IATA Says Single European Sky Package Deal is a ‘Failure’

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Thursday released a statement as the European Council prepares to vote on amendments to the Single European Sky (SES) 2+ package.

The Single European Sky (SES) is a European Commission initiative first launched in 1999 that seeks to reform the European air traffic management system through a series of actions carried out in four different levels (institutional, operational, technological and control and supervision) with the aim of satisfying the needs of the European airspace in terms of capacity, safety, efficiency and environmental impact.

In 2013 Commission proposed revising the Single European Sky rules, but the file was stuck with member states until Brexit, which prompted the Commission to upgrade the proposal in 2020. The following year legislators updated their positions and engaged in trilogue negotiations to agree on new draft rules.

According to IATA, the planned amendments will “gut” the vision to modernize European air traffic management.

The association highlights that SES was meant to triple Europe’s airspace capacity, cut costs in half, improve safety by a factor of 10, and improve environmental performance by 10 percent.

However, IATA says that the compromise that the Member States are expected to approve on Friday, March 22, will prevent the SES from delivering on its promise, dent European competitiveness, and leave much-needed emissions savings unrealized.

IATA: SES2+ package deal is a failure

“Failure. All we have to show for the years of SES2+ discussions to unite Europe’s skies is a grubby deal that sells out to narrow national interests and creates a few useless jobs for bureaucrats supported by the European political elite. Oblivious to the consequences, those involved will no doubt soon be patting themselves on the back. Meanwhile travelers, the environment and airlines must prepare to pay with delays, higher costs and unnecessary emissions. It’s a deal that should not be done,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh.

A4E expresses doubts over the package

Europe’s largest airline association, Airlines for Europe (A4E), has also expressed concerns on the final agreement on the Single European Sky.

“We have been consistent in calling for a SES that delivers for airlines, passengers and the planet… It seems this agreement is still some way off this,” said A4E Managing Director Ourania Georgoutsakou.

“This will not be the end of A4E’s efforts to achieve a seamless, digital and a truly Single European Sky that will reduce delays, improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions,” she added.