Single European Sky
Air transport is one of the main pillars of the European market providing employment to huge number of people, generating billion euros to the European GDP and carrying millions of passengers a year. Assuming steady air traffic growth, the European Commission launched in 2004 the Single European Sky (SES) to achieve specific objectives:
• 10-fold increase in safety,
• 3-fold increase in capacity,
• Reduce ATM fees by half,
• Reducing the impact of a single flight on the environment by 10%.
The Single European Sky (SES) initiative tackles the fragmentation of European airspace and aims at improving ATM performance from the safety, capacity, cost-efficiency and environmental perspectives.
Guarantee of achievement these goals are the activities carried out under the supervision of the European Commission. These include legislative work, defragmentation of airspace based on FABs (Functional Airspace Blocks) and the introduction of air traffic management system. To address increasing delays of flights in the EU, the European Commission has appointed Eurocontrol as the Network Manager until 2029 with a mandate to identify short-term congestion and delay reduction measures for peak travel periods.
Measures have also been included in Commission Implementing Regulations such as the Network Functions, and Performance and Charging Scheme Regulation. It obliges the national supervisory authorities of the Member States and Network Manager to develop performance plans based on the goals set for performance indicators in four key performance areas (Safety, Environment, Capacity and Cost Efficiency).
The Performance Plan for the 3rd Reference Period (RP3) for Poland was adopted on May 24 2022, by the Secretary of State, Mr. Marcin Horała. It was published on May 25 2022 on the website of the European Commission (https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/SSKY/) and on the website of the Civil Aviation Authority.
POLAND_Final_RP3 Performance Plan
The 4th Reference Period (RP4) of the Single European Sky ATM Performance Scheme will begin on January 1 2025 and will end on 31 December 2029. The planning process will be based on Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/317.
The PRB advice on the Union-wide target ranges for RP4 was published on 29 September 2023. Stakeholders were subsequently consulted through an online survey as well as during the events conducted in Brussels. In addition, there were follow-up discussions with ANSPs and associated NSAs within the consultation process.
The Commission implementing decision (EU) 2024/1688 of 12 June 2024 setting Union-wide performance targets for the air traffic management network for the fourth reference period from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2029 sets Union-wide performance targets for the air traffic management network for the fourth reference period covering the five calendar years from 2025 to 2029.
To deal with the challenges for the longer term, the Commission has proposed more structural changes. The SES2+ reform aims to introduce structural changes to ensure that the sector is fit to realise its economic potential in a balanced way, by providing for a more flexible and scalable provision of air navigation services, and fit for the operating environment of today and of the future, and by improving on environmental performance. After 10 years of works a revised proposal by the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council have reached an agreement on the new Single European Sky regulation and the related Performance Review Body.
Work is currently nearing completion on the SES 2+ package, which aims to improve air traffic management in terms of safety, capacity, cost efficiency and the environment. Moreover, it establishes, at the aviation authorities, an additional financial control body for institutions providing air navigation services.
After lengthy negotiations, the Council and Parliament negotiating teams reached a provisional agreement at the beginning of second reading on 6 March 2024.
The agreed text introduces performance plans for air navigation services to improve network management of EU airspace, with binding targets and incentives to make flights more efficient and environmentally friendly. An independent advisory Performance Review Board would be set up to help Commission and member states take decisions on the implementation of these plans.
More information on the SES legal framework is available on the European Commission's website: https://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air/single_european_sky_pl
Key legislation
• SES II (2009) legislative package (549/2004, 550/2004, 551/2004)
• Network functions: Commission Implementing Regulation (2019/123)
• Performance and charging: Commission Implementing Regulation (2019/317)
• EASA Basic Regulation (2018)
• SES2+ proposals (COM/2020/579 final and COM/2020/577 final), press release and Staff Working Document
• SESAR’s Common Project 1: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/116