable airspace

Yesterday the new Single European Sky (SES2+) Regulation entered into force, in a step forward towards a more efficient, and more sustainable European airspace.

SES2+ creates rules and incentives for monopoly air navigation service providers to pursue more efficiency gains and adopt modern technologies, with the aim to alleviate congestion in Europe’s airspace and to provide better quality services, but also foster innovation and the development of new services in the sector. These aspects will help mitigate situations such as this summer, when air travel was severely disrupted, with nearly every other flight experiencing delays due mostly to overwhelming congestion in Europe’s airspace.

The new regulation is also designed to reduce the environmental impact of flying. Specific targets for climate and environmental performance will be set for air navigation service providers, and airlines will be encouraged to adopt more sustainable practices through a fair charging system. EUROCONTROL, appointed by the European Commission as the network manager, is expected to work with the stakeholders on the coordinated deployment of network infrastructure in Europe. The realisation of the new regulation’s full potential will depend on implementing measures that the Commission will now develop, to be adopted subject to Member States’ agreement.

Next steps

Regulation (EU) 2024/2803 has entered into force. Some provisions have a deferred application date. The Commission will now carry out the work to adopt the necessary implementing acts, in accordance with the Regulation.

Background

Since the creation of the Single European Sky initiative in 2004, the EU now benefits from a coordination for the management of the European air traffic network, a regulatory framework for safety and economic regulation of air navigation services, as well as a full innovation cycle to support technological modernisation of the sector. Those instruments need to be used to their full potential to address persisting air traffic delays, fragmentation along national borders and suboptimal performance of air navigation. The growing air traffic will require sustained effort in the coming years, including the need to promote ATM digitalisation. The deployment of innovative SESAR solutions will be crucial to solve the remaining issues with European air traffic management.

A proposal for a revision of the Single European Sky (SES2+) was put forward by the Commission in 2013, but negotiations had stalled in 2015. In 2020, the Commission published an amended proposal, complemented by a proposal to amend the Basic Regulation on common rules in the field of civil aviation and establishing the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The political agreement was reached between the European Parliament and the Council on 6 March 2024. This was followed by the Council’s adoption of the first reading position on 26 September 2024, and adoption by the Parliament of its second reading position on 22 October 2024.

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