ATC
European ‘single sky’ plan gains momentum
Launched in 1999 by European Commission vice president Loyola de Palacio, the move to create a single European sky (SES) for air traffic management and con

Launched in 1999 by European Commission vice president Loyola de Palacio, the move to create a single European sky (SES) for air traffic management and control appears to have gathered the institutional momentum needed to turn the concept into a reality.

The ambitious program was a response to air-traffic delays in European airspace that had grown through the 1990s to reach an average of 20 minutes per flight that year, partly as a result of restrictions stemming from the conflict in Kosovo. The plan sought to eliminate the national airspace boundaries that not only inhibit efficient airspace sectoring but foster variations in regulations and systems.

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