eurocontrol annual report 2008
TRANSCRIPT
04 EUROCONTROL and its 38 Member States
06 Message from the President of the Provisional Council
08 Foreword by the Director General
10 Senior management and organisational structure
12 2008 highlights
14 EUROCONTROL: a partnering organisation
16 Safety
26 Capacity
38 Efficiency and cost-effectiveness
48 Environment
54 Civil-military ATM coordination
60 The Single European Sky
66 SESAR
68 Human resources
70 Corporate governance
72 Financial information
83 Glossary
Tabl
e of
con
tent
s
4
EUROCONTROL, the European Organisation for the Safety
of Air Navigation, is an intergovernmental organisation
made up of 38 Member States and the European
Community and has as its primary objective the
development of a seamless, pan-European air
traffic management (ATM) system.
Originally founded in 1960 as a civil-military Organisation
to deal with air traffic control for civil and military users
in the upper airspace of its six founding European
Member States (Belgium, Germany, France,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom),
EUROCONTROL has developed into a vital European
repository of ATM excellence, both leading and
supporting ATM improvements across Europe.
Today, together with its partners, EUROCONTROL is
committed to building a Single European Sky that will
deliver the ATM performance required for the twenty-first
century and beyond.
Working in partnership
To achieve its mission, EUROCONTROL works closely with
Member States, air navigation service providers, civil and
military airspace users, airports, the aerospace industry,
professional organisations, intergovernmental
organisations and the European institutions.
EUROCONTROLThe European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation
5
38Member
StatesAlbania
Armenia
Austria
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus
the Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Lithuania
Luxembourg
the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Malta
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
the Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
Ukraine
the United Kingdom
6
2008 was something of a tumultuous year with
political upheaval, natural disasters, a sharp increase
then decline in fuel prices – which affected the air
transport industry considerably – and the onset of a
global recession.
Yet there were positive points for air traffic
management and EUROCONTROL.
SESARSpring saw a high note with the acceptance of the
SESAR Master Plan and Work Programme, an event
which marked the formal opening of the Development
Phase, to be led by the SESAR Joint Undertaking,
in coordination with public and private partners.
Efforts to align SESAR with NextGen, the United States’
air traffic management modernisation programme,
were maintained.
Traffic and delaysThere was less good news on the delay front. In 2008,
air traffic flow management delays – caused by air
traffic control capacity, staffing, weather and
aerodrome capacity – increased by 10%, to 2.3 minutes
in 2008 compared with 2.1 in 2007.
53% of all delays were attributed to airlines, with 17%
caused by airports, 13% by en-route and 10%
by weather.
In 2008, the total number of flights in Europe was 10
million – an increase of 0.5% compared with 2007,
the first time in five years that the increase in the
number of flights was so low.
Major European markets, in particular Italy, the UK and
Spain saw significant declines in traffic (-2.7, -1.7% and
-2.1% respectively). Eastern Europe, with Poland in
particular, and Turkey continued to experience overall
growth in traffic (Turkey: 8.3% and Poland: 9.8%).
Message from the President of the Provisional Council
7EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
Growth – now and in the futureThere were clear indications that growth in the air
transport industry was slowing down – possibly even
stopping altogether for a while. But the third
“Challenges of Growth” study published in 2008,
containing EUROCONTROL’s forecasts, indicated that
growth will return in time.
The experts who compiled the study are optimistic
that the air transport industry will emerge from the
troubled financial times that they are currently going
through and that the prospects for growth are good –
perhaps even too good, for there could be as many as
2.3 million unaccommodated flights by the year 2030.
Challenges aheadThe challenges facing European air traffic management
remain broadly the same – how to make the system
safer, how to make it perform better in terms
of cost and efficiency, how to increase capacity and
reduce delays and how to help mitigate aviation’s
impact on the environment.
EUROCONTROL has worked hard on all these
challenges, making good progress in each,
as you will see from the pages that follow.
I would like to thank the EUROCONTROL Agency as
well as all our stakeholders and partners in this
industry for all their fine work during 2008. My thanks,
too, to the senior management of the Agency and my
peers on the Provisional Council for the constant
support they have given to me over the year.
Nils Gunnar Billinger
(( I would like to thank the EURO- CONTROL Agency as well as all ourstakeholders and partners in this industry for all their fine work during 2008.
My thanks, too, to the senior mana- gement of the Agency and my peers on the Provisional Council for the constant support they have givento me over the year. ))
8
2008 was the first year of my mandate as Director
General of the EUROCONTROL Agency and it was
certainly an interesting one.
My aim overall is for the EUROCONTROL Agency to
demonstrate the substantial value it provides to the
European ATM system. But for the Agency to continue
doing this, it has to be closely aligned to the needs of
its most important stakeholders.
With this in mind, several initiatives were conducted
over the year.
Arguably the most fundamental change was the
creation of a single Directorate to reflect the Agency’s
core business: Cooperative Network Design, CND. This
move drew together all the service units or directorates
that deal with cooperative network design – in France,
Luxembourg, Hungary and many in Brussels; they have
now been consolidated and strengthened.
The reason for doing this was to bring together all their
knowledge and expertise, making for greater synergy,
and to cut overlap and cost.
Having one, single CND Directorate allows the EURO-
CONTROL Agency to work in clearer, more transparent
partnership with our stakeholders in the design and
implementation of a pan-European ATM system:
a system to meet both the short-term and the longer-
term requirements.
A change of equal impact on the Agency’s stakeholder
relations was made with the evolution in the
governance arrangements.
Supervisory Boards were created for all main services:
cooperative network design, central flow management
and route charges collection.
The Air Navigation Services Board received a firm
mandate and remit from the Provisional Council, taking
it beyond the mere advisory role played by the earlier
Forewordby the Director General
9EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
board of the same name – and well beyond the
functions of the former Chief Executive Standing
Conference. It has real powers in approving the
Agency’s Business Plan and in endorsing financial
commitments.
The new governance arrangements are a major step
forward in modernising EUROCONTROL and in imple-
menting the principles of transparency and partner-
ship. This change in our approach to business increases
the effectiveness of interaction with all our
stakeholders.
The new governance arrangements required an adap-
tation of the way that the Agency sets its strategy, and
develops its Business Plan and budget. A new planning
cycle, in which the stakeholders are involved, was
created, as was a methodology for preparing the
budget; both these initiatives will contribute to the
overall aim of controlling costs and increasing
transparency, giving a clearer picture of expenditure
and return on investment.
Other key internal changes were made during the year.
An Agency Improvement Programme was launched
to provide a good overview of the resources allocated
to the Agency’s main deliverables and services.
The Administrative Reform came into effect on 1 July:
this entailed a major modernisation of working condi-
tions, opening a range of opportunities for staff as well
as making it possible to strengthen performance across
the Agency.
Another positive move was the establishment of a rein-
forced corporate communications function to ensure
a coherent Agency approach. This new unit focused in
2008 on staff engagement projects, aimed at involving
staff in the issues that affect them and the Agency.
In this Annual Report for 2008, you will find details
on the main thrusts of the Agency’s activities: safety,
capacity, cost-efficiency, environmental sustainability,
civil-military coordination, the implementation of the
Single European Sky and its associated research and
development programme, SESAR.
A variety of projects and programmes fall into each
of these categories and much effort is devoted to
completing them on time and on budget. I am grateful
to EUROCONTROL’s staff for the hard work – and to the
Directors for their leadership – which underpins this.
The EUROCONTROL Agency and Organisation face
challenges ahead, as does the European ATM
system and the air transport industry as a whole. But
by working more closely with stakeholders in a new era
of transparency, EUROCONTROL will be well placed to
help the European ATM system develop uniformly, in
the short, medium and long term.
David McMillan
(( In this Annual Report for 2008,you will find details on the main thrusts of the Agency’s activities: safety, capacity, cost-efficiency, environmental sustainability, civil-military coordination, the implementation of the Single European Sky and its associated research and development programme, SESAR. ))
10
Senior management& organisational structure
Karl-Heinz KloosDirector Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre
Jean-Robert Cazarré Deputy Director Cooperative Network Design,Director Civil-Military ATM Coordination and Single European SkyImplementation
Jacques DopagneDirector Central Flow Management Unit
Adriaan HeerbaartDirector Central RouteCharges Office
Alberto VaranoPrincipal Director Resources
Situation as at July 2009
David McMillanDirector General
Bo RedebornPrincipal Director Cooperative Network Design
In 2008:
Guido KerkhofsDirector Air Traffic Management Programmes
Volker ThiemDirector Human Resources and Administration
Jan Van DoornDirector EUROCONTROL Experimental Centre
Lars WedbäckDirector Institute of Air Navigation Services
11EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
Situation as at July 2009
Performance ReviewCommission (PRC)
Civil / Military Interface Standing Committee
(CMIC)
PC Coordination Committee (PCC)
AGENCY
Director General
Pension Fund Supervisory Board (PFSB)
Committee of Management (CE)
Maastricht Coordination Group (MCG)
Standing Committee on Finance (SCF)
Enlarged Committee for Route Charges
(CE-R)
Safety Regulation Commission (SRC)
Audit Board (AB)
Air Navigation Services Board (ANSB)
Operations Coordination Group (OCG)
Directorate of ResourcesMaastricht Upper Area
Control Centre
Central Route Charges Office
Central FlowManagement Unit
Directorate of Cooperative Network Design
Stakeholder Consultation Group (SCG)
European ATM Staff Representatives
Conference (EASC)
Supervisory Boards:- CFMU-SB- CND-SB- CRCO-SB- DR-SB
Military ATM Board (MAB)
PROVISIONAL COUNCIL (PC)
Directors General of Civil Aviation and their military
counterparts
PERMANENT COMMISSION (CN)
Transport and Defence Ministers
2008 highlights
12
1 JanuaryDavid McMillan takes over as Director General of EUROCONTROL.
18 JanuaryFirst operational use of Mode S flight identity downlink.
30 JanuaryEUROCONTROL issues“Getting to the Point: Business Aviation in Europe”.
20 FebruaryEUROCONTROL starts to allocate Mode S Surveillance Identifier (SI) Interrogator Codes to cope with the expansion of Secondary Surveillance Radar Mode S (SSR Mode S) systems in Europe.
EUROCONTROL Safety RegulationCommission celebrates ten years of achievement in increasing air traffic management safety.
6 MarchEUROCONTROL releases new guidance material to help air navigation service providers design contingency strategies and operational practices to best deal with challenging circumstances.
11 MarchEUROCONTROL and Flight Safety Foundation partner to improve aviation safety in Europe.
13 MarchBulgaria, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal and Spain enforce the mandatory carriage of 8.33kHz radio equipment above FL 195. This means that all European States are now aligned with European Commission Regulation 1265/2007 on this issue.
7 AprilEurope launches the standardisation of the next data-link step.
24 AprilEUROCONTROL agrees the SESAR Master Plan and theWork Programme for 2008-2013.
9 MayEUROCONTROL launches new wiki-style web
page on aviation safety – SKYbrary.
16 MayThe Performance Review Commission (PRC)
celebrates its 10th anniversary.
1 FebruaryEUROCONTROL accepts the SESAR
ATM Deployment Sequence.
13EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
6 JuneEAD: five successful years centralising European aeronautical information.
27 JuneNumber of flights in Europe hits 34,476, an all-time record.
4 JulyMaastricht UAC handles record daily number of flights (5,024)
15 JulyThe EUROCONTROL Performance Review Commission issues sixth ATM Cost-EffectivenessBenchmarking Report.
9 SeptemberCANSO, EUROCONTROL and IATA agree
flight efficiency plan to reduce fuel burn and emissions.
First ICAO Forum dedicatedto SESAR and NextGen.
2 OctoberAvinor and EUROCONTROL complete the first phase
of real-time simulations to evaluate a new airspace organisation of the Oslo TMA with Point Merge.
15 OctoberThe European Commission endorses the SES data-link services implementing rule drafted by EUROCONTROL that will see full-scale implementation of data-link services across Europe by 2015.
21 OctoberEUROCONTROL announces that Air France, Air One and Volkswagen, three of the 18 aircraft operators participating in its ADS-B Pioneer Airlines programme, have become the world’s first airlines to obtain EASA’s approval to use ADS-B in airspace not covered by radar.
28 OctoberEUROCONTROL and ACI EUROPE sign a wide-ranging cooperative agreement, which commits the two organisations to joint action to enhance airport infrastructure capacity across Europe.
2 DecemberEUROCONTROL issues
the Challenges of Growth Study.
8 DecemberOfficial Inauguration of the SESAR Joint Undertaking
15 DecemberEUROCONTROL Maastricht UAC implements a next-generation
interoperable flight-data processing system (FDPS).
14 NovemberEUROCONTROL’s 38 Member
States adopt an ambitious reform package to modernise
the Organisation and to respond fully to the objectives
of the Single European Sky.
14
The context
European ATM and EUROCONTROL face a number of
major challenges which need to be addressed to ensure
that the growth of aviation in Europe is supported by
a safe, efficient, cost-effective and environmentally
responsible ATM system.
The Single European Sky and the European ATM Master
Plan set the scene. The common goal is to concentrate
all stakeholder efforts on developing a new system,
based on the SESAR concept of operation. Coordinated
implementation, driving the change from the current
system to the future one, has the highest priority. It will
be instrumental in tackling these key challenges:
n Enhance safety
n Boost flight efficiency
n Reduce airspace fragmentation
n Increase cost-effectiveness
n Accommodate traffic growth
n Mitigate aviation’s impact on the environment
The Agency’s strategicobjectivesThese challenges have been translated into a set of stra-
tegic objectives, which call for improvements in specific
performance areas (safety, capacity, efficiency, cost-
effectiveness, environmental sustainability and civil-
military coordination and cooperation), and contribu-
tions to SESAR and Single European Sky developments.
They also call for institutional changes.
In order to contribute to the achievement of these
objectives, the Agency in 2008 focused on:
n giving priority to its activities delivering capacity,
safety, and efficiency to the network in the short
term, while creating the baseline for future system
developments;
n further improving the quality and effectiveness of
its services to stakeholders;
n preparing for the SESAR Joint Undertaking and the
SESAR deployment phase;
n continuing to work with all parties to promote the
concept of a Single European Sky in full coordina-
tion with the European Commission;
n developing performance management and trans-
parency within the Agency, striving for cost-
effectiveness.
Added value of the Agency
Many parties in the aviation community have a vested
interest in catering for their political, societal, regula-
tory and business needs. This fact reinforces the need to
organise system design and operation collaboratively,
taking a global perspective.
The EUROCONTROL Agency, following a network
approach, brings value to the development of European
ATM by:
n working for the common good of the aviation
system;
n taking an impartial pan-European view;
n consulting with all stakeholders at all stages;
n providing a unique pan-European civil-military
interface;
n focusing its ATM expertise on pan-European issues.
Internal reform
In 2008, the Agency progressively aligned its organisa-
tional structure with changing environment and stake-
holder needs with the aim of improving internal effi-
ciency and cost-effectiveness.
With this in mind, Cooperative Network Design (CND)
was created at the beginning of 2009 as a single business
unit, integrating all the activities of the participating
EUROCONTROL:A partnering organisation
15EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
directorates into a single work programme with governance
ensured by a Supervisory Board assuming responsibility
for overall activity and the related budget. This will reduce
internal fragmentation, enhance synergies and improve the
implementation of the Single European Sky and the Euro-
pean ATM Master Plan.
Furthermore, within the support functions a reorganisa-
tion has also taken place, resulting in the grouping of the
activities of the General Secretariat, Finance and Human
Resources Directorate into the Directorate Resources. These
rationalisation processes are expected to deliver more clar-
ity and cost-efficiency.
An internal reorganisation process is also being assessed
for the CFMU with a view to the establishment of a network
management function.
Agency governance
The Agency’s vision is to be a partnering organisation with
strong stakeholder relations based on transparent coopera-
tion. It is determined to reinforce industry involvement and to
enhance stakeholder partnerships to improve its governance.
A significant milestone in this direction was achieved in
2008 when the Provisional Council approved new gover-
nance arrangements for EUROCONTROL, introducing a new
decision-making process, which will see the Organisation
modernised and realigned so that it can respond fully to the
objectives of the Single European Sky.
The key principle behind the changes is that while EURO-
CONTROL continues to be an intergovernmental Organisa-
tion, governance on all matters relating to or supporting
service provision will increasingly come from industry, in-
cluding air navigation service providers, airspace users, the
military community and airports.
In essence, the governance arrangements break down
into three different levels:
n At corporate level, a reinforced Air Navigation
Services Board (ANSB) has been created to over-
see areas of relevance to service provision and to
approve the Agency’s Strategy and Business Plan,
endorsing associated financial commitments.
n At organisational level, Supervisory Boards will be
created within the Agency (CND, CRCO, CFMU) with
membership open to external non-executive Direc-
tors. These boards will provide advice and guidance
to the respective Directors and the Director General
on the execution and management of major Agency
tasks.
n At project and programme level, consultative
bodies (Stakeholder Consultation Group, Opera-
tions Coordination Group, etc.) and the Military ATM
Board (MAB) are confirmed in their role of providing
advice to the Director General. The MAB, composed
of national heads of military air traffic management,
also reports to the Provisional Council on request.
Strong coordination between these groups will ensure
that the Agency is fully aligned with the strategic priori-
ties and objectives agreed with stakeholders.
The route charges system will continue to be governed,
supported and monitored by the enlarged Committee
for Route Charges, and MUAC by the Maastricht Coor-
dination Group.
16
The average safety maturity level for ANSPs has increased from a baseline of 55% in 2002 to 81% in 2008 – a 5% increase on the 2007 figure of 76%.
Regulators have also shown steady progress with an average maturity level rising from the 2002 baseline figure of 53% to 75% recorded in 2008 – a 4% increase over the 71% score attained in 2007.
EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008 17
Safety Our absolute priority
Safety remains the core priority in everything the Agency
does, and in order to make continuous improvements
to the high standards already enjoyed throughout
EUROCONTROL and the wider European Civil Aviation
Conference (ECAC) airspace, it is essential that progress
is measured on a regular and frequent basis.
Accordingly, the 2008 ATM safety framework maturity
survey was the fifth of its type conducted since the first
survey in 2002. The results show the extent of progress
achieved by air navigation service providers (ANSPs)
and regulators in each of the 44 ECAC States as they
continue to implement their ATM safety requirements
and obligations. Once again, there was a welcome and
encouraging increase in overall safety maturity.
The average safety maturity level for ANSPs has in-
creased from a baseline of 55% in 2002 to 81% in 2008
– a 5% increase on the 2007 figure of 76%. Regulators
have also shown steady progress with an average
maturity level rising from the 2002 baseline figure of
53% to 75% recorded in 2008 – a 4% increase over the
71% score attained in 2007.
As far as ANSPs are concerned, the key challenges dur-
ing 2008 were cultural and technical. From the cultural
perspective, there remain some difficulties in overcom-
ing the concept of a no-blame reporting system as well
as accepting that the public has a right to see safety
data. On the technical front, there is evidence that it is
not always easy for ANSPs to understand every safety
target and this has, on occasions, led to obstacles in de-
veloping the appropriate performance indicators.
Normalised State count
Mat
urit
y sc
ore
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
2008 normalised ECAC ATM regulator maturity profile
Reg. 2002
Reg. 2007
Reg. 2008
Normalised State count
Mat
urit
y sc
ore
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
2008 normalised ECAC ANSPs maturity profile
ANSPs 2002
ANSPs 2007
ANSPs 2008
Normalised State count
Mat
urit
y sc
ore
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
2008 normalised ECAC ATM regulator maturity profile
Reg. 2002
Reg. 2007
Reg. 2008
Normalised State count
Mat
urit
y sc
ore
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
2008 normalised ECAC ANSPs maturity profile
ANSPs 2002
ANSPs 2007
ANSPs 2008
2008 normalised ECAC ANSP maturity profile
2008 normalised ECAC ATM regulator maturity profile
18
Regulators, on the other hand, are becoming more famil-
iar with requirements, and are consequently achieving
higher maturity levels than before. Activities which were
previously rated as ‘developing’ are now being more
generally assessed as ‘maturing’. There are however,
some sticking points. A number of States have reported
major concerns with duplication of ATM regulation pro-
mulgated by both EUROCONTROL and the European
Community. Furthermore, many States have indicated
that trying to implement an increase in new regulations
from European institutions is proving difficult at times.
Moreover, regulators and Ministries, responsible for un-
derstanding and implementing new regulations, are of-
ten not adequately resourced to carry out this function
successfully. Recruiting, training and retaining enough
people to meet their obligations is not always possible
for some regulators due to insufficient funding.
Another safety framework maturity survey will be
carried out in 2009 by which time all participants will
be expected to have achieved at least a 70% maturity
score. However, a new methodology and process are
being developed with the States, the Civil Air Navigation
Services Organisation (CANSO) and other stakehold-
ers in accordance with the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) Global Roadmap.
SafetyOur absolute priority
Implementing safetyat the heart of the systemEuropean Safety Programme
Throughout 2008, progress was made on the European
Safety Programme (ESP), launched in February 2006.
Building on the successes of its predecessor, the
European Strategic Safety Action Plan, ESP provides a
more structured and robust approach to implementing
enhanced safety concepts and processes across the 44
ECAC States. This allows safety regulators and ANSPs to
work towards a common minimum level of safety regu-
lation and management whilst introducing higher levels
of ATM safety overall. Following achievement of the 70%
maturity level by the end of 2009, regulators and ANSPs
will have to progressively improve their safety perfor-
mance, and bring about a decrease in the number of
serious category airproxes (a compromise in safety due to
aircraft flying too close to each other) as well as runway
incursion incidents by 2013.
Working towards this goal, a major workshop
“Improving Operational and Flight Safety Performance
at Madrid Barajas” was held in Madrid in April 2008,
organised by EUROCONTROL, IATA and AENA – the
Spanish air navigation service provider. One of the ini-
tial high-level recommendations from the workshop
was for airlines, ANSPs, EUROCONTROL and other
stakeholders to form operational and safety partner-
ships to openly discuss issues and identify common
solutions. Ongoing involvement of all stakeholders
in the common efforts to improve safety and opera-
tions was also seen as crucial, as was the consolida-
tion of the mechanisms for providing feedback to air-
ESP provides a more structured and robust approachto implementing enhancedsafety concepts and processes across the 44 ECAC States.
19EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
lines on incident reports. Participants in the workshop
noted that full implementation of the ESP was a key objec-
tive, and called for joint training of pilots and controllers
on crew resource management and team resource man-
agement.
The workshop also discussed a new EUROCONTROL initia-
tive, EVAIR, which has begun to collect and analyse vol-
untary incident reports. EVAIR enables early identification
of potential safety risks, a very quick feedback loop, and
a sharing of best practices and lessons learnt. It also en-
ables incident analysis, both on a European level and in
individual countries.
Safety monitoring
In February 2008, EUROCONTROL’s independent Safety
Regulation Commission (SRC) received the results of
the 2007 RVSM (Reduced Vertical Separation Minima)
Safety Monitoring Report. It was noted that the total
risk estimate in the report was above the target level of
safety set for the European region. However, due to the
lack of credible operational error data, the quality of the
‘operational risk’ estimate was very low. Consequently,
the EUR Regional Monitoring Agency (RMA) liaised with
the SRC, and as a result, the RMA, in coordination with
the ICAO Paris Office and other stakeholders carried
out a detailed process audit of its numerical calculation
methods. States were also asked to provide the Altitude
Deviation Reports (ADRs) required for compiling the an-
nual RMA Safety Monitoring Report. Following these
actions and with a view to increasing and enhancing EUR
RVSM safety monitoring, the SRC confirmed its support for
the mandatory integration of altitude deviation data in the
SRC Annual Summary Templates (AST) and the possible in-
clusion of RVSM monitoring in safety oversight audits at
national, ICAO and EUROCONTROL levels. The anticipated
benefits of integrated reporting are consistent with the
recommendations of the Safety Data Reporting and Data
Flow Task Force (SAFREP TF) and with the periodicity of
RVSM reporting.
The mandatory AST reporting mechanism was further
enhanced with the introduction of a second reporting
cycle, increasing the reporting frequency to the Provision-
al Council (PC) with the addition of an SRC Intermediate
Report in May and the SRC Annual Report in November. The
SAFREP TF and its KPI (key performance indicator) Ad-hoc
Group also made significant progress in developing safety
KPIs, and, after several workshops, both ‘leading’ and ‘lag-
ging’ safety indicators are making headway in line with the
approved roadmap. For the first time ever, an agreement may
be concluded on the principles of severity assessments for
safety occurrences, while a revised safety maturity method-
ology for ANSPs and regulators is nearing completion. A full
package will be presented to the PC in December 2009.
Initial flight plan regulations
In 2008, the Central Flow Management Unit (CFMU) carried
out an Inititial Flight Plan Processing System (IFPS) conformity
assessment and produced a declaration of verification of
the IFPS system in order to demonstrate the compliance of
the system with the requirements of the EUROCONTROL
specification for the initial flight plan. The work was
conducted by the CFMU, overseen by the EUROCONTROL
Regulatory Unit and assisted by an independent third party
regulatory specialist.
Reinforcing a safety culture
Safety culture is the way safety is perceived, valued and pri-
oritised within an organisation. It reflects the actual commit-
ment to safety at all levels within the organisation. Safety
should not be seen as a cost but as an opportunity to achieve
superior business performance.
To that end, almost 100 senior managers, safety managers and
safety experts from European ANSPs, together with represen-
tatives from the USA’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
and CANSO attended a conference in Rome at the end of 2008
to discuss and share best practice on how to implement a safe-
ty culture. The conference, organised by EUROCONTROL and
the Italian air navigation service provider (ENAV), was held to
demonstrate and reinforce that both commitment and lead-
ership are necessary to raise awareness, understanding and
motivation for a positive safety culture.
EUROCONTROL has always maintained alignment with re-
lated major programmes such as the CANSO Safety Culture
Roadmap and has supported the European Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA) efforts to develop a generalised definition of
safety culture.
20
SafetyOur absolute priority
In March 2008, EUROCONTROL and the Flight SafetyFoundation signed a partnership agreement to reinforce global aviation safety.
Just culture new guidelines
To clarify and create a better understanding of just cul-
ture, EUROCONTROL released two new documents in
February and June 2008 respectively; the first entitled
‘Just Culture Guidance Material for Interfacing with the
Judicial System’ and the second ‘Just Culture Guidance
Material for Interfacing with the Media’ – both are avail-
able on the EUROCONTROL website.
The guidelines for dealing with the judicial system cover
the implementation of a just culture as well as helping
to identify the potential for creating national and in-
ternational just cultures. All definitions of a just culture
draw a line between acceptable and unacceptable be-
haviour. This line, however, is exactly what makes imple-
mentation difficult. Efforts centre therefore, around the
three key issues of:
n drawing the line between acceptable and unaccept-
able behaviour;
n the role of domain expertise in judging acceptable or
unacceptable behaviour;
n protecting safety data against judicial interference.
The guidelines, designed for dealing with the media,
examine the options for creating an environment in
which journalists are better informed about ATM in
general and the impact that a just culture has on this
function. The document also provides easily acces-
sible and compelling ways to achieve improved media
awareness. In addition, it explains how ANSPs, National
Aviation Authorities (NAAs) and Aviation Accident In-
vestigation Boards (AAIBs) can ensure that the informa-
tion they provide to the media has credibility.
A collaborative approach to safety
In March 2008, EUROCONTROL and the Flight Safety
Foundation (FSF) signed a partnership agreement to
reinforce global aviation safety. The partnership aims at
strengthening cooperation between the two organisa-
tions in order to reduce aviation safety risk. Under the
terms of the agreement, the EUROCONTROL Agency
now serves as a ‘privileged partner’ for ATM safety in
Europe, responsible for coordinating the promotion and
implementation of FSF safety initiatives and products
in Europe. For its part, the FSF has begun promoting
EUROCONTROL within the context of international safe-
ty plans and initiatives in Europe, such as the ICAO Glob-
al Safety Plan and Global Aviation Safety Roadmap.
In May 2008, EUROCONTROL and FSF, along with the
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the
UK Flight Safety Committee (UKFSC), launched a new
wiki-style website, SKYbrary, which aims to become the
single point of reference for aviation-safety knowledge.
The site, www.skybrary.aero, provides in-depth safety-
related information for aviation professionals. It already
hosts some 1,500 articles, covering 15 areas, including
safety-critical issues such as level bust and runway in-
cursion.
Safe integration of new aircraft types
Unmanned Aerial Systems
EUROCONTROL believes that Unmanned Aerial Systems
(UAS) should be integrated into the pan-European ATM
network alongside manned aircraft, and on that basis,
the Agency is providing the European lead on ATM
aspects of UAS flight outside segregated airspace. As
one would expect, this work involves a large number
21EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
of agencies, organisations and representative bodies.
EUROCONTROL’s specific contribution is to develop
and progress policy on ATM for civil and military UAS.
Consequently, the Agency has established a “UAS ATM
Integration Activity” consisting of a two-stream parallel
approach, drawing upon particular Agency expertise
in the areas of ATM, communications, human factors,
legal, navigation, R&D, safety, security, SESAR, spectrum
and surveillance (including Airborne Collision Avoid-
ance Systems – ACAS).
During 2008, EUROCONTROL made significant contribu-
tions to preparing the groundwork for integrating UAS
into the ATM network. A UAS workshop was held at the
Agency’s facilities in May, a real-time ATC-UAS simula-
tion was completed, work started on a UAS ATM human
factors study and a UAS ATM security case was launched.
EUROCONTROL also began promoting the Agency’s
specifications for the use of Military Unmanned Aerial
Systems as Operational Air Traffic (OAT) outside segre-
gated airspace. In addition, development work on a UAS
‘legal’ considerations package began, and preparations
were made for the Agency’s UAS C3 spectrum require-
ments proposal in advance of the World Radiocom-
munication Conference in 2011 (WRC ‘11). Moreover,
EUROCONTROL also led the EUROCAE WG-73 (UAS) and
the ICAO UAS Study Group.
Furthermore, throughout the year, EUROCONTROL’s
Safety Regulation Commission continued to develop
European regulatory provisions for UAS in cooperation
with ICAO, EUROCAE and EASA. The existing ATM safety
regulatory framework for air transport infrastructure and
air navigation service provision was considered valid for
UAS traffic and relevant for the operation of UAS aircraft
outside non-segregated airspace.
In December 2008, the ICAO UAS Study Group (UAS
SG) initiated a detailed review of relevant annexes to
the Chicago Convention. The Safety Regulation Unit
will contribute material, including proposals to amend
Annexes 1, 2, 11, 12 and 17 and their associated safety
aspects. Also, the ATM safety assessment for UAS was
initiated in partnership with the EUROCAE WG-73 to
identify a set of safety requirements which, if imple-
mented, will ensure that the introduction of UAS will
be acceptably safe. The assessment will be compliant
with ESARR 4 (Risk Assessment and Mitigation in ATM)
and the EUROCONTROL Safety Assessment Methodol-
ogy (SAM) and initially reflect on two UAS operational
scenarios to provide a realistic context into which UAS
will be operated.
Light jets
On another aspect of airspace integration, the introduc-
tion of light and very light jets into European airspace has
prompted the potential requirement for these aircraft
to be fitted with Airborne Collision Avoidance Systems
(ACAS). The AVAL project seeks to establish whether or
not equipping these aircraft with ACAS II will have an
effect on the overall performance of the ACAS safety net.
If they are not equipped with ACAS, these aircraft will
not benefit from the additional safety margins provided
by this system and will mostly rely on air traffic control
and the ‘see-and-avoid’ principle for collision avoidance.
On the other hand, if they are equipped with ACAS, it
remains to be seen whether one-pilot operations and
aircraft performance are acceptable from the collision
avoidance point of view. The AVAL project delivered its
initial findings in April 2008, and the final report will be
published in October 2009.
Improved safety systems and protocols
The project to achieve Europe-wide compliance with
the EUROCONTROL specification for Short-Term Conflict
Alert (STCA) continued into its second year during 2008.
Significant progress was made – although a number
of States reported that they had not completed their
portion of the work. Meanwhile the development of
EUROCONTROL specifications for Area Proximity Warn-
ing (APW), Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW)
and Approach Path Monitor (APM) progressed well, in
preparation for a five-year implementation period for
these safety nets which will commence in 2009. In order
to cater for this important undertaking, the SPIN (Safety
Nets Performance Improvement Network) Task Force
was transformed from into a Sub-Group, to provide
continued support during the implementation phase.
The transformation took place at the second Safety Nets
Workshop in May 2008.
22
SafetyOur absolute priority
In 2008, the three-year PASS project (Performance and
Safety aspects of STCA), concentrating on monitoring
aspects, reached the end of its first phase. This phase not
only provided the required understanding of the cur-
rent situation regarding STCA and ACAS performance in
Europe, but also delivered deeper insight into the feasi-
bility of down-linking ACAS Resolution Advisories (RAs)
to be displayed on controller working positions.
Following extensive work initiated by EUROCONTROL,
Revised Minimum Operational Performance Standards
(MOPS) for the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance Sys-
tem (TCAS) were published in July 2008. This enhance-
ment will be known as TCAS II, version 7.1. The reason
for the change was the identification of two safety issues
during the safety studies launched by EUROCONTROL.
These issues are: the failure of TCAS to reverse the sense
of RAs when such actions are required to resolve a colli-
sion threat, and the frequent instances of unintentional
manoeuvres in the wrong direction specified by an RA.
At a Call Sign Similarity Information Session and User
Group Meeting attended by over 60 representatives
from airlines and air navigation service providers in
December 2008, EUROCONTROL proposed a new safety
improvement initiative to reduce the safety risk associ-
ated with call sign similarity. Research has shown that
over 80% of call sign similarities could be resolved by
the creation of a central management service. Follow-
ing the Call Sign Similarity Information Session, the Call
Sign Similarity User Group was formally launched in
December 2008 to support the design of the first steps
of European-wide de-confliction solutions.
R&D delivering improved safety methods and toolsIn order to establish a more comprehensive under-
standing of how tactical controllers provide separation,
as well as ensure that current performance levels are
maintained following the introduction of future con-
cepts such as SESAR, a separation assurance tool has
been developed for en-route and TMA (airport Termi-
nal Manoeuvring Area) operations for simulations and
live operational systems. It was successfully used twice
during simulations at Brétigny and is now being further
validated using data from the Maastricht Upper Area
Control Centre. The device, referred to as the SPT (Sepa-
ration Performance Tool), will make a key and quite
unique contribution towards SESAR Work Package 16.1
(WP16.1) helping to support the design of the overall
SESAR concept whilst moving it closer to its eventual
implementation.
In a related activity, an initial Human Reliability Analy-
sis (HRA) method, called CARA (Controller Actions Reli-
ability Analysis) has been developed and will be further
refined with the integration of pilot actions during the
WP16.1 process. The analytical tool will address human
actions, errors and recovery in safety assessment and
safety case development.
In 2008, EUROCONTROL safety-assessment staff pro-
duced a guide in response to concerns about the com-
plexity of safety assessment documentation. Known as
SAME (Safety Assessment Made Easier), the guide also
explains why the scope of ATM safety assessment needs
to be broadened in order to encompass a more success-
ful approach to safety assessment in terms of what may
have been traditionally perceived as ’operational’ rather
than safety issues. The ideas communicated in the guide
form the foundations for the SESAR Safety Management
Plan (SMP) which specifies the safety assurance activities
to be conducted throughout the SESAR system lifecycle.
The SMP has been summarised in the SESAR Milestone
Delivery 6 (D6). The SMP and D6 promote a dual top-
down and bottom-up approach to safety assessment,
with the top-down approach enabling the correct
assignment of safety targets to individual components
23EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
In 2008, the Institute delivered 96 safety courses to more than 1,300 participants, representing about one third of the total number of ATM course participants.
of the SESAR system and the bottom-up approach
assessing whether those components can meet the
derived safety levels. For the former, a preliminary
outline of a predicted risk picture for SESAR in 2020 has
been developed, based on an integrated risk model
initially created by EUROCONTROL’s Experimental
Centre in Brétigny.
Training for safety
Developing and delivering safety training is a key activ-
ity of the EUROCONTROL Institute of Air Navigation Ser-
vices. In 2008, the Institute delivered 96 safety courses
to more than 1,300 participants, representing about one
third of the total number of ATM course participants.
New safety courses were also developed and launched
in 2008 on the following subjects:
n ATM Software Safety Assessment;
n Safety Assessment of ATM Procedures;
n Developing the ATM Safety Case.
As a result of the introduction of Single European Sky
(SES) regulations, existing EUROCONTROL safety regu-
latory training has been reviewed and an expanded
training programme designed specifically for National
Supervisory Authorities (NSAs). Known as the NSA
Training Initiative (NTI), it provides a basic knowledge
of all the regulations NSAs must supervise as well as the
core skills required for performing the supervision. In
December 2008, EUROCONTROL organised a workshop
to discuss how individual NSAs intended to meet their
regulatory provisions on training and to identify their
future training needs. The aim is to launch the NTI train-
ing package in autumn 2009.
In accordance with the Human Factors SENSE Pro-
gramme, EUROCONTROL continued to refine training
specifications for air traffic controllers. It also contrib-
uted to the development of refresher e-learning pack-
ages such as the All Clear Web-Based Training Package
www.allclear.aero. Moreover, a major revision of ATCO
Initial Common Core Training objectives was released as
a EUROCONTROL specification on 21 October 2008. In
addition, the Agency added an extra – and alternative
– System Monitoring and Control qualification to the
Guidelines for a Common Qualification Level of Techni-
cal Training for Air Traffic Services Electronics Personnel
(ATSEP).
By the end of 2008, 1,700 air traffic controllers in 13
Member States had been examined under the English
Language Proficiency for Aeronautical Communication
(ELPAC) testing system. Some 168 ELPAC test adminis-
trators, markers and examiners were accredited after
attending one of the 18 accreditation workshops. Some
40 examiners from eight countries attended one of the
six refresher workshops organised in 2008. Furthermore,
a specific version of the test, ‘ELPACst’, is under develop-
ment in support of the requirements of the European
Commission’s Directive on the Common ATC Licence for
ATCO Students, which will come into effect on 17 May
2010.
As part of the attempts of the Maastricht Upper Area
Control Centre (MUAC) to embed a more robust safe-
ty culture at all levels of the organisation, the Centre
continued the delivery of safety management training
courses during the year. In addition to this training, an
independent survey of its safety culture was launched in
collaboration with the United Kingdom’s Aberdeen Uni-
versity. All MUAC employees were invited to participate
in the survey, which was based on EUROCONTROL’s own
safety culture measurement methodology. The results
are expected in 2009, with the development of any cul-
tural improvements to commence shortly thereafter.
24
Safe regional ATC provision – Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC)In 2008 flights in EUROCONTROL’s MUAC airspace
enjoyed the highest standards of safety. The number of
major incidents (Category A and B) remained similar as
2007, with a total of four.
In 2008, all major and minor changes to Maastricht UAC
systems were thoroughly assessed for their safety im-
plications. Most notably, this work encompassed three
major changes to its ATM system: the introduction of a
new back-up voice communications system, a new ATC
Local Area Network, and the new flight data processing
system. All associated safety deliverables accompany-
ing these projects have been developed in line with
EUROCONTROL’s internal safety assessment methodo-
logy, and subsequently delivered to – and accepted by
– the National Supervisory Authorities representing the
four States.
Safety regulation
During the year, amendments to ESARR 1 (Safety Over-
sight in ATM) were drafted in order to achieve a single
text at European level, as requested by the Double
Regulation Ad-Hoc Group (DRAHG)1. The draft version,
ESARR 1 – Edition 1.3, was submitted to the Provisional
Council in November 2008, and it is expected that its
formal adoption and approval will be achieved in the
course of 2009.
By the end of 2008, the ESARR Implementation
Monitoring and Support (ESIMS) Programme had
conducted 23 State audits of ATM safety oversight
arrangements in the ECAC Region. The Programme
reached the mid-point of the six-year cycle, which it
operates in parallel with the ICAO USOAP (Univer-
sal Safety Oversight Audit Programme). A number of
adjustments have proved necessary, in particular the
alignment of ESIMS with the EC framework in relation
to audits conducted in countries where EC legislation is
applicable. During 2008, the four Safety Regulation Unit
auditors who are also qualified as ICAO USOAP auditors
took part in ICAO audits of Austria, Denmark, France,
Hungary, Poland, the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
SafetyOur absolute priority
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
2004
8
0
2005
8
0
2006
8
0
2007
3
0
2008
3
1
A – Serious incident (the risk classification of an aircraft
proximity in which there was a serious risk of
collision)
B – Major incident (the risk classification of an aircraft
proximity in which the safety of the aircraft may
have been compromised)
Severity of separation infringements
with MUAC contribution (2004-2008)
Severity classification A and B
25EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
Activities were undertaken to improve the communica-
tion of the ESIMS approach, consider the relevant recom-
mendations of DRAHG and update the Audit Protocol
Questions. Further improvements included changes to
SRC Document 21, adopting the Safety Oversight Over-
view Document (SOOD) for collecting information need-
ed in the preparation of ESIMS audits and taking advan-
tage of the synergies between ESIMS and the LCIP/ECIP
(Local Convergence and Implementation Plan/European
Convergence and Implementation Plan) process.
Also in 2008, the Safety Regulation Committee (SRC)
contributed to the establishment of the SESAR Safety
Regulation Coordination Function (SSR-CF), which will
support the development of the SESAR operational
concept. Specifically, the SRC has put in place a review
process to coordinate the views of NSAs on the accept-
ability of SESAR and other safety deliverables. To that
end, the practical arrangements for SRC review pro-
cesses have been reviewed, updated, and were tested
via a ‘pilot review’ of the preliminary safety case of the
Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast for Non
Radar Areas (ADS-B-NRA). An SRC Position Paper was
subsequently developed to facilitate the application of
a harmonised safety regulatory approach in relation to
the programme.
As the aviation community transitions towards the
new arrangements envisaged for the future, the SRC’s
role will become more obvious, thanks to its inherent
expertise and experience, its independent position and
ability to integrate views from the military and non-EU
Member States. The SRC is also ready to act as a plat-
form for the coordination of the safety regulatory views
of NSAs and EASA.
Operational incident investigation at the CFMU
In 2008 the CFMU started to establish a process for in-
vestigating operational incidents, in compliance with
ESARR2 (Reporting and Assessment of Safety Occur-
rence in ATM). Its purpose is to ensure that any safety
concerns are addressed with the highest priority and
that appropriate measures are taken to prevent their
recurrence. The first report on safety occurrences was
presented to the ATFCM Operations and Development
Sub-Group (ODSG) in February 2009.
Civil/military airspacecollaboration
It is essential that civil-military cooperation and coordina-
tion takes place during the whole life-cycle of any safety
initiative. Therefore, in 2008, the Safety Team integrated
military stakeholders and is now a civil-military forum.
In support of runway safety activities, the Directorate for
Civil/Military ATM Coordination (DCMAC) drafted a set of
recommendations regarding the prevention of runway
incursions at joint-use aerodromes. These recommend-
ations will feature in the next edition of the European
Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Incursions.
Conclusion
Over the 12 months of 2008, the Agency collaborated with
its stakeholders in a true spirit of partnership in order to
continually bring about enhanced safety levels throughout
the Member States and the wider ECAC community.
The current economic downturn has only served to
strengthen the Agency’s resolve to ensure that it maintains
vigilance as new technologies and airspace structures are
introduced. It goes without saying that safety will always
be an absolute priority.
1- Under the co-chairmanship of the Chairman SRC and the European Commission (EC) (DG-TREN), with the participation of seven States, the SRU, the EUROCONTROL Legal Service and ICAO, DRAHG is tasked with considering the double regulation issues and proposing a way forward that would maintain EUROCONTROL Member State obligations but remove the cur-rent unsatisfactory situation.
26
In 2008:
n 10,181,463 flights handled n traffic growth of 0.5% on 2007n an average daily traffic figure of 27,818 flights n average ATM delay per flight of 2.3 minutes
EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008 27
Capacity Bridging the capacity gap
Traffic growth
2008 was the second consecutive year in which more
than 10 million flights took place in European airspace.
However, over the 12 months there was a smaller than
expected growth in traffic of 0.5%. Nevertheless, the
Agency recorded a new daily record of 34,476 flights
on Friday, 27 June. The previous record of 33,506 flights
was exceeded no less than three times and more than
33,000 flights per day were handled on eight separate
occasions over the course of the year.
The milestone figure of 10,181,463 flights handled in
2008 provided confirmation that air traffic continued to
expand in Europe during the first half of the year, culmi-
nating in an average daily traffic figure of 27,818 flights.
Although the first part of the year enjoyed high-traffic
growth, the economic downturn was accompanied by
a decline in air traffic, predominantly over the last three
months. As in previous years, analysis of the 2008 air
traffic figures reveals that growth varied significantly
across the continent.
24,000
24,500
25,000
25,500
26,000
27,000
27,500
26,500
24,238
25,244
26,286
27,676
0%
2%
4%
6%
4.54.1 4.1
5.3
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
0.5
0%
10%
20%
30%
4.5
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
28,000 flights 27,818
8.8
13.3
19.3 19.9
24,000
24,500
25,000
25,500
26,000
27,000
27,500
26,500
24,238
25,244
26,286
27,676
0%
2%
4%
6%
4.54.1 4.1
5.3
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
0.5
0%
10%
20%
30%
4.5
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
28,000 flights 27,818
8.8
13.3
19.3 19.9
24,000
24,500
25,000
25,500
26,000
27,000
27,500
26,500
24,238
25,244
26,286
27,676
0%
2%
4%
6%
4.54.1 4.1
5.3
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
0.5
0%
10%
20%
30%
4.5
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
28,000 flights 27,818
8.8
13.3
19.3 19.9
Year-on-year traffic variation Traffic variation since 2003
Average daily traffic trends
28
Capacity Bridging the capacity gap
Monthly traffic trend in 2008
-6.0%
-2.0%
-4.0%
0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
-8.0%MayAprMarFebJan Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
4.4
3.4
-0.5
6.1
1.92.8
1.80.5 0.5
-1.8
-6.2-6.8
A breakdown of the growth trends shows that the high-
est increases were experienced in the Baltic region
and Central/South-Eastern Europe. Traffic increases
were particularly pronounced in the Balkan States and
Turkey, where rates of around 10% or higher were
recorded. Conversely, the number of flights in some
parts of Western Europe decreased during the period
from October to December as a result of the severe
economic conditions.
Traffic increases were particularly pronounced in the Balkan States and Turkey, where rates of around 10% or higher were recorded.
Traffic variation between 2007 and 2008
Decreasing
>=0%, <5%
>=5%, <10%
>=10%, <20%
>20%
EGCC (-5.8)
EGTT (-1.9)
LFFF (-0.8)
EBBU (-1.5)
EDWW (-1.2)
EDMM (2.7)EDFF (-0.5)
EHAA (-3.4)
EHMC (-18)
EFES (3)
ESOS (1.2)
EETT (12.2)
EVRR (8.2)
ENOS (4.9)
ESMM (6)
EKDK (-2.4)
ENSV (0.4)
EYVC (22.4)
EPWW (14.8)
UKLV (14.7)
UKBV (14.1)UKHV (12.7)
LUUU (17)UKOV (13.2)
UKFV (4.3)LRBB (2.5)
LBWR (-24.9)
LTAA (8.2)
LTBB (6.6)
LGMD (6.5)
LBSR (68.4)LWSS (1.8)
LAAA (4.1)LIBB (3.3)
LCCC (12)LGGG (2.6)
LMMM (3.6)
LIRR (-0.2)
LOZO (6.7) LYBA (7.9)
Lower airspace
Lower airspaces
LJLA (7.5)
LHCC (0.9)
LZBB (6.1)LKAA (5.4)
EDUU (2.3)
EDMM (2.7)LOVV (1.7)
LSAV (1.4)
LIPP (-4.3)LIMM (-5.8)
LFMM (0)
LE CP (-2.1)
LECB (5.1)
LFBB (0.5)LECM (-1.5)
LFRR (-1.2)
LECS (-3)
LPPC (2.3)
GCCC (-0.5)
LPPO (6.8)
EISN (-0.1)
EGPX (0.9)
EGTT (-1.5) EDYY (-0.3)
LFEE (-0.3)
LFFF (-0.8)
LSAG (-1)
29EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
ATFM delay trend
Despite the current traffic decline, which is expected to
continue through much – if not all – of 2009, the overall
level of air traffic growth remains high. This serves to re-
inforce the Agency’s commitment to meet the capacity
challenge by continuing to work towards the summer
en-route pan-European air traffic flow management
(ATFM) delay target of 1 minute per flight.
Over the 2008 summer period (May-October), the
average ATFM delay per flight was 2.8 minutes, of which
2 minutes were attributable to en-route delay.
Over the year, the average ATFM delay per flight was 2.3
minutes. Some 1.6 minutes of this figure were attribut-
able to en-route delay and 0.7 minutes to delays relating
to airport operations. The en-route delay of 1.6 minutes
in 2008 compares unfavourably with the 1.2 minutes for
2007 – even taking into account traffic growth experi-
enced over the year. Total delay increased by 10.4% over
2007, significantly higher than expected given the weak
traffic increase. In 2008, the proportion of daily delay
attributable to en-route causes increased by 32%.
The sharp increase in delay coupled with lower than
expected traffic growth is part of a worrying trend that
has seen capacity increase at a lower rate than demand
over the past three years. For the first time, there was
an effective decrease in European network ATM capac-
ity – estimated to be -2% for the summer period and
-4% for the 2008 as a whole. The main cause was an
insufficient number of air traffic controllers at some of
the critical area control centres (ACCs). This prevented
these centres from being able to open optimum sec-
tor configurations, in spite of efforts to implement
flexible rostering and improved working practices. A
number of system limitations and the postponement
of major projects at some ACCs also contributed to this
result.
The average ATFM delay per flight in 2008 was2.3 minutes.
0
1
2
3 min/flight
1.0
1.7
1.21.4
1.0
1.4
1.6
2.0
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
1.01.3
En-route ATFM delay
Provisional Council target
0
1
2
3 minutes
0.9
2.1
0.8
0.9
1.7
0.9
1.0
1.9
0.9
1.1
1.9
1.2
1.6
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
2.3
-10%
0%
10%
20%
-3.7
13.2
0.4
11.5
9.8
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
0%
20%
40%
-3.7
9.0 9.5
22.1
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
34.0
0.7
0
1
2
3 minutes
0.9
2.1
0.8
0.9
1.7
0.9
1.0
1.9
0.9
1.1
1.9
1.2
1.6
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
2.3
-10%
0%
10%
20%
-3.7
13.2
0.4
11.5
9.8
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
0%
20%
40%
-3.7
9.0 9.5
22.1
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
34.0
0.7
Daily delay per flight variation
Evolution of the average daily ATFM delay per flight (summer period: May-October)
Evolution of the average daily ATFM delay per flight (full year)
ATFM delay per flight
En-route delay per flight
Airport delay per flight
EDMM (2.7)
0
1
2
3 min/flight
1.0
1.7
1.21.4
1.0
1.4
1.6
2.0
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
1.01.3
En-route ATFM delay
Provisional Council target
30
The Challenges of Growth Study
The Challenges of Growth 2008 Study, published in Novem-
ber 2008, has predicted that climate change and a lack of air-
port capacity could mean that half of all flights are delayed
or cancelled at some of Europe’s most highly-congested air-
ports by 2030.
Despite the economic downturn, the study forecasts that
the number of flights in Europe will rise from today’s 10
million to 20.4 million in 2030. Airports are working hard to
optimise their capacity to meet demand. However, on current
plans, they will only be able to handle 18.1 million of those
flights, leaving 2.3 million flights a year or 6,300 flights a day
without the necessary infrastructure to accommodate them.
As a result, airport congestion is set to rise substantially. By
2030, around 20 of Europe’s largest airports will be operating
at full capacity for 8 or more hours a day. This is particularly
significant as about half of all flights will pass through one of
these saturated airports on a daily basis.
Long-term demand is still set to rise
substantially, even taking into account the
economic downturn and the prospect of slower
growth in the future, due to maturing European mar-
kets and higher fuel-related costs. The expectation is, there-
fore, that a small delay at one airport could rapidly escalate and
choke the whole European air network.
Moreover, the risk of weather-related delays is likely to
become more common. Aviation has been working hard
to understand and reduce its impact on the environment.
Now, for the first time, EUROCONTROL is looking at the
reverse effect: the likely impact of climate change on air traffic.
It is probable that extreme weather incidents will occur more
frequently and become more severe, bringing further disrup-
tion to the already congested airports. And, as higher tem-
peratures become the norm across Europe, holiday patterns
are likely to change. While airlines will be able to change their
routes to cope with this, airports, which require substantial in-
frastructure, will not be able to react with the same flexibility.
Capacity Bridging the capacity gap
31EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
A comprehensive approach to capacity growth
EUROCONTROL’s Performance Review Unit (PRU)
continually monitors the Agency’s progress with regard
to meeting capacity demands and bringing down delay
times. It has noted with some regret that the agreed
target for en-route capacity and delays has not been
met since 2006. The PRU has established that summer
2008 en-route ATFM delays increased for the fourth con-
secutive year and exceeded the agreed target by 90%
(1.9 min/flight versus a target of 1 min/flight). Further-
more, 4.3% of flights were delayed more than 15 minutes
due to en-route ATFM delays as against 3.3% in 2007.
While the majority of ACCs met or exceeded their ATC
capacity plans, inadequate planning in a minority of
them – notably Copenhagen, Nicosia, Rhein, Vienna,
Warsaw, Zagreb and Zurich – had a negative impact on
the performance of the overall European network. This
serves to illustrate the need for a collective and compre-
hensive approach to performance management.
Although traffic is currently declining, it would be
short-sighted to cut back on investment in future ATC
capacity. Instead, States and ANSPs should continue
to close existing capacity gaps wherever possible, in
order to improve system flexibility, to optimise use of
resources and most importantly, to prepare for the
inevitable return to growth.
Working with partners to improve the ATM network
DMEAN
Throughout the year, the Agency continued to ad-
dress network cooperative planning issues at op-
erational level via its Dynamic Management of the
European Airspace Network (DMEAN) Framework
Programme, which aims to provide urgently-needed
incremental network performance improvements by
2011, and to provide a basis for further SESAR en-
hancements. With its deployment activities launched
in 2006, this initiative provides a more consolidated
approach to airspace, airport and air traffic flow and
capacity management related developments ad-
dressed below, supported by improved information
exchange. This network-focused approach will allow
the ATM system to cope with demand and capacity
situations in a more dynamic and fuel-efficient man-
ner, relying on maximum operational cooperation
between the European ATM partners.
Flight Efficiency Plan
In reply to the fuel crisis in 2008, the Agency, CANSO
and IATA, in close partnership with airlines, airports
and ANSPs, agreed in September 2008 to the Flight
Efficiency Plan (FEP). The plan brings enhanced vis-
ibility to specific urgent DMEAN and related devel-
opments that support flight efficiency and emission
reductions. Given the relationship between DMEAN
and the FEP, planning and monitoring of the two ini-
tiatives is combined. The gains generated from this
plan are detailed in more depth in the ‘Efficiency’
chapter.
Network capacity planning
Furthermore, increased support was given to net-
work airspace and capacity planning to help synchro-
nise the introduction of improvements. The Agency
organised bilateral discussions with the ANSPs for
the collaborative development of local plans. Interac-
tive sessions were organised with the ANSPs, using
updated traffic and capacity performance data and
planning scenarios. An enhanced network consolida-
tion of these plans was provided.
32
Enhanced airspace structures
Throughout 2008, no less than 127 packages of short-
term air traffic services (ATS) route network and secto-
risation improvement proposals were developed and
implemented for operations over the summer under the
coordination of the EUROCONTROL Route Network De-
velopment Sub-Group (RNDSG). The proposals covered
several hundred route network and sectorisation im-
provements, ranging from minor ATS route alignments
and route designator changes to large-scale reorgani-
sation of congested airspace. New sectors were created
and sector configurations optimised. However, as already
noted, a shortage of qualified air traffic controllers in a
number of ACCs meant that some optimum configura-
tions could not be opened.
During the year, airspace design was improved in 20
airport terminal areas (TMAs) located in 11 different Eu-
ropean States. These improvements were based on the
TMA Improvement Initiative, comprising a comprehen-
sive toolbox of operational improvements. In October,
EUROCONTROL and the Norwegian airport owner and air
navigation service provider, Avinor, completed the first
phase of real-time simulations to evaluate a new airspace
organisation of Oslo TMA which it hopes to implement
in 2011.
Consolidated planning for network operations
In February 2009, EUROCONTROL launched the Network
Operations Plan (NOP) Portal. This innovative application is
designed to give all ATM actors and airspace users a com-
mon picture of European air traffic flow control and man-
agement operations. An immediate benefit provided by
the NOP Portal is therefore the integration at a single point
of information previously delivered via several media.
Other work included the consolidation of the seasonal
network operation plans for the summer and winter. This
year, several sections received extended contributions,
including airport plans and military airspace require-
ments. The general ATFM measures and tools section
was updated and new web training packages were made
available together with ASM/ATFCM trial developments
and operational improvements. In addition, navigation of
the NOP edition on the web was simplified and a more
dynamic rolling NOP was enabled via the NOP Portal.
Improved flight planning
Finding more efficient routing options in the increasingly
complex European airspace is a challenge for aircraft oper-
ators, which requires sophisticated tools. EUROCONTROL’s
Central Flow Management Unit (CFMU) improved the filed
flight plan (FPL) processing procedures by granting access
to a dynamic route catalogue which allows aircraft opera-
tors and airport reporting offices (AROs) to select their best
route options. Sometimes, amendments to the current
flight plan need to be disseminated after the departure of
a flight, especially when significant changes to flight plan
data are necessary. Air traffic controllers can update the
flight plan by sending specific messages to the relevant air
crew. This process was further enhanced in 2008 so that
the messages could be used to inform others of diversions
and equipment changes.
Airspace management and processes
Work performed in 2008 as part of the Airspace Manage-
ment (ASM) Improvements Initiative focused on enhance-
ments to the short-term situation (2009) through the
identification of improved processes and associated proce-
dures required to support a more dynamic use of airspace
as a key contribution to DMEAN. This made it possible to
change the way that airspace availability is managed and
communicated to airspace users. The Agency also started
to coordinate ASM process implementation and link it
with other activities designed to increase air traffic flow
and capacity management (ATFCM) efficiency.
In 2008, significant progress in relation to civil-military col-
laboration was achieved. In particular, this covered the har-
monisation of operational air traffic rules (OAT) for military
aircraft, the development of a pan-European Operational
Air Traffic under Instrument Flight Rules (OAT-IFR) transit
system (OATTS), the identification of the CNS infrastruc-
ture needed to support OAT harmonisation and the as-
sociated harmonisation of flight planning procedures. All
these procedures represent key contributors to capacity.
In October 2008, the Agency, together with Switzerland
and the UK, implemented a “Light Procedure” aimed at
increased usage of dedicated conditional routes (CDRs).
Following several trial sessions coordinated by EURO-
CONTROL over the year, the United Kingdom and
Switzerland are now using new ASM-ATFCM procedures
Capacity Bridging the capacity gap
33EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
to improve airspace utilisation for both civil and military
airspace users. In another development, a new coordina-
tion function was evaluated: the MILO (Military Liaison
Officer), whose role is to link with airspace managers to
optimise the planning of airspace usage.
Enhancing airport capacity
Three major activities are underway within the context
of airports’ support to DMEAN: Airside Capacity Enhance-
ment (ACE), Airport Collaborative Decision-Making (A
CDM) and Delay Analysis. Work during 2008 focused on
the 40 airports identified as those with the greatest like-
lihood of introducing ATFM delay to the European ATM
network.
Airside Capacity Enhancement (ACE)
The ACE project maintained its support to airports by
providing them with guidance material and tools to assist
them in releasing latent airside capacity in the short term.
Throughout the year, EUROCONTROL helped airports to
identify appropriate operational practices and subse-
quently provided the associated technical solutions. It
also supplied guidance on methods for the continuous im-
provement of local operations, based upon best practices
in areas such as ATC procedures, infrastructure changes
and general efficiency enablers. Experience in actual and
future capacity enhancement activities, including low-
visibility conditions and approach procedures, was widely
shared with the airport community over the year.
Airport Collaborative Decision-Making (A-CDM)
A-CDM activities are also continuing with initiatives
planned or ongoing at 16 airports. With A-CDM the
European ATM network is provided with more accurate
take-off information for obtaining ATFM slots. Once
more airports implement Airport CDM, the network
will be able to utilise available slots more efficiently and
reduce buffer capacity. Decision-making by the Airport
CDM partners is facilitated by the sharing of accurate
and timely information and by adapted operational pro-
cedures, automatic processes and user-friendly tools.
The EUROCONTROL Agency is responsible for ensur-
ing standardisation and dissemination of best practice
of Airport CDM implementation at European airports.
The concept is an integral part of both the DMEAN and
SESAR programmes.
Delay analysis
The Agency’s Central Office for Delay Analysis (CODA)
continued throughout the year to prepare and dis-
seminate analytical breakdowns of where delays
were being generated and their causes. These reports
proved, once again, essential for those involved in im-
plementing mitigation strategies for delay. The eCODA
analytical tool, developed by EUROCONTROL for this
purpose, has continued to help organisations such as
the European Commission and ECAC, as well as other
stakeholders like ACI, AEA, AIOPA, ATAG, EBAA, ERA,
Eurostat and IATA.
Enhanced partnership with ACI-EUROPE
A significant and most welcome highlight of the year
was the signing of a wide-ranging cooperative agree-
ment in October 2008 by EUROCONTROL and ACI-
EUROPE. The agreement commits the two organisations
to joint action for enhancing the capacity of airport in-
frastructure across Europe. The two organisations will
work on implementing collaborative ground processes
such as CDM between airport operators, airlines and air
navigation service providers at European airports.
Integrating very light jets
Although the predicted influx of new aircraft types,
particularly small jet planes, has not taken place as rap-
idly as expected, nevertheless, a lot of work has been
done to prepare for them. To ensure European airspace
has the capacity to handle the growth of very light jets
(VLJs) safely and efficiently, the Agency launched a new
forum – the European VLJs Integration Platform (VIP).
A number of VLJ manufacturers and operators now
participate in the VIP. As part of this effort, the Agency
conducted a real-time simulation in 2008 to understand
how VLJs would be integrated into European airspace.
The final results will be available in 2009. However, early
indications show that VLJs are “manageable” but will
have a potential impact on capacity and safety. Further
study at local level will need to be undertaken to find
local solutions as there are currently no Europe-wide
systematic solutions in place. Other work, more closely
associated with operational safety, was carried out with
regard to the integration of unmanned aerial systems
in non-segregated airspace. (More details in the ‘Safety’
chapter).
34
Capacity Bridging the capacity gap
Using technologyto increase capacity
EUROCONTROL has always been an active and enthu-
siastic supporter of the use of technology innovation
to achieve greater capacity. Accordingly, a number of
high-profile technology projects are underway at the
Agency with progress achieved across the board during
2008.
The interface between aircraft and air traffic control8.33 kHz above FL195
Equipping aircraft operating above FL 195 with 8.33 kHz
VHF radio communications equipment became manda-
tory in March 2007, and it is now enforced in 35 ICAO
EUR Region States. EUROCONTROL’s own flight plan
data indicates that the 8.33 kHz aircraft equipage rate
– above FL195 – is in the order of 99.75%. Moreover,
State (military/government) aircraft equipage rates are
increasing as well, especially for transport-type aircraft.
By the end of 2008, 11 States were operating 75 area
control centre service conversions from 25 to 8.33 kHz,
with 70 coordinated in the ICAO Frequency Manage-
ment Database (COM-2 table). Today, there are over 500
8.33 kHz VHF assignments in the aeronautical VHF COM
band (118 – 137 MHz) in Europe. The 8.33 kHz above
FL195 phase is therefore now nearing completion.
SES data-link services implementing rule
As far as digital communications are concerned, Europe
has begun to standardise the future data link services,
which will build on the operational introduction of
Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) suc-
cessfully established by the LINK2000+ Programme.
The Single Sky Committee voted on 30 September
2008 to adopt an implementing rule, drafted by EURO-
CONTROL, which will see full-scale implementation of
data-link services across Europe by 2015. After many
years spent developing standards and carrying out
operational validation, this rule sets the scene for full-
scale implementation of data link, which will be the
final phase of the LINK2000+ Programme. However, this
is not the end of data link development. The next phases
will take place as part of the SESAR programme.
Support tools for controllers
The First ATC Support Tools Implementation (FASTI) pro-
gramme highlights the need for the coordinated imple-
mentation and rapid deployment of an initial set of
controller support tools. In October and December 2008,
EUROCONTROL successfully ran two real-time simula-
tions of the FASTI Tactical Controller Tool (TCT) in Brétigny,
France. The initial outcomes of the trials, undertaken
using controllers from FINAVIA, HungaroControl, IAA, LFV
and skyguide, were very promising with all of the partici-
pants agreeing that the TCT would be a useful addition to
help them with their daily operations.
Today, there are over 500 8.33 kHz VHF assignments in the aeronautical VHF COM band (118 – 137 MHz) in Europe.
35EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
In October, the Agency also initiated a project to look
at the links between the tools and the business needs
of the air navigation service providers. The Agency
examined the gap between their current capabili-
ties and the future FASTI concept in order to better
understand user requirements. The second phase,
which will be completed by 2010, aims to validate user
requirements with controller teams operating industry
products in real-time simulations.
In November the FASTI Pioneer Support Project North
Phase 2 was drawn to a close with an open day in
Malmö ACC in Sweden. This second phase was mainly
concerned with MTCD (Medium-Term Conflict Detec-
tion) and brought together representatives from the
air navigation service providers of nine different coun-
tries. After the project had been completed, everyone
involved considered it to have been an extremely valu-
able experience.
Aircraft equipment
Allocating a new type of Mode S interrogator code
Mode S capability was taken a step further in 2008 when,
for the first time ever, radar identification of a flight was
established and maintained without the assignment of
a discrete secondary surveillance radar code by air traf-
fic control.
As Mode S enhanced surveillance will continue its
expansion in several European States, the Agency start-
ed to manage the European-wide coordinated alloca-
tion of Mode S interrogator codes on behalf of ICAO for
the EUR Region. This process was undertaken in close
cooperation with national regulatory authorities, air
navigation service providers and radar manufacturers.
Preparing the way for ADS-B
Additional capacity will also be created through the
introduction of Automatic Dependent Surveillance –
Broadcast (ADS-B) systems, which will provide an ac-
curate and cost-effective surveillance capacity in areas
where it has hitherto been unavailable. EUROCONTROL
worked together with airlines, ANSPs, several airport
authorities and industry to verify feasibility and make
ADS-B implementation happen as soon as possible.
A number of the sites are located in countries where
ANSPs are already actively participating in ADS-B
CRISTAL trials: Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy,
Sweden, Turkey and the UK. Other sites are located in
Moldova, Norway, Romania, Spain and the Ukraine. The
Agency also initiated an ADS-B Pioneer Airlines project
to help airlines obtain airworthiness approval for their
existing ADS-B equipment. This will allow them to re-
ceive an ADS-B-based air traffic control service.
Greater capacity through improved traffic flows
EUROCONTROL’s Central Flow Management Unit (CFMU)
contributes to making the best possible use of avail-
able airspace in Europe by providing air traffic flow and
capacity management, flight planning, airspace data
operation as well as data provision and reporting. The
activities which contributed most to capacity optimisa-
tion over the year were: the management of air traffic
flow and capacity management (ATFCM) scenarios,
simulation studies, the AMON (Airport Monitoring)
experimental service and improvements in the man-
agement of airport information.
In 2008, the CFMU set up AMON to ensure the compliance
of flight plans with airport slots during special events. It
was successfully tested during two special events: the
Monaco Grand Prix F1 motor race and the UEFA EURO
2008 soccer finals. The AMON service proved highly
effective in dissuading aircraft operators from under-
taking non-planned flights at selected airports during
the restricted periods. As a result of the positive evalu-
ation of the AMON service, the Agency will keep it avai-
lable for future special events. In addition, an impact
assessment will be carried out to evaluate the regular
use of AMON at a selected number of airports.
Traffic and delay trends at Maastricht UAC (2000-2008)
The CFMU also set up an ATFCM Simulation Cell with
a remit to study the impact of planned events on the
network with a view to optimising the applicable regu-
lations and adjusting ACC sector configurations accord-
ingly. Over the course of the year, about 15 simulation
exercises were run using the SIMEX tool developed by
EUROCONTROL.
During the year, the CFMU held several meetings with
stakeholders to agree on the ATFCM measures and
rerouting scenarios to be used to solve anticipated
bottlenecks. In 2008, the management of scenarios was
carried out on the main axes of traffic flows: the South-
West axis, the North-East axis and the South-East axis.
Capacity through regional ANS services
With 1,534,825 flights handled over the period, air traf-
fic demand at the Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre
(UAC) remained stable in 2008. However, levels dipped
just below the previous year’s total, representing an
actual downturn of 0.4% over 2007. Over the summer
period daily peaks were higher than ever – 5,024 flights
were recorded on 4 July 2008, bringing the average traf-
fic volume during the summer season (May-October) to
4,540 flights per day.
Despite the additional delays recorded in December,
resulting from the extraordinary restrictions related to
the implementation of the new flight data processing
system, the Centre was able to improve punctuality
and achieve an en-route delay reduction of approxi-
mately 20% compared to 2007. In 2008, 96.7% of all
flights were unimpeded and the average delay per
flight was brought down to 0.5 minute (vs. 0.6 minute
in 2007).
HACO project
The Hannover and Deco Sectors (HACO) airspace devel-
opment project delivered a plan in 2008 to redistribute
staff and workload between two sector groups. If suc-
cessful, the plan will provide the means to tackle many
of the key delay bottlenecks within the Centre’s area of
responsibility. Implementation of the HACO project is
scheduled for the end of 2009, with significant visible
benefits for capacity and delay management expected
during the summer of 2010.
FABEC
In November 2008, a Declaration of Intent was signed
to create the Functional Airspace Block Europe Central
(FABEC). This was followed by the signing of a frame-
work agreement by the area’s civil air navigation service
providers, which prepares the groundwork for identify-
ing greater synergies at the earliest opportunity in all
areas relating to air navigation services.
Capacity Bridging the capacity gap
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000Minutes’ delay
1,19
7,51
2
1,18
2,60
1
1,24
3,79
4
1,29
6,97
9
1,38
6,08
5
1,46
5,96
3
Minutes’ delay
Traffic0
1,100,000
1,200,000
1,300,000
1,400,000
1,500,000
2001
1,18
4,73
9
2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
1,54
0,70
8
Traffic
2007
1,53
4,82
5
2008
36
For the first time since 2002,there was a halt in the growth in traffic.
Since 2000, overall traffic has grown by 30%, and delays have gone down by 58%.
37EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
Training for capacity
EUROCONTROL delivers a wide range of ATM-related
courses to participants from both civil and military
organisations through its Institute of Air Navigation
Services. 2008 was another record year for the deliv-
ery of ATM courses with some 4,500 people undergo-
ing training in the numerous ATM subjects available.
An additional 1,800 students were trained by EURO-
CONTROL’s partners. All in all, by the end of the year,
some 308 courses were delivered, with customer satis-
faction remaining high.
Also in 2008, the Agency continued to complement its
classroom capacity by providing e-learning training to
its partners. In 2008, the e-learning modules covered
the domains of AIM, the ATC environment, human
factors and safety. By the end of the year, more than
20,000 modules had been taken.
Conclusion
The work carried out by the Agency to increase capac-
ity through tools such as the DMEAN Programme, the
ATCM strategy and evolution plans is not only essential
in the drive to close the capacity gap, it is also a key
component of SESAR Implementation Phase 1 and as
such is expected to deliver benefits which will make
it possible to meet the SESAR 2013 baseline capacity
requirements.
In order to achieve this target, however, it is vital that
issues relating to planning, designing and managing
the European ATM network are addressed as part of
an integrated approach involving close cooperation
with States and ANSPs in the development of their own
plans.
It should be noted that activities aimed at facilitating
capacity enhancement and provision could potentially
increase the en-route capacity of the ATM system by
30 to 40% compared to the 2006 baseline. The economic
benefits, in terms of reduced delay costs, accruing from
these measures are in the region of between €200 and
€500 million – based on delay-forecast simulations.
Bridging the capacity gap is, therefore, not only critical
for the efficient running of the ATM network. It is also an
economic necessity.
The number of students trained at the EUROCONTROL Institute significantly increased in 2008.
3,000
3,200
3,400
3,600
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
3,800
4,000
4,200
3,470
3,047
3,660
3,785
4,449Number of ATM students
38
The EUROCONTROL Provisional Council’s targets for flight efficiency and cost-effectiveness:
n a reduction in the European average route extension per flight of two kilometres per year up to 2010.
n a 3% reduction in the European average real unit cost each year up to 2010.
EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008 39
Efficiency and cost-effectiveness Driving down the cost of flying
In 2008, EUROCONTROL helped to facilitate the safe,
expeditious and efficient handling of 10,181,463
flights in Europe – breaking the previous year’s record
by 79,666 flights.
The Agency has a well-earned reputation for working
tirelessly with its partners to continuously improve
efficiency, and, at the end of 2007, EUROCONTROL’s
Provincial Council adopted two highly significant
targets. One of them relates specifically to flight
efficiency and calls for a reduction in the European
average route extension per flight of two kilometres
per year up to 2010. The other is a cost-effectiveness
target which commits the Agency to contribute to a
3% reduction in the European average real unit cost
each year up to 2010.
Flight efficiency was improved in 2008 as a 0.2%
improvement in relative route extension was achieved.
EUROCONTROL recognises the importance of improv-
ing flight efficiency further and will continue to make
the most strenuous efforts to provide financial and
environmental gains whilst ensuring that safety and
capacity are not adversely affected.
On the other hand, cost-effectiveness improved with
the real en-route unit cost decreasing from 0.87 €/km
to 0.76 €/km between 2003 and 2007, representing an
overall reduction of -3.4% per year – a ratio in line with
the notional target of -3% per year over the 2003-2008
period set by EUROCONTROL’s Performance Review
Commission. This positive achievement combines a
26% rise in traffic growth with tighter cost manage-
ment in the majority of States. It is important that
States continue to strive for ever more enhanced ef-
ficiency, especially in light of the difficult economic
conditions which took hold at the end of the year.
Flight Efficiency Plan
One of the main achievements of 2008 was the adop-
tion of the joint CANSO, EUROCONTROL and IATA
Flight Efficiency Plan (FEP). The Plan builds on the solid
foundations of current work undertaken by the air
navigation service providers (ANSPs), airports,
EUROCONTROL and States to improve European
airspace design and network management and is
in line with the overall Single European Sky common
objective. Implementation of the plan is expected
to reduce annual fuel consumption by 470,000 tonnes
and CO2 emissions by 1,555,000 tonnes, saving the
airlines in the region of €390 million every year.
As requested in the FEP, a EUR Airline Operations
Group was created, with technical and operational
support provided by EUROCONTROL. Its main
aim is to assess and review all European ATM
network operational shortcomings and other airline
operational requirements related to local and network
ATM flight efficiency and capacity performance. The
Group does this by identifying and championing best
practices for the improvement of the European ATM
network operational performance.
40
Efficiency and cost-effectiveness Driving down the cost of flying
In 2008, the Agency continued to deliver on the Airspace
Action Plan, also approved by the Provisional Council
in 2007. This plan complements the efforts of the FEP
by outlining concrete pan-European actions to reduce
ATM network fragmentation and improve efficiency and
capacity.
A partnership for efficiency gains
In terms of network efficiency improvements, 2008
was an extremely busy year for EUROCONTROL. Over
the 12 months, the Agency continued with carefully
targeted efforts to progressively reduce route extension
per flight by 2 km a year until 2010 and subsequent assess-
ments indicate that a good level of improvement to flight
efficiency was achieved.
Some 10,000 nautical miles (NMs1) were saved as a re-
sult of the implementation of an enhanced route net-
work, equating to an annual reduction of 22,000 tonnes
of fuel or 73,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. The
European route network improved by approximately
6% over the year, bringing the route extension com-
pared to the great circle at 3.46%, with the majority of
the gains coming from route network improvements
implemented in preparation for the summer season.
A positive trend was also achieved for flight planning
activities. Analysis of the 2008 flight plans indicator shows
that flight plan route extensions decreased by 8%.
Route network improvements
The Agency, in close cooperation with its ATM part-
ners, finalised the development of the ATS Route
Network Version 6 (ARN V6) in November. When fully
implemented by the end of 2010 flying distances
should be reduced, on a yearly basis, by approximately
12 million NMs, representing the equivalent of 72,000
tonnes of fuel saved or 240,000 tonnes of emissions
avoided, equating to a financial gain of €60 million.
At the moment, ARN V6 contains approximately 400
packages of airspace proposals scheduled for imple-
mentation for the 2008-2010 summer seasons. The
proposals include more than 1,600 route changes
and more than 60 re-sectorisation projects. Some 127
related to the 2008 summer season with approximately
180 proposals for the summer of 2009 and somewhere
in the order of 130 for the following summer.
Preparation for implementation of the ‘Free Route’ or
‘Free Route-like’ initiatives also started in 2008 and con-
crete implementation plans are now under way. These
will begin to materialise through the implementation of
Free Route Airspace in Portugal and Sweden as well as
implementation of direct night routes in several States.
For the 50 most penalised city pairs, the Agency devel-
oped a detailed catalogue of improvement proposals,
as well as operational assessments of those propos-
als, which were subsequently provided to States and
ANSPs. More detailed implementation projects will be
developed either by States or by Functional Airspace
Block (FAB) initiatives and will be coordinated by the
relevant expert EUROCONTROL groups. Route network
Some 10,000 nautical miles were saved as a result of the implementation of an enhanced route network, equating to an annual reduction of 22,000 tonnes of fuel.
1- 1NM = 1.8532 km
41EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
improvement proposals were – or will be – gradually
deployed, some designed initially to implement an
improved night route network.
CDA project
A Continuous Descent Approaches (CDA) development
project was put in place to implement EUROCONTROL’s
recently published, ICAO-endorsed CDA concept. In ad-
dition, the CDA Implementation Guidance document,
developed with stakeholders to explain how the more
efficient flight profiles can be implemented, is now avail-
able. Over the years EUROCONTROL has tested CDAs at
several European airports, using commercial aircraft,
and has confirmed that noise, fuel burn and emissions
can all be reduced. A joint industry CDA action plan was
prepared to accelerate its deployment to help meet im-
plementation targets. More details are one page 50.
A-CDM initiatives
The concept of Airport Collaborative Decision-Making
(A-CDM) aims to bring all the main airport partners
together and share operational data in a transparent
manner. Information sharing is essential for achieving
common situational awareness. Enhancing decision-
making processes will lead to maximised operational
efficiency and best use of the available airport infra-
structure and resource management.
To date, A-CDM has produced significant guidance ma-
terial for airports to implement collaborative decision-
making locally.
CASSIS project
A key challenge Europe is facing in the medium and
long term is to decrease the time aircraft have to
spend in orbital holdings and on extended level seg-
ments during arrival at airports. Therefore, in June
2008, EUROCONTROL initiated a series of flight trials
at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport in order to validate the
airborne Controlled Time-of-Arrival (CTA) functional-
ity. Conducted under the aegis of the EUROCONTROL
CTA/ATC Integration Studies (CASSIS) project, the aim
is to explore the feasibility of this concept by carrying
out several hundred trials with revenue-flights into
Arlanda.
The initial wave of flight trials was conducted between
early June and the end of July and was followed by a sec-
ond wave running from September to December 2008.
At the end of 2008, a total of 308 flight trials had been
conducted. These trials help to investigate the accuracy
of the aircraft flight management system in meeting
times to points within the terminal area, including the
runway. Trials will also be carried out at London Heath-
row and Amsterdam Schiphol airports. In 2009, CASSIS
will deliver a concept of operations based on the SESAR
concept as well as a description of the steps that will
bring CTA applications into operation.
Achieving efficiencythrough flexibility Freeing up airspace that was previously reserved solely
for military purposes allows the implementation of
conditional routes (CDRs) across that airspace when it
is not in use. According to an assessment made in 2008,
the number of published CDR 2 (non-permanently
planned) and CDR 1 (permanently plannable/2) routes
increased by 16%, from 432 in January 2007 to 503 in
December 2008.
Furthermore, during the year, approximately 9,500 NMs
per day were saved as a result of improved CDR utili-
sation. This brings an improvement of more than 2,700
NMs per day compared to 2007 and represents a similar
amount of fuel and CO2 savings per year as the airspace
design enhancements.
In 2008, approximately 9,500 nautical miles per day were saved as a result of the improved use of conditional routes.
Generating cost-effectiveness through improved flowmanagementEUROCONTROL’s Central Flow Management Unit (CFMU)
generates cost-efficiencies in its pan-European functions
thanks to economies of scale. It also ensures quality through-
out the system and produces the benefits of centralised
operations which ensure coordinated and consistent
activities delivered in a timely manner. This pan-European
perspective will remain essential for optimising the overall
use of the network, particularly in a period when general
budget restrictions highlight the need for economies of
scale across Europe.
The Agency’s continual effort to reduce route restrictions
is a long-term and essential activity. EUROCONTROL made
significant progress in 2008 in reviewing and eliminat-
ing restrictions with national authorities and in disabling
restrictions during low-demand periods (night or winter
seasons). It was also established and accepted that restric-
tions throughout Europe are used extensively to limit the
use of airspace and therefore the Agency is addressing this
situation by suggesting enhanced airspace solutions.
In 2008, the CFMU once again experienced significant growth
in customer access to its systems, with approximately 12%
more organisations connecting to one of the available ser-
vices, up from 2,100 in 2007 to 2,350 in 2008. The new cus-
tomers who subscribed to CFMU services in 2008 are mostly
aircraft operators (42%) and flight handling agents (35%),
followed by air navigation service providers (7%). End-user
queries rose by 24% – up from 96 million in 2007 to 119
million in 2008, along the same trend as previous years. In
parallel, the number of flight plan messages handled by the
CFMU only recorded a 2.6% increase – up from 19 million in
2007 to 19.5 million in 2008, a figure which reflects the stag-
nation in traffic growth experienced at the end of 2008.
A significant indication of the steady adoption of new EURO-
CONTROL services and operational procedures by network
users is the volume of training activities. Toughening eco-
nomic conditions now seem to have affected the training
Efficiency and cost-effectiveness Driving down the cost of flying
42
43EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
programmes of the CFMU customers. When comparing
2008 to 2007, the CFMU recorded a 12% decrease in
the volume of traditional training days delivered – from
1,880 to 1,660 days – and a spectacular increase of 40%
for the web-based training activities. This shows that
CFMU customers value online training and that they
use it to reduce their training costs. It is confirmation
that the continuous investment made by the CFMU in
the past four to five years to develop a complete web-
based training offering – also improving the efficiency
of CFMU training resources – is paying off.
Five years of EAD
On 6 June 2008, the European AIS Database (EAD)
Service celebrated five years of successful operations.
EAD went live in 2003 as an online aeronautical infor-
mation services database designed to deliver coherent,
quality-assured aeronautical information to air navig-
ation service providers, airspace users and States.
When EAD was launched, all States in Europe main-
tained and updated their own individual record of
worldwide aeronautical information. In effect, it meant
that all States were maintaining databases of the same
information. Today, after five years of operation, more
than 39 countries are contributing to the database, and
75% of participating States maintain their aeronautical
information directly in the database for the benefit of the
continually growing number of recognised professional
data users, which currently stands at 80. In addition, the
public website, EAD Basic, has become a well-known and
an established source of aeronautical information for the
world-wide general aviation community with more than
47,000 registered users. The success of EAD has led to
growing interest among many data users from outside
the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) area, and
the first non-ECAC data providers have now connected
to the database.
Preparing the Agency’s Information System (IS)
architecture for the future
It is generally recognised that the IS architecture is a stra-
tegic information technology discipline. With its unique
central function and bespoke systems, EUROCONTROL
is fully aware that a service-oriented architecture (SOA)
is essential for supporting developments in a timely and
cost-efficient manner.
In 2008, several key milestones were achieved in the
modernisation of the Agency’s IS architecture, which
went a long way to preparing for the future System-Wide
Information Management (SWIM) system proposed as
part of SESAR. A new access management infrastructure,
known as the Network Operations Plan Access Layer
(NOPAL) was implemented to provide interoperability
between the Agency’s central flow management servic-
es while guaranteeing security. In addition, an external
communication model was introduced that will structure
business-to-business interactions between EURO-
CONTROL and its future web services customers.
The Agency’s CFMU programme for renewing the IS
architecture is a multi-year effort made up of a number
of interrelated strands. Notable amongst these are the
use of standard technologies for wider and easier adop-
tion of web-based standards like the Aeronautical Infor-
mation Exchange Model (AIXM) and support for service
management functions through appropriate processes
and tools. Furthermore, work has continued on evolving
Agency services for high-availability and scalability, and,
over the year, the SOA approach has been reinforced and
automatic code generation capabilities strengthened.
Today more than 39 countries contribute to the European AIS database (EAD), launched in 2003.
44
Ensuring the efficient collection of route charges
EUROCONTROL collects route charges on behalf of its Mem-
ber States through its Central Route Charges Office (CRCO).
The CRCO provides a highly efficient cost-recovery system
which helps to fund the European ATM system by delivering
some 80% of ANSP revenue. In addition to its primary task
of establishing, billing, collecting and forwarding payments
of en-route charges to Member States, the CRCO also offers
other services. Most notably, these cover the billing and col-
lection of terminal and communication charges.
Multilateral Route Charges System
With the integration of Lithuania and Poland into the system
in 2008, 36 States participated in the EUROCONTROL route
charges system during the year 2008. Since then, Armenia
was integrated on 1 March 2009, and the planned integration
date for Ukraine is 1 January 2010.
Over 9.99 million flight messages (IFR flights only) were pro-
cessed in 2008, representing an increase of 1.3% over 2007.
The number of kilometres recorded in the airspace of the
Member States for the calculation of route charges in 2008
was 9.02 billion kilometres, an increase of 5.5% over 2007.
The CRCO billed a total of €6.44 billion in respect of route
charges for flights operated between January and December
2008 in the airspace of the participating States, an increase of
3.3% over 2007.
The medium-term recovery rate for 2007 (or recovery rate af-
ter one year measured on 31 December 2008) was 99.82%,
an increase on the previous year’s 99.76%. This is the highest
rate of recovery achieved over one year in the history of the
route charges system. The recovery rate at due date, however,
went down slightly from 88.58% to 87.10% in 2008 as a result
of the world economic crises, which also impacted aviation.
The average weighted national unit rate for the Member
States (calculated by dividing the sum of the costs charge-
able to users by the sum of chargeable service units) de-
creased from €56.14 to €56.03 in 2008. The 2009 estimate
is €56.94.
Efficiency and cost-effectiveness Driving down the cost of flying
45EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
6
5
7
8
9
10
11 million
9.87
8.98
20082003 2004 2005 2006
9.99
9.34
8.22
2007
billion
7.19
6.71
7.627.98
8.55
9.02
8.61
75
70
80
85
90
95
100 %
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
99.76 99.8299.7199.20 99.43
88.9687.56
88.5789.03 88.58
Recovery rate after 1 year
Recovery rate at due date
Flight messages (millions)
km flown (billions)
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
6.44
5.0
5.5
4
4.5
6.0
7.0
6.5
€ (billion)
5.745.67
6.24
5.34
5.73
87.10
Flight messages and kilometres flown
Recovery rates
Amounts billed
Bilateral agreement relating to
the billing and collection of terminal charges
All EUROCONTROL Member States can take advantage of
the terminal charges billing and collection services. EURO-
CONTROL successfully operates such bilateral agreements
for Croatia, Denmark, France (billing only), Hungary, Ireland,
Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands and Slovenia.
Costs for billing and collecting terminal charges are very
low, since the same data and processes are used for both
en-route and terminal charges. Moreover, claims submitted
by users and payments made by users in relation to both
types of charge are processed in a single operation. The
billing currency is EUR for all States with the exception of
Denmark where the local currency is used. The total amount
of terminal charges billed in 2008 was €392.6 million
(including France), corresponding to 2.6 million flights.
Shanwick communications charges
EUROCONTROL bills and collects Shanwick communi-
cations charges in respect of flights performed in the
Shanwick Oceanic Region on behalf of the Irish Aviation
Authority (IAA). In 2008, the total amount of charges billed
amounted to €16.9 million (excluding VAT), corresponding
to 419,000 flights.
Bilateral agreements relating to air navigation charges
EUROCONTROL operated bilateral agreements relating
to air navigation charges with five EUROCONTROL non-
Member States, namely Belarus, Egypt, Latvia, Morocco
and Uzbekistan, and one EUROCONTROL Member State,
Ukraine. Air navigation charges comprise route charges
along with the option for terminal charges. In 2008, terminal
charges were billed on behalf of Belarus, Egypt and Ukraine.
The States concerned fund all resources required for oper-
ating these bilateral agreements, without any financial con-
tribution from the EUROCONTROL Member States.
Since beginning of 2009 the billing currency for Ukraine
changed from US dollars to EUR, which is now the single
billing currency for all bilateral agreements with non-
member States. The total amount of air navigation charges
billed in 2008 was €327.3 million, corresponding to 1.20
million flights.
46
Efficient regional ATC services
Delivering first-class ATC services at the lowest possible
cost has always been one of EUROCONTROL’s Maastricht
Upper Airspace Control Centre’s key business objectives.
It is significant therefore, that the total economic cost
per flight-hour controlled since 2000 has decreased by
37% whilst traffic volumes have risen by over 30%.
Overall, the total economic cost per flight-hour de-
creased from €302 in 2007 to €297 in 2008; a reduction
of 1.3 %. The 2008 figure reflects the impact of the eco-
nomic crisis which began to show its first effects in the
spring, and resulted in a small yearly traffic decrease
of 0.4%. Costs went up by 4.1%, producing a 5.8%
increase in the economic cost per flight-hour.
From 2007 onwards, and in particular, since the last
quarter of 2008, meeting the target figure for the to-
tal economic cost per flight-hour became increasingly
challenging as rising costs were no longer offset by
higher traffic figures. After the summer, and especially
since October 2008, short-term cost-effectiveness mea-
sures were taken to manage costs. Recruitment plans
were reviewed and updated and new initiatives were
assessed on potential cost benefit ratios in the area of
operating costs.
Efficiency and cost-effectiveness Driving down the cost of flying
Total economic cost per flight-hour (€) – Trend 2000-2008
200
100
0
300
400
500
600
700 €
574
2001 2003
326 309
2004 2006
255
2007
302
2008
297
2002
333
2005
235
2000
Cost of delay
ANS provision cost
Total economic cost466
The total economic cost per flight-hour controlled
is a standard key performance indicator used in the
ATM cost-effectiveness (ACE) benchmarking reports,
produced by the Performance Review Commission.
It is the sum of ATM/CNS costs (or financial cost) and
ATFM delay costs per composite flight-hour.
EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008 47
Conclusion
The Agency will continue to ensure that the Provisional Council’s efficiency
objectives are fulfilled so that airspace users can benefit from a continuous
approach to airspace and network optimisation to exploit capacity and im-
proved flight efficiency. In this respect, the implementation of measures included
in the DMEAN Framework Programme, the Airspace Action Plan, the Airspace
Management Improvement Initiative, the Terminal Airspace Improvement and
the Airport Programme will generate substantial savings.
The Flight Efficiency Plan, based on the accelerated implementation of the above,
is fostering closer partnerships with airlines, airports and ANSPs, helping them
to identify solutions and launch operational actions to improve flight and airport
operations in the short term.
As far as cost-effectiveness is concerned, the Agency continued to contribute to driv-
ing down the cost of flying and the real unit cost (in constant value) to airspace users
is expected to fall by approximately 3.5% per year.
48
EUROCONTROL not only strives to reduce aviation’s negative impact on the environment, it also undertakes a comprehensive spectrum of activities to reduce its own footprint as much as possible.
EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008 49
Environment At the heart of everything we doToday, EUROCONTROL faces increasing environmental
scrutiny from external and internal stakeholders, includ-
ing employees, governments, partners and regulators.
There is now a fundamental belief, shared throughout
the Agency and beyond, that every effort should be
made to improve the environmental performance and
sustainability not just of aviation itself but also of the
very organisations and stakeholders who make up this
diverse community. At a time when the environmental
impact of climate change can no longer be ignored,
noise and local air quality issues around airports are
becoming more severe, and resource use and waste
management are becoming increasingly pressing, it is
up to everyone to act.
EUROCONTROL therefore not only strives to reduce
aviation’s negative impact on the environment, it also
undertakes a comprehensive spectrum of activities to
reduce its own footprint as much as possible.
Sustainable organisation
EUROCONTROL operates a planned and focused pro-
gramme to reduce the carbon footprint of its own build-
ings and facilities. This programme covers three main
priority areas: energy and resource consumption, CO2
emissions, and waste and recycling. During 2008 the
Agency continued to make great strides in its efforts to
be an environmentally responsible neighbour. Energy
consumption was reduced by the progressive replace-
ment, beginning in March, of inefficient light bulbs
and neon tubes with modern eco lamps and eco-neon
tubes. Improvements to the lighting management con-
trol system at the Haren site were made to ensure that
lights were not in use in the Atrium, main corridors and
stairs when there is sufficient natural light available.
The Agency converted to a ‘green power supply
contract’ in July 2008 and all its power supply is now
covered by green certificates and a guarantee of origin
from the supplier. Studies were also carried out into
the possibility of using photovoltaic electrical power
generation at the Haren site. The study did not rec-
ommend the proposal in the short term but agreed
that the option should remain open. Another study
found that IT systems were the heaviest energy users
at Haren and efforts are under way to implement
efficiencies, especially in those departments where IT
dependence is high.
As far as waste is concerned, the Agency is developing
communication strategies to increase staff awareness
of the need to reduce waste and recycle where pos-
sible. The standard is being set by the EUROCONTROL
Experimental Centre at Brétigny, where an environmen-
tal management system has been in place since 2004.
To date this has resulted in a 42% reduction in gas con-
sumption, a 27% reduction in electricity consumption
and a reduction of nearly 30% in paper use.
Sustainable aviation
In supporting the European Flight Efficiency Plan,
EUROCONTROL is facilitating improved operational
performance both in the air and on the ground. This
helps to minimise greenhouse gas emissions, improve
air quality and reduce noise, thus making aviation more
sustainable. Crucial to this goal is ensuring that ATM
50
Environment At the heart of everything we do
staff understand how they, personally, can make a dif-
ference. Throughout 2008, the Agency provided envi-
ronmental support to air navigation service providers,
airport operators and airspace users – either directly or
through their trade associations, on issues as diverse
as Continuous Descent Approach (CDA), Environmen-
tal Impact Assessment (EIA) and Collaborative Environ-
mental Management (CEM).
Reducing aviation’scarbon footprintThroughout 2008 EUROCONTROL was engaged in proj-
ects, programmes, studies, simulations and awareness
campaigns to drive the reduction of aviation’s opera-
tional environmental impact as much as possible. More-
over, the Agency’s own Central Flow Management Unit
(CFMU) helps reduce emissions and fuel consumption
on a daily basis by proposing more direct routeings,
whenever possible, and by determining and providing
accurate take-off slots that allow aircraft to be held on
the ground with their engines switched off until the
actual take-off time approaches.
Over the year there were a number of significant mile-
stones reached and actions taken. November 2008
marked the finalisation of EUROCONTROL’s three-year
plan to organise European route network and airspace
in a more efficient manner in order to save fuel and
reduce emissions. Once fully implemented, the ATS
Route Network Version 6 (ARN V6) will have the poten-
tial to reduce fuel use by 72,000 tonnes, and decrease
CO2 emissions by 240,000 tonnes. Nearly a third of the
measures in the plan have already been implemented
and the rest are scheduled to be put into operation over
the coming two years.
Working with our partners
One of the most significant events of 2008 in terms of its
positive environmental impact was the joint publication
of the Flight Efficiency Plan with CANSO and IATA. By
implementing a series of short-term measures it is ex-
pected to make fuel savings of 470,000 tonnes annually.
This equates to a reduction in CO2 emissions of over 1.5
million tonnes each year. This will be achieved through
improved European airspace and airport design and
utilisation. Working in partnership with key stakehold-
ers such as CANSO, IATA and ACI is of vital importance,
as the actual delivery of operational improvements en-
hancing environmental performance will be achieved
principally through those organisations’ members.
Continuous Descent Approach (CDA)
Efforts to promote and facilitate widespread usage of
more environmentally friendly flight procedures such as
continuous descent approaches were made throughout
2008. The Agency worked with its partners to identify
Overall CDA Target‘The target is to roll-out CDA at up to 100 and more ECAC airports and to a minimum of 50 airports (ESSI Objective ENV01) by the end of 2013…’. Source – The European Joint Industry CDA Action Plan
51EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
airports at which CDAs could be implemented and sup-
ported initiatives to assist with implementation. CDA
is a win-win-win where fuel burn, noise and emissions
are all reduced. At least 40 airports have already been
identified in 23 different States where CDA implemen-
tation is either underway or could begin in the near
future. Consequently, agreement has been reached
with a number of stakeholders to start the imple-
mentation process at airports in Denmark,Germany,
Norway, Poland, Sweden and the UK.
Collaborative Environmental Management (CEM)
CEM is a strategic process which aims to build part-
nerships among airport operational stakeholders in
order to tackle noise, fuel consumption and aircraft
emissions. The EUROCONTROL CEM Implementation
Guidance, the first such material to be published on
this, was launched in autumn 2008 and an imple-
mentation programme will begin in 2009. The Single
European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) target is for 50
airports to have implemented CEM by 2013. Encour-
agingly, some sixteen EUROCONTROL Member States
have already agreed to begin implementation.
Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)
At the end of 2008, EUROCONTROL and the European
Commission signed a cooperation agreement under
which the Agency will provide support to the Com-
mission to help it establish administrative arrange-
ments for the inclusion of aircraft CO2 emissions in
the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme
(ETS). A list allocating aircraft operators to adminis-
tering States, alongside a EUROCONTROL estimate
of the baseline emissions for the years 2004-2006,
will be delivered to the Commission, which will use
it to inform its proposal for the total cap to be ap-
plied to aviation emissions from 2012 onwards. The
EUROCONTROL PAGODA system, which provides an
environmental view of the Agency’s PRISME (Pan-
European Repository of Information Supporting the
Management of EATM) data warehouse, is the cor-
nerstone of this work, and was used continuously
throughout the year to provide supporting informa-
tion on emissions trading to aircraft operators, the
Commission and Member States.
Modelling the impacts
Key to the successful implementation of any environ-
mental programme assessment process is the capa-
bility to model the noise, fuel burn, greenhouse gas
emissions and local air pollution produced by air traffic
movements. This work took a significant step forward in
2008 with the outline endorsement by ICAO’s Commit-
tee on Aviation Environmental Protection that EURO-
CONTROL’s Advanced Emissions, Local Air Quality and
Regional Noise models were appropriate to these tasks.
Obtaining this endorsement from ICAO is a notable
achievement, especially as the models have been sub-
jected to stress tests by the world’s leading aviation en-
vironmental experts. The Advanced Emissions Model is
now embedded in EUROCONTROL’s key airspace simula-
tion tool with the result that fuel burn and greenhouse
gas emissions can now be systematically analysed for
almost any given operational scenario. To handle the
growing importance of and user base for these models
the Agency has started to outsource future develop-
ment and maintenance, beginning with the Advanced
Emissions Model in the latter half of the year.
In another area of the Agency’s environmental work,
continued support was provided to aviation environ-
mental specialists worldwide, principally on behalf of
ICAO, through the maintenance of the Aircraft Noise
Performance database and the annual update – with
the Federal Aviation Administration – of the Common
Operations Database used to estimate total air traffic
and emissions at the global level.
The EUROCONTROL PAGODA system was used throughout the year to provide supporting information on emissions trading to aircraft operators, the EC and Member States.
52
Greening the network
The latest edition of the Agency’s authoritative Chal-
lenges of Growth studies was published in Novem-
ber 2008, with environmental issues featuring more
prominently than ever. The report considered how,
with environmental sustainability now a key ATM per-
formance area, the industry can drive forward policy,
operational and technological improvements.
Difficult trade-offs which will need to be made
between growth and environmental impact in terms
of CO2 emissions, noise and local air quality were high-
lighted and for the first time the potential impact of
climate change on the aviation industry was addressed
with a focus on air traffic management aspects.
The study also included work done with the Omega
consortium of UK Universities and the UK’s Meteoro-
logical Office, which helped to examine how rising sea
levels, increasing temperatures, altered precipitation
patterns and declining water resources might affect
demand and how the industry might respond.
Assessing the environmental impact of ATM projects
is an essential part of EUROCONTROL’s environmen-
tal work programme. Work has started on developing
guidance aimed at providing a process for all ATM
project leaders to follow so that they can analyse,
understand and, if appropriate, mitigate, their
projects’ environmental impacts. This guidance, when
available, will provide a quality standard for conduct-
ing environmental studies in ATM in the future.
In 2007, the European Commission’s Directorate-
General for Energy and Transport (DG TREN), asked
EUROCONTROL to undertake a study to assess the
feasibility of developing an environmental impact
decision-support tool for aviation. In order to ful-
fil this task, EUROCONTROL developed a prototype
tool, the so-called Versatile Environmental Impact
and Reporting Tool (VEIRT). This study was complet-
ed in 2008.
The VEIRT prototype proved the feasibility of such a
project and has been judged capable of simulating
the environmental impact – in terms of fuel burn and
emissions – of new air transport policies and air traffic
flow management operational measures. It was used
in conjunction with EUROCONTROL flow management
simulation data to quantify the fuel and emissions
impact of three case studies dealing with reductions
and increases in traffic, fleet adaptations and air traffic
flow management operational measures. In addition
to assessing the fuel and emissions impact, VEIRT has
also proved capable of gauging the impact on other
aviation aspects, including the cost of the flight for the
aircraft operator, capacity, delay, route charges and
sector overload.
Organisations dealing with air transport policies
or the design of new airspace and route structures
could use VEIRT in the development of any high-level
assessment to accompany new legislative measures.
Another potential application could be to integrate it
into the Agency’s operational systems in order to sup-
port decision-making through real-time assessments
of the environmental impact of envisaged air traffic
flow and capacity management measures.
2008 marked the launch of the ‘Environment in ATM’
classroom training course aimed at transferring knowl-
edge on how to mitigate the impact of aviation to air-
line, airport and ATM employees. The course was run
three times in the year and was attended by over 60
participants in total. It is complemented by an aware-
ness-raising ‘e-learning module’ which is available to
both industry stakeholders and the general public,
which was itself accessed by over 500 separate users
in 2008. A ‘suite’ of courses, covering other areas such
as CDA, CEM and environmental performance evalua-
tion, is now under development. As part of the Flight
Efficiency Plan, EUROCONTROL will provide fuel
management awareness training for ATM and airline
personnel, based on the initial work of the Agency’s
Central Flow Management Unit in this area.
Environment At the heart of everything we do
53EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
Conclusion
Aviation is vital to regional and national economies
and also provides many social and cultural benefits.
However, it is coming under increasing pressure
from communities living on the outskirts of airports,
concerned environmental watchdogs and numerous
pressure groups, who are demanding reductions in
noise impacts, improvements in local air quality and
limitations to the greenhouse gas emissions which are
contributing to global climate change.
EUROCONTROL recognises the need for action and,
along with its industry partners, has been at the fore-
front of this effort for several years. EUROCONTROL, its
partners and stakeholders consider the environment to
be at the heart of everything they do, and measures to
limit aviation’s impact are now widely incorporated into
airport operations and procedures, en-route flight pro-
files and ATM system capabilities and specifications.
54
Enhanced civil-military coordination is becoming an increasingly important strategic objective for European ATM.
In 2008, EUROCONTROL continued to work towards strong and sustainable civil/military cooperation and coordination across Europe.
EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008 55
Efficient cooperation between civil and military
organisations is a critical element in the improvement of
European ATM network performance. The involve-
ment of the military authorities from EUROCONTROL’s
Member States is therefore a vital success factor. Over
the decades, EUROCONTROL has developed unrivalled
competence in this area, built around the Civil-Military
Interface Standing Committee (CMIC) and the Military
ATM Board (MAB). These two groups are both sup-
ported by the political guidance of the Organisation’s
Provisional Council and Permanent Commission which
includes Defence Ministers.
In early 2008, the CMIC proposed that a State’s ability
to exercise its obligations under the Chicago Conven-
tion should be protected as far as they relate to national
sovereignty, security and defence. It therefore recom-
mended that all current civil/military working arrange-
ments should be used to ensure this. The suggestion
was subsequently endorsed by the MAB and noted by
the Provisional Council.
After consultation with the Military Harmonisation
Group (MILHAG) and the CMIC, the MAB endorsed the
“High-Level Military ATM Requirements” proposal. In
forwarding this document to the European Commis-
sion, the Director General stated that EUROCONTROL
believed that it would enhance the understanding of
military requirements in the ATM community at large.
Within the scope of the civil-military contribution to
SESAR, the MAB agreed at its 2nd meeting held in April
2008 that the military technical input would be coordi-
nated through EUROCONTROL and specifically the Di-
rectorate of Civil Military ATM Coordination (DCMAC).
MILHAG and the MAB have agreed to play a key role in
ensuring that military aviation requirements are prop-
erly addressed at both technical and strategic level.
During the year, both the CMIC and MAB were kept in-
formed of EUROCONTROL’s reorganisation plans, which
both organisations fully supported, noting that the en-
hancement of civil-military coordination was a corner-
stone of the changes. Also during 2008, CMIC recom-
mended that its Chairman propose the initiation of a
review of existing civil-military working arrangements
Civil-military ATM coordinationA partnership of equals
Civil-military organisational structureAt the highest institutional level, the Permanent Commis-sion, responsible for the Organisation’s general policy, is composed of the Ministers of Transport and the Ministers of National Defence. The EUROCONTROL Provisional Council, supervising the Agency’s work, is composed of representatives at the level of Directors General of Civil Aviation. States may ap-point several representatives in order to represent the interests of both civil aviation and national defence.
The Military ATM Board (MAB), composed of national heads of military air traffic management, ensures consistency of the EUROCONTROL work programme with military strategies and plans.
The Civil/Military Interface Standing Committee (CMIC) is an advisory body to the Provisional Council providing advice and guidance on those issues having an impact on military responsibilities. CMIC is composed of civil and military repre-sentatives at senior executive level from all the EUROCONTROL Member States.
The Military Harmonisation Group (MILHAG) was estab-lished by the CMIC in recognition of the need for a military-only forum to coordinate military positions on ATM/CNS issues.
Enhanced civil-military coordination is becoming an increasingly important strategic objective for European ATM.
In 2008, EUROCONTROL continued to work towards strong and sustainable civil/military cooperation and coordination across Europe.
56
in the early part of 2009. This suggestion was made to
EUROCONTROL’s Director General and the Chairman of
the Provisional Council Coordinating Committee (PCC).
Security through collaboration
In accordance with the joint NATO-EUROCONTROL ATM
Security Coordinating Group (NEASCOG), airspace secu-
rity means safeguarding airspace from unauthorised use,
intrusion, illegal activities or any other violation. Upon
request from the MILHAG and CMIC, an Airspace Security
Action Plan was developed by the NEASCOG with a high-
level contribution of DCMAC. The plan defines and pro-
poses a comprehensive set of best practices, guidelines
and procedures to enhance airspace security in Europe.
It will form the basis for future airspace security require-
ments to be implemented through an airspace security
system.
An Airspace Security Conference was held in December
in which general support was given to the Airspace Secu-
rity Action Plan and a panel of experts was established to
propose a roadmap for the implementation of the con-
ference’s conclusions. The majority of participants agreed
to participate in limited Security Incident Management
(SIM) trials, to be organised in 2009. Two tasks related to
‘Positive Identification of Flights’ and ‘Security Incident
Management (SIM)’ have been included in the EURO-
CONTROL offer to the SESAR Joint Undertaking.
ICAO also requested EUROCONTROL to provide inputs to
fill possible gaps in Annex 17 (Security) to the Chicago
Convention with regard to airspace security. DCMAC, in
coordination with the NEASCOG, has developed a docu-
ment (Aviation Security Components) in response to this
request.
Civil-military ATM coordinationA partnership of equals
57EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
Designing airspace for equal accessHarmonisation of OAT rules
In 2008, EUROCONTROL added to the development of
specifications for harmonised rules for Operational Air
Traffic under Instrument Flight Rule (OAT-IFR) inside
controlled ECAC airspace (EUROAT). These specifica-
tions are designed to provide a standardised regulatory
framework for OAT and facilitate its interface with Gen-
eral Air Traffic (GAT) across Europe. As part of this effort,
a Pan-European OAT Transit Service (OATTS) Workshop
was held in June 2008. The workshop concluded that
it should first clearly determine all relevant national
military requirements before going on to develop the
agreed military European-level solutions and then
undertake a fine-tuning process in 2009. The issue of
harmonised OAT-IFR flight plans and a common military
aeronautical information database was considered as
one of the major enablers of an OATTS. Therefore, stud-
ies were conducted in the second half of 2008, which
provided a clear view on the current situation in Europe
and highlighted options for future harmonisation.
During this process DCMAC carried out another exer-
cise to identify the minimum CNS (Communications,
Navigation and Surveillance) resources required to en-
able Pan-European OAT operations once the harmon-
ised European OAT Rules (EUROAT) and related service/
system supporting OAT transit flights are in place. As a
result, a guideline document, entitled ‘EUROCONTROL
Guidelines on Minimum CNS Infrastructure and
Avionics Equipage for the support of OAT Harmonisa-
tion’, was published in March 2008.
Not surprisingly, the requirements contained in the
guidelines seek a longer-term convergence with the
Civil-Military CNS/ATM Interoperability Roadmap and
SESAR technology assessment. In addition to the OAT
projects, the Agency also worked with its stakeholders
during the year to develop guidelines on the generic
military requirements that need to be considered when
establishing a Functional Airspace Block (FAB). These
guidelines were published in May 2008.
SES implementation
The Agency also started the development of a EURO-
CONTROL Civil-Military SES Coordination Action Plan
to define a set of activities that will contribute to the
implementation of the Single European Sky. The action
plan is intended to be a part of the envisaged frame-
work agreement between the European Commission
and EUROCONTROL, which will facilitate SES implemen-
tation. CMIC accepted the proposed role of advisor for
the maintenance and implementation of the plan and
asked DCMAC to flesh out the plan further.
Supporting civil-military KPIs
Continued development of the Pan-European Reposi-
tory of Information Supporting Military Key Performance
Indicators (PRISMIL), which helps States carry out their
obligations stemming from the Single European Sky/
Flexible Use of Airspace Regulation, progressed well
throughout the year. On the EUROCONTROL side, the
data warehouse, data marts, the PRISMIL server and
portal have now been put in place. With regard to the
national side of the architecture, a PRISMIL Automated
In 2008, EUROCONTROL published guidelines on the generic military requirements that need to be considered when establishing an FAB.
58
Data Acquisition and Collection tool (PADAC) was developed
and installed at the Belgium military ATCC, now followed by
ongoing similar implementations in other Member States.
Furthermore, a PRISMIL tactical performance dashboard
has been developed to provide customised views on the
current status of the critical performance against required
performance target. Therefore, from a technical and techno-
logical perspective, PRISMIL has now matured enough to be
ready to begin functioning as envisaged. Additionally, the
PRISMIL team performed a feasibility study of civil-
military data correlation in support of the civil-military KPI
‘Civil Use of Released and Available Airspace’.
Improving airspace management coordination
In January 2008 a programme called LARA (Local and
Regional Airspace Management) was launched for the
development of a prototype for an enhanced civil-military
airspace coordination tool at national and sub-regional level
and was supported by the European Commission.
In line with the Single European Sky regulations and the fu-
ture implementation of the FABs, a harmonised and reliable
tool should be available to stakeholders by 2010. The first
implementation of the LARA prototype is planned in
Belgium (MUAC, Belgocontrol, and Belgian Air Force)
for September 2009, to be followed by the Netherlands
and UK. Other States such as Italy, Norway, France and
Bulgaria have shown a great interest in the project.
LARA is structured in three layers (airspace planning, air-
space status, and statistics). It aims to facilitate collaborative
decision-making process, to provide easy access to airspace
status information to all stakeholders and to enable ASM
performance improvement. It should also identify new areas
of enhancement and cooperation at local and sub-regional
levels and improve interoperability.
Contributing to SESAR
The SESAR ATM Master Plan, which was delivered in 2008,
paves the way for fruitful civil-military cooperation on re-
search activities. Thanks to a considerable effort from the
Member States and EUROCONTROL, the military is consid-
ered as an equal partner. The concept of the military mission
has been incorporated in the SESAR 4D Trajectory Concept,
together with cost-efficient proposals on the re-use of mili-
tary technologies and infrastructures.
A well-attended workshop on the civil-military dimension
in SESAR was organised in 2008. Over 130 participants
from a wide range of organisations, including procure-
ment agencies and the manufacturing industry, agreed
on the need to progress with the validation of the SESAR
Concept of Operations and supported a civil-military
architecture and standardisation roadmap.
Enhancing airport access
In 2008 the Agency launched the Civil Use of Military Aero-
dromes (CUMA) initiative whose aim is to support those
States willing to implement or further expand the mixed
civil-military use of military aerodromes as a possible so-
lution to the expected airport capacity shortage. As an
initial step, DCMAC conducted a fact-finding study, which
explored the existing legislation, regulation, procedures
and practices relevant to the CUMA concept throughout
selected ECAC States and the USA. This study was complet-
ed in August 2008 and paved the way for follow-up work
to be conducted by the CUMA Task Force, which started
its activities in September 2008 and intends to deliver the
EUROCONTROL CUMA guidelines in 2009. These guide-
lines will detail potential benefits, identify problem areas
and propose recommendations and best practices.
Integrating Unmanned Aerial Systems
Flights of military Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) outside
segregated airspace are inextricably linked with the overall
integration of UAS aircraft, and most of the Agency’s work
in this area during 2008 was therefore undertaken in sup-
port of this broader integration process. It included, for ex-
ample, the preparation of preliminary ICAO policy on UAS.
Civil-military ATM coordinationA partnership of equals
59EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
Moreover, two publications, ‘EUROCONTROL Specifications
for Military UAVs outside Segregated Airspace’, published
on 7 December 2007 and ‘UAS Market Outlook’, published
on 20 November 2008 achieved global circulation and are
providing an important basis for further integration activ-
ity. It is already apparent that much effort will be focused
on preparations for the future operation in Europe of Global
Hawk and Euro Hawk by NATO as well as the US and German
Air Forces.
Advancing civil-military ATM/CNS interoperability
In 2008 there was significant progress in the area of civil-
military ATM/CNS interoperability mainly through multiple
technical proposals that were successfully inserted into the
SESAR Master Plan and put forward during the preparatory
activities for the SESAR Development Phase.
These proposals will drive SESAR R&D efforts for the years
to come and will be essential to better define and vali-
date future compatibility between State aircraft/military
systems and SESAR concept and architecture. Civil-
military CNS interoperability aspects in SESAR cover the
support of military mission trajectories via the interac-
tion of military systems with SESAR network centric
infrastructure (SWIM), performance-based navigation and
ADS-B for State aircraft, civil-military data link interoper-
ability and the incorporation of military requirements into
future standardisation developments.
Extensive technical consultation with representatives from
the military procurement and defence industry communi-
ties as well as other stakeholders has been conducted at
the Civil-Military CNS Focus Group. Further research was un-
dertaken in two thematic stakeholder workshops focusing
on data-link interoperability and the military dimension in
SESAR.
Also in 2008, DCMAC commissioned and disseminated
the results of a number of pre-SESAR studies to better
support civil-military interoperability proposals. Such
studies focused on “Feasibility of Integration of Mili-
tary Ground and Aircraft Systems in SESAR and Feasi-
bility of Military NAV Systems Certification against Civil
Standards”.
In parallel, DCMAC continued in 2008 with the provision
of military CNS technical advice to EUROCONTROL’s
shorter-term activities and programmes such as 8.33
kHz, Link 2000+, CASCADE, Mode S, Spectrum, Future
COM, Navigation/GNSS, RVSM and Surveillance in order
to minimise the impact on State aircraft and better en-
able military operations. These activities included per-
manent coordination with other Agency units and as-
sociated working arrangements as well as contributions
like the yearly collection and consolidation of State
aircraft equipage plans, harmonisation of UHF for ATC
supporting non-8.33 State aircraft as well as relevant
inputs into SES interoperability mandates and Commu-
nity specifications.
Training together
Three civil-military ATM/CNS courses were conducted
in 2008 at the EUROCONTROL Institute in Luxemburg.
A total of 116 participants from civil and military stake-
holders from 23 States were introduced to all aspects of
civil-military ATM coordination in Europe.
In addition, experts from DCMAC delivered other courses
related to military-specialised topics at the Institute.
Conclusion
Throughout 2008, EUROCONTROL continued to play a
facilitating role in improving civil-military ATM coop-
eration and coordination across Europe. It provided
the framework within which planning, development
and implementation of specificaction could be taken
thanks to its long-standing links with Member States, air
navigation service providers, civil and military airspace
users as well as international and intergovernmental
organisations.
60
The SES puts forward a legislative approach to meet future safety, capacity and efficiency needs at a European rather than at a national level. The key objectives of the SES are to:
n restructure European airspace as a function of air traffic flows;n create additional capacity; and n increase the overall efficiency of
the European ATM system.
EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008 61
The Single European Sky: Europe’s future ATM vision
Foreword
In 1999, the European Commission launched the Single
European Sky (SES) initiative to reform the architecture
of European air traffic management (ATM). The SES puts
forward a legislative approach to meet future safety, ca-
pacity and efficiency needs at a European rather than at
a national level. The key objectives of the SES are to:
n restructure European airspace as a function of air
traffic flows;
n create additional capacity; and
n increase the overall efficiency of the European ATM
system.
The Commission is working closely with EUROCONTROL
to achieve these objectives. Owing to its technical
expertise, EUROCONTROL contributes to both the regu-
latory and technological dimension of the SES initiative
by contributing to, amongst others, the overall imple-
mentation, standardisation and regulatory roadmaps.
The areas of cooperation address also the development
of relevant Implementing Rules (IRs) and specifications
as well as assistance to individual or group of States and
relevant regional ATM developments. EUROCONTROL
also provides of course a key contribution to the SESAR
Programme.
The process for establishing SES rules
After consultation with stakeholders, the Commission
issues a mandate which describes in detail the work and
deliverables to be produced by EUROCONTROL. EURO-
CONTROL then develops the relevant IRs and Community
specifications using a formal regulatory process through-
out which stakeholders’ inputs are taken into account. The
final result of the mandate work is a report including a
draft IR or specification. Subsequently, the European Com-
mission submits them to the Single Sky Committee. Once
the Single Sky Committee gives its favourable opinion, the
texts are formally adopted by the Commission and pub-
lished in the Official Journal of the European Union.
A close working relationship
Since the inception of the SES, EUROCONTROL has
developed a number of IRs and technical specifications in
close cooperation, consultation and interaction with the
services of the Commission.
Over the years we have built up an excellent working
relationship with each other. We do hope that we can
continue to work together in the same spirit of coopera-
tion towards the implementation of more ambitious goals,
namely the establishment of a performance framework for
the provision of air traffic services. Implementation of the
ATM Master Plan shall also represent an important area of
cooperation at least for the next 10 years.
Luc Tytgat
Head of the Single Sky and
Modernisation of Air Traffic Control Unit,
European Commission
62
The Single European Sky: Europe’s future ATM vision
IMPLEMENTING THE SINGLE EUROPEAN SKYIn 2008, a considerable amount of progress was achieved
in relation to the SES mandates.
The Aeronautical Data and Information Quality draft
Implementing Rule (ADQ IR) was reviewed by the Single
Sky Committee working session and its technical con-
tent was well received. However, adoption of the ADQ
rule was temporarily delayed due to the need to resolve
a more global issue concerning State obligations under
the ICAO Convention. That said, the draft final report on
the mandate for the development of a draft IR for Sur-
veillance Performance and Interoperability (SPI IR) was
successfully delivered to the European Commission.
Furthermore, the Single Sky Committee expressed a fa-
vourable opinion on the Mode S Interrogator Code Allo-
cation draft IR (MSI IR), and its publication is anticipated
to take place in 2009. The draft IR for Interoperability on
Data Link Services (DLS IR) was published by the Europe-
an Commission. In parallel, a EUROCONTROL specifica-
tion was developed on DLS, based on the LINK baseline.
Furthermore, Interoperability Community specifications
were developed for ADEXP (ATS Data Exchange Presen-
tation), FMTP (Flight Message Transfer Protocol), IFPS
(Initial Flight Plan Processing System) and OLDI (On-Line
Data Interchange). The development of a Community
specification on AMHS (ATS Message Handling System)
is still ongoing.
Standardisation and coordination activitiesThe main development within the standardisation field
was the start of the activities for the development of a
‘Standardisation Roadmap’ in support of the preparation
of the SESAR work programme. A possible maintenance
process for this standardisation roadmap was developed
and submitted for informal consultation.
With a view to proposing harmonised approaches for
the implementation of conformity assessment processes
within the SES framework, the Conformity Assessment
Task Force (CATF), comprising some 30 representatives
from NSAs, ANSPs, the European Commission, EASA, in-
dustry and EUROCONTROL, launched in 2008 a survey of
its members to determine the exact scope and contents
of further guidance material which is being developed
on the conformity assessment of the constituents and
systems of the European ATM network.
Extensive coordination and cooperation activities took
place in conjunction with other regulatory bodies
throughout the year. This work covered close coordina-
The main development within the standardisation field was the start of the activities for the development of a ‘Standardisation Roadmap’ in support of the preparation of the SESAR work programme.
63EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
tion with the European Commission through participa-
tion in various consultative bodies, such as the Single
Sky Committee (SSC), the Industry Consultation Body
(ICB) and the ICB’s Interoperability Sub-Group. Several
analysis documents on the need for future regulation
and standardisation material were prepared for dis-
cussion at the ICB’s Interoperability Sub-Group and for
onward revision by the ICB.
Continuous coordination also took place with other
regulatory organisations, including the standardisa-
tion bodies from EASA, EUROCAE, ICAO, RTCA and the
European standardisation organisations CEN, CENELEC
and ETSI. With the active support of EASA and the EC, a
study was undertaken to investigate possible improve-
ments to the coexistence of EASA and SES regulatory
frameworks. Cooperation with the US Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) took place so that a coherent
regulatory environment for future ADS-B regulations
within Europe and the United States could be pre-
pared.
Implementation of harmonisation across EuropeThe Agency is focusing its efforts to facilitate imple-
mentation action across Europe through the European
Single Sky Implementation (ESSIP) and Local Single
Sky Implementation (LSSIP) mechanisms. Implementa-
tion support is provided to stakeholders to meet their
LSSIP objectives in accordance with the agreed EURO-
CONTROL Implementation Support Policy and realised
via the ASSIST (Assistance for the Single European Sky
Implementation to Stakeholders), EIS (EUROCONTROL
Implementation Support) and EMF (Excellence Man-
agement Function) activities. Overall, the number of
implementation support agreements between Mem-
ber States and EUROCONTROL increased by 13% in
2008 compared to 2007.
During the year, a thorough and comprehensive con-
sultation with stakeholders concluded that the imple-
mentation of a performance-based approach would
be delivered via the ESSIP mechanism – mirrored at
national level by the LSSIP tool – thus playing a large
part in assisting individual ECAC States in their efforts
to meet their objectives and national performance tar-
gets. This renewed process satisfies in particular the
need to:
n link the European implementation plan with the ATM
Master Plan and to decide which elements are ma-
ture for actual implementation by stakeholders;
n better integrate all aspects of European planning,
monitoring and reporting in one single process
that addresses both the timely implementation
of the ATM Master Plan and the application of SES
legislation;
n clarify commitment procedures for all stakeholders
involved in order to ensure effective implementation
of the first SESAR Implementation Package (IP/1);
n promote links between European implementation
decisions and stakeholders’ business plans;
n close the loop between implementation reporting
and implementation planning by building lessons
learnt and agreeing with stakeholders on corrective
actions where relevant;
n develop the adequate interface with the Master Plan-
ning process, including the maintenance of the ATM
Master Plan.
ESSIP – European Single Sky Implementation
The ESSIP deliverables produced in 2008 introduced
significant adaptations compared to previous years. For
the first time ever, the European implementation plan
for the 2009-2013 period introduced SES-legislation-
related objectives, while the implementation progress
report for 2007 proposed some remedial actions to
address most penalising implementation delays.
The Agency is facilitatingimplementation action across Europe through the European Single Sky Implementation (ESSIP) and Local Single Sky Implemen-tation (LSSIP) mechanisms.
64
LSSIP – Local Single Sky Implementation
2008 was also a very productive year in this regard, with
LSSIP activities producing 42 documents for the 2009-
2013 planning period for the entire ECAC region. The
Agency also introduced web-based tools to facilitate
the document development and maintenance process.
Towards the end of the year, EUROCONTROL collabo-
rated with the EC on a workshop to help stream-
line LSSIP reports with SES requirements, and for the
first time ever, SES and FUA (Flexible Airspace Use)
Annual Reports were established through the LSSIP
mechanism.
EIS – EUROCONTROL Implementation Support
EIS activities focused on supporting service providers in
implementing their LSSIP objectives over a number of
diverse areas, including support to airspace restructur-
ing, buildings, operational issues, safety management
systems and systems implementation. In particular,
EUROCONTROL lent assistance to a number of ser-
vice providers (e.g. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
Cyprus, Ireland, Malta, Portugal, Slovak Republic, etc.)
for a variety of infrastructure and system projects as well
as assessments, feasibility studies and trials.
ASSIST – Assistance for Single European Sky
Implementation to Stakeholders
Activities performed by ASSIST during 2008 were all tied
to the Provisional Council’s and more specific LSSIP ob-
jectives related to CAAs. ASSIST provided assistance to a
number of CAAs (e.g. Albania, Cyprus, FYROM, Greece,
Luxembourg, Romania, Slovakia, etc.). The support
covered numerous themes and expertise – from
the proper organisations of civil aviation bodies like
National Supervisory Authorities (NSAs) to the develop-
ment of guidance material and documented process-
es for regulators, including the handling of air traffic
services electronics personnel (ATSEPs).
Moreover, it covered the development of specific action
plans for improvements which were complemented by
more comprehensive five-year strategic business plans.
ASSIST initiated the Eastern and Central European Re-
gional NSAs Forum in close cooperation with the EC,
The Single European Sky: Europe’s future ATM vision
65EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
and also held two related workshops in 2008. Finally,
the first of the new breed of so-called transversal proj-
ects – the Quattro-Sec Project – was launched in 2008.
It involves ATM security in Albania, Cyprus, Hungary and
Malta.
EMF – Excellence Management Function
The primary objective of the Excellence Management
Function (EMF) is to facilitate the development, evolu-
tion and implementation of a formalised and proac-
tive approach to quality management and continuous
improvement in accordance with PC objectives, ICAO
requirements and the SES Common Requirements for a
quality management system.
EMF activity during 2008 ranged from a quality/excel-
lence workshop on current best practice for NSAs and
regulators to engagement with the Military Harmonisa-
tion Group (MILHAG) members to identify quality man-
agement system maturity levels and common issues.
The Agency also arranged its fifth workshop on imple-
menting the ATM Common Assessment Framework
(ACAF) for air navigation service providers and coor-
dinated the eighth Excellence Policy Group Meeting
(XPG), which features representatives from 16 ANSPs.
The Agency also facilitated and supported the evolu-
tion of the XPG to the Quality Management Working
Group (QMWG) under the CANSO umbrella.
Civil and military cooperation
In April 2008, the EUROCONTROL Directorate of
Civil-Military ATM Coordination (DCMAC) finalised a
report on a fact-finding study regarding the imple-
mentation of the SES EC Regulation on Flexible Use
of Airspace (FUA) (EC Regulation No 2150/2005) in
Bulgaria at the State’s request. The study focused on
the national legal and regulatory framework, the
application of FUA and airspace design. Additional
areas covered the military ATM organisation, safety
management, the training and licensing of military
ATC personnel, as well as Aeronautical Information
Services (AIS), technical support and national and
regional initiatives. The study report provides both
findings and their associated sets of conclusions,
recommendations and possible actions for the Bul-
garian civil and military authorities.
Moreover, DCMAC supported EUROCONTROL’s
work related to the SES interoperability mandates
by providing contributions that led to the develop-
ment of regulatory provisions applicable to State
aircraft. Articles on State aircraft were included in
the Data Link Services Implementing Rule and more
recently in the draft IR on Surveillance Performance
and Interoperability Requirements, which is still un-
der consultation.
In 2008, DCMAC also launched a project known
as SESIM to identify opportunities, options and
best practices for the Single European Sky imple-
mentation by the military. The aim is to produce
a EUROCONTROL guideline document which will
identify potential benefits and offer specific guid-
ance on implementation together with an estimate
of the effort required. As part of the SESIM project,
DCMAC initially provided a study report to national
military authorities, regarding their implementation
of SES regulations, which highlighted the various
opportunities, challenges and risks involved. This
report has been exceedingly influential in assisting
national authorities in preparing their decisions
and the regulatory and technical work performed
at European level.
EUROCONTROL provided a study report to national military authorities, regarding their implementation of SES regulations, which highlighted the various opportunities, challenges and risks involved.
66
SESAR: THE SINGLE EUROPEAN SKY ATM RESEARCH PROGRAMMEHaving accepted the SESAR ATM Target Concept in Sep-
tember 2007, EUROCONTROL was pleased to accept the
ATM Deployment Sequence from the SESAR Consor-
tium in February 2008. This document, known as Deliv-
erable 4 (D4), lays out the deployment sequence for the
ATM Target Concept and demonstrates the feasibility
of meeting the performance goals. It also reflects the
commitment of a significant cross-section of European
ATM stakeholders, working with the SESAR Consortium,
to the implementation steps proposed for the shorter
term as well as the recommendation for launching the
development and validation activities according to the
proposed transition sequence.
The document proposes three successive implementa-
tion packages covering the period from 2008 to 2020
and beyond. The first Implementation Package started
in 2008 and will end in 2012. It lays the foundations for
the ATM Target Concept, while the second package,
which runs from 2013 to 2020, will deliver the 2020
ATM Target Concept and result in a more efficient ATM
network across Europe. The third package, which goes
beyond 2020, aims to ensure that SESAR’s long-term
goals will be met. Its main characteristics will be the
introduction of the most advanced features of the
SESAR Concept of Operations, such as the full applica-
tion of Airborne Separation Assistance System (ASAS),
self-separation and the 4D trajectory contract.
Some two months after accepting the ATM Deployment
Sequence from the SESAR Consortium, EUROCONTROL
subsequently accepted the ‘SESAR Master Plan’ (D5) as
well as the associated ‘Work Programme for 2008-2013’
(D6). D5, the ‘SESAR Master Plan’, explains how the ATM
Target Concept, defined in previous SESAR deliverables,
can be put in place. As such, it sets out a phased imple-
mentation, which addresses the lifecycle from feasibil-
ity and R&D through to final deployment. It establishes
the roadmaps for the evolution of operations, for en-
abler development and deployment and for support-
ing changes, including safety and environment. D5 also
addresses the associated benefits provided by the ATM
Target Concept, funding and financing aspects as well
as risks. An official reference source for the data, under-
lying the ATM Master Plan, was created and can be ac-
cessed using the following link www.atmmasterplan.eu.
This comprehensive portal allows stakeholders to view
and download all relevant documents as well as place
update requests on-line.
D6, the ‘Work Programme for 2008-2013’, identifies all
the projects in that timeframe which are necessary to
support the implementation of the ATM Target Con-
cept. This includes the deployment of existing systems,
the development of systems which are almost mature,
applied research to refine the concept and develop
technical solutions and longer-term research. It also
makes recommendations regarding the methods and
management processes for supporting the Develop-
ment Phase.
With the availability of these three final deliverables, the
Definition Phase of SESAR was successfully completed,
both enabling the full establishment of the SESAR Joint
Undertaking, which officially launched its work pro-
gramme on 8 December 2008, and allowing progress
to be made with the endorsement by the EU Transport
Council of the European ATM Master Plan, the substance
of which is the D5 content.
In September 2008, three months before that momen-
tous occasion, EUROCONTROL attended an ICAO forum
in Montreal, where the attendees agreed to start a pro-
cess for sharing developments in Europe’s SESAR and
America’s NextGen systems. By identifying both com-
monalities and differences between the two concepts
and highlighting how the harmonisation and interoper-
ability efforts should proceed, this process will benefit
the entire global community.
The Single European Sky: Europe’s future ATM vision
67EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
Military collaboration in SESAR
To ensure the appropriate military involvement in the
SESAR programme, the Military ATM Board (MAB) has
endorsed the use of EUROCONTROL’s working arrange-
ments and will support the Agency by seconding na-
tional experts to the DCMAC. The Description of Work
for the SESAR Development Phase includes a number
of civil-military activities for which EUROCONTROL has
offered a substantial contribution alongside the provi-
sion of the organisational framework for such military
participation. The most strategic activities upon which
military activity has been, and will be, focused cover a
spectrum of expertise and themes, ranging from the
validation of civil-military operational requirements
to the development of technical solutions in support
of civil-military interoperability requirements. These
interoperability requirements will enable trajectory-
based operations and military system interaction with
SWIM (System-Wide Information Management). Addi-
tional efforts associated with the military contribution
include Master Plan maintenance and a cost-benefit
analysis.
The preparation of the SESAR Development Phase
with respect to civil-military interoperability
required a significant contribution from DCMAC
during the development of SESAR Description of
Work (DOW) documents. At the same time, some
supplementary studies have been finalised on
the capability gaps between military systems and
SESAR, and on the certification of military naviga-
tion systems. In 2008, significant progress was made
on the harmonisation of Operational Air Traffic (OAT)
rules, developing airspace planning tools (LARA) and
performance monitoring tools (PRISMIL). A fuller
account of the OAT rules and PRISMIL activities are
given in the ‘Civil-military ATM coordination’ chapter.
Conclusion
Excellent progress continues to be made towards the
realisation of the vision for the future ATM system,
and EUROCONTROL is proud of the significant role
it is playing in the flagship European programmes,
SES and SESAR.
The achievements delivered in 2008 will help to en-
sure that European aviation continues to meet its
milestones, objectives and targets in the future.
68
The ability to attract, retain and develop a highly quali-
fied, flexible workforce drawn from the Organisation’s
38 Member States is of paramount importance to the
Agency. The Agency’s human resources (HR) services
endeavour to ensure that staff members can adapt to
the rapidly changing demands of the aviation industry
and the Organisation, especially at a time of pending
organisational change and potential redeployment of re-
sources. The Agency’s HR strategy accordingly continues
to be closely aligned with the Agency’s business goals,
with the aim of responding to emerging needs.
Staffing situation
As at 31.12.08, the Agency headcount stood at 2,220
posts, up from the end of 2007 (2,164 posts). In terms of
turnover, 107 new servants/officials joined the Agency in
2008, while 51 staff members left over the same period.
In parallel, the Agency continued to recruit more contract
staff on the basis of fixed-term renewable contracts. 66
contract staff members were recruited in 2008, bringing
the total number of contract staff in their posts up to 85
across the Agency as at 31.12.08. The scheme gives the
Agency greater flexibility in manpower planning, deliver-
ing cost savings over the medium term and cutting back
on the number of long-term contractors.
Key developments
Successfully implementing the
Administrative Reform
The Administrative Reform, the culmination of many
years of work across the Agency, entered into force on
1 July 2008. The Reform offers a comprehensive revi-
sion of the regulatory framework, bringing more flex-
ible working contracts via the introduction of contract
staff, supporting the development of a performance-
based culture, and modernising the career structure.
It also greatly enhances social policies, offering an im-
proved work-life balance, extending social rights, and
defining a more equitable system of allowances. In the
six months leading up to 1 July, HR services worked
extensively to ensure that the Reform would be imple-
mented on time. A comprehensive communication
campaign was launched to explain fully the main fea-
tures of the Reform; in parallel, work continued on the
processes of updating and rewriting various parts of
the regulatory framework (the Staff Regulations and
General Conditions of Employment), and of drawing
up detailed implementing provisions and Rules of Ap-
plication, involving extensive discussions with the so-
cial partners within the framework of the consultation
procedure.
Human resources
CFMU
CMAC
CND
CRCO
DF
DG
DHA
MUAC
5
2
21
3
3
2
2
69
0 20 40 60 80 100
MUAC (669)
EEC (249)
DHA (178)
DF (76)
CRCO (107)
CFMU (451)
DG (75)
CPD (26)
DAS (114)
DAP (176)
IANS (75)
CMAC (24)
Staff by directorate as at 31.12.2008
Total (2 220)
69EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
2008 also saw considerable work on the operational
side in terms of translating the new provisions into
forms and procedures, and ensuring that the IT
tools were ready to support the new structures. The
Agency also put in place an Administrative Reform
Monitoring Committee, a body which is tasked with
regularly monitoring the smooth implementation
of the Reform in terms of its operational impact,
and which delivered its first progress report in late
2008.
Strengthening support to the Organisation,
the Agency and its people
HR services continued to concentrate on delivering
high-quality support to the Agency and its people,
particularly with regard to explaining the impact
of the Reform. Agency staff members were able
to consult the DHA Info Centre and the HR Intra-
net pages, which over the course of the year were
completely revised to ensure maximum clarity and
transparency for users.
Keeping stakeholder needs for greater efficiency
firmly in mind, HR services also further strength-
ened their performance measurement culture with
the definition of more robust key performance indi-
cators for HR processes and projects.
Supporting personal development, strengthening
performance and building leadership skills
The importance of supporting personal develop-
ment was the key theme in 2008 in the training and
development domain. The Staff Development Centre
(SDC) was launched in the first quarter. Its innovative
approach supports Agency people in planning their
personal development, and looks at ways of improv-
ing their performance within an overall framework for
talent and people management. This new tailor-made
service has proven popular with staff and business
areas alike, and is a powerful tool for improving per-
formance: by the end of the year, 70 members of staff
had consulted one of the SDC team to explore their
personal development needs. The specialised advice
provided by the SDC was augmented by the standard
range of in-house training opportunities designed to
support learning and development, picking up in par-
ticular on development needs identified during the
performance appraisal process.
In parallel, the Agency continued over the year to fo-
cus on strengthening leadership skills and building
managerial competencies via the established Corpo-
rate Management Training Programme (CMTP), with 60
middle and senior managers from around the Agency
attending modules totalling 920 training days.
CFMU
CMAC
CND
CRCO
DF
DG
DHA
MUAC
5
2
21
3
3
2
2
69
0 20 40 60 80 100
Staff recruited in 2008 and in their posts
as at 31.12.07, by Directorate
KEY
FAC
TS A
ND
FIG
URE
S 2,220 staff in place (headcount) as at 31.12.08 for
the entire Agency (up from 2,164 on 31.12.07)
107 officials/servants recruited and in their
posts as at 31.12.08
66 contract staff recruited and in their posts as
at 31.12.08
29 trainees (stagiaires) welcomed as part of the
Agency’s Vocational Training Programme
71 temping assignments of less than one year
offered to fill temporary staffing needs (e.g.
replacing staff on maternity leave or sick leave)
70
EUROCONTROL bases its decision-making and moni-
toring on the principles of good corporate governance.
Transparency is of prime importance, and is recognised
in the EUROCONTROL Mission Statement, Contract Regu-
lations, Financial Regulations, and in its financial report-
ing to Member States, stakeholders and the Audit Board.
Internal control
Executive responsibility for internal control is vested in
the Director General. The system exists to ensure that
Agency objectives are achieved efficiently and economi-
cally, and in compliance with EUROCONTROL’s regula-
tions. It is designed to manage rather than eliminate the
risk of failure to achieve business objectives.
Corporate risk management
EUROCONTROL has designed risk management systems
to identify, assess and where necessary take action to
counteract or mitigate any risks associated with its activi-
ties. Corporate-wide guidance on risk management has
been developed. Risk management is an integral part of
management activity, and is integrated into the business
planning process.
Internal Audit
EUROCONTROL’s Internal Audit Unit oversees an effective
system of internal controls designed to help the Agency
meet its objectives. Its scope includes:
n ensuring the reliability and integrity of financial trans-
action and related information;
n ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of opera-
tions;
n safeguarding assets;
n compliance with laws, regulations and contracts;
n assessment of risk management processes.
The Head of Internal Audit, whose appointment by the
Director General is approved by the Provisional Council
and the enlarged Committee for Route Charges, reports
directly to the Director General. He may bring matters
which in his view are significant to the attention of the
Audit Board, the Provisional Council and the Enlarged
Committee.
External Audit
The Audit Board examines and reports annually on the
Agency and the route charges system accounts and
reports to the Permanent Commission, via the Provi-
sional Council. With regard to the financial manage-
ment of the route charges system, it reports via the
Enlarged Committee. The Audit Board also reviews the
level of transparency of the Agency’s procedures and
decisions.
The Board is independent of the Agency and has finan-
cial resources specifically dedicated to its work, provid-
ed through the Agency Budget, approved by the Com-
mission. It is composed of six members designated by
six Contracting States, on a rotating basis, for a period
of four years. The Rules of Procedure of the Audit Board
stipulate that its members shall be professional audi-
tors. Board members are not paid by the Agency, but
are refunded in full for their travel expenses.
Annual accounts
EUROCONTROL produces budgetary accounts present-
ing the execution of the budget and financial accounts
showing the financial position and the financial per-
formance of the Agency. The budgetary and financial
accounts are produced in accordance with the principle
of true and fair reporting.
The accounts of the Agency and of the route charges
system are audited by the Audit Board, assisted by an
auditing company, selected through an open call for
tenders procedure. The annual accounts, including the
audit opinion, are submitted to the Permanent Com-
mission via the Provisional Council. The Commission
gives a final ruling on the accounts and decides on the
discharge to be given to the Director General in respect
of his financial and accounting management.
Corporate governance
71EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
Appointment of staff and remunerationEUROCONTROL staff are appointed by the Director Gen-
eral following a rigorous recruitment and selection pro-
cedure involving selection boards, which are made up
of management and staff representatives.
In accordance with the EUROCONTROL Staff Regula-
tions, any staff member wishing to perform any profes-
sional external activity must gain the prior approval of
the Director General, and further measures are in place
to manage potential conflicts of interests of Agency
staff.
The system of staff remuneration, including that of the
Director General and the Directors, is approved by the
Permanent Commission and is linked to the method
used by the European Commission. In line with the pub-
lic-sector nature of the Agency there are no bonuses or
discretionary payments to staff.
72
Foreword
In the increasingly complex and challenging environ-
ment in which EUROCONTROL operates, costeffective
methods and practices are vital to the smooth opera-
tion of the Agency and the efficient conduct of EURO-
CONTROL’s international affairs.
Annual accounts
In accordance with its Financial Regulations, the Agency
published its 2008 Annual Accounts by 30 June 2009.
These accounts include the opinion of its external audi-
tors, the EUROCONTROL Audit Board.
The financial information that follows is a summary of
the data included in the Annual Accounts.
Financing mechanism
The annual budget of the Agency is established on the
basis of the cash flows needed to support planned ex-
penditure. It is subdivided into Parts, which each have
their own financing mechanisms.
Chart 1 shows the financing mechanism of Parts I & IX,
II, III and VI of the budget.
n Parts I and IX include the European Air Traffic
Management Programme (EATM), the Central Flow
Management Unit (CFMU), the Experimental Centre
(EEC), the Training Institute (IANS), the Institution-
al Bodies (i.e. the External Audit, the Performance
Review System, the Safety Regulation System and
the Regulatory System), the EAD Services, the Safety
Regulatory Oversight Unit, the Military Unit, togeth-
er with all the logistic services. It is mainly financed
by contributions from the 38 Member States (oper-
ational expenditure) and bank loans (capital expen-
diture) with some minor receipts for special services
provided on request.
n Part II includes the Central Route Charges Office
(CRCO), which is financed from a handling charge on
the route charges collected via the system.
n Part III includes Maastricht UAC, which is owned and
operated by EUROCONTROL on behalf of Belgium,
Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. It is
financed by contributions from these four States and,
for a part of the capital expenditure, pre-financed by
Part I.
n Part VI includes the Central European Air Traffic
Services (CEATS) Project, which is financed by Austria,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic,
Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Financial information
73EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
Chart 1: Statement of sources and application of funds in 2008 (€ ‘000)
n Operating expenditure financed by contributions
from 38 Member States
n Capital expenditure financed by bank loans
Opening balance (01.01.08)
In favour of EUROCONTROL - 1 710
Opening balance (01.01.08)
Loans still to be drawn down against - 39 813 previous years expenditure
Closing balance (31.12.08) =
Balance in favour of EUROCONTROL - 7 212
Closing balance (31.12.08) =
Loans still to be drawn down - 44 662 against previous year’s expenditure
Expenditure financed by contributions
Expenditure financed by bank loans
Sources of funds +
Contributions received
Sources of funds +
Application of funds - Application of funds -
Parts I and IX: EATM, CFMU, EEC, IANS, PRU, SRU, RU and logistical services
FranceGermanyUnited KingdomSpain ItalyTurkeyNetherlandsBelgiumPortugalSwedenAustriaSwitzerlandRomaniaPolandUkraineRemaining States
Loans
Staff expenditure PensionsOperating costsRepayment of loansInterest paid on loans
Buildings, installations & equipment
SESAR
76 02270 69160 08852 90746 45513 46613 00112 16311 03610 89010 522
9 4539 2047 7887 326
60 345
162 049105 641140 042
58 76010 367
17 410
10 000
16.1%15.0%12.7%11.2%
9.9%2.9%2.8%2.6%2.3%2.3%2.2%2.0%2.0%1.7%1.6%
12.8%
34.0%22.2%29.4%12.3%
2.1%
63.5%
36.5%
471 357 22 561
476 859 27 410
Actual
476 859
27 410
Budget
486 218
28 462
%
98.0%
96.3%
Budget performance (in €‘000)
The closing balance in favour of EUROCONTROL as at 31.12.08 will be added to the contributionsto be paid by the States in 2009.
The amount of loans still to be drawn down againstprevious year’s capital expenditure will be drawn down during 2009.
74
Chart 1: Statement of sources and application of funds in 2008 (€ ‘000)
n Operating and capital expenditure financed by handling
charges levied on route charges
Opening balance (01.01.08)
Balance owed by CRCO - 1 186
Closing balance (31.12.08) =
Balance owed by CRCO - 607
Sources of funds +
Transfer to Part I from handling charges on route charges
Application of funds -
Part II: CRCO
Staff expenditure (net)Operating expenditure (net)Capital expenditure
14 2483 234
639
78.6%17.8%
3.6%
18 700
18 121
75EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
n Operational expenditure financed by
contributions from the 4 Member States
n Capital expenditure financed by contributions
Opening balance (01.01.08)
In favour of the 4 States 2 078
In favour of German OAT 556
Balance in favour of States 2 634
Opening balance (01.01.08)
In favour of the 4 States 0
In favour of German OAT 1 014
Balance in favour of German OAT 1 014
Closing balance (31.12.08) =
In favour of the 4 States 5 913
In favour of German OAT 193
Balance in favour of States 6 106
Closing balance (31.12.08) =
In favour of the 4 States 0
In favour of German OAT 91
Balance in favour of German OAT 91
Sources of funds +
Contributions received
Sources of funds +
Contributions received
Application of funds - Application of funds -
Part III: Maastricht UAC
German GATBelgiumNetherlandsGerman OAT Luxembourg
German GATBelgiumNetherlandsGerman OATLuxembourg
Staff expenditure (net)Operating expenditure (net)
BuildingsInstallationsEquipmentPrefinancing
40 72226 84022 482
2 720830
7 7595 1184 286
699159
77 59712 525
1 1031 731
13 5612 549
43.5%28.7%24.0%
2.9%0.9%
43.1%28.4%23.8%
3.9%0.8%
86.1%13.9%
5.8%9.1%
71.6%13.5%
93 594 18 021
90 122 18 944
The closing balance in favour of the States as at 31.12.08will be deducted from contributions to be paid by the4 States and by German OAT during 2009.
76
n Expenditure for the CEATS Project financed by Austria,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic,
Hungary, Italy, Slovakia and Slovenia
Opening balance (01.01.08)
In favour of the States - 1 007
Closing balance (31.12.08) =
Balance in favour of EUROCONTROL - 914
Sources of funds +
Contributions received
Application of funds -
Part VI: CEATS
HungaryAustriaSloveniaCzech Rep.ItalySlovakiaCroatiaBosnia & Herzegovina
Staff expenditure (net)Operating expenditure (net)Investment
Amount €‘0001 0571 620
226933919391633415
3 9262 158
17
%
17.1%26.2%
3.6%15.1%14.8%
6.3%10.2%
6.7%
64.4%35.4%
0.2%
6 194
6 101
Chart 1: Statement of sources and application of funds in 2008 (€ ‘000)
77EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
Commitment to long-termfinancial equilibrium
EUROCONTROL has in place a policy for its long-term
financial equilibrium by which it pursues alignment
between its liabilities with banks and its total fixed assets.
The respective amounts, at the close of 2008, were as fol-
lows:
n Liabilities with banks, including both current liabilities
(€236.0 million) and future liabilities relating to as-
sets acquired before 31.12.08 to be financed by loans,
amount to a total of €280.7 million (Parts I, III and IX).
n Fixed assets (€282.8 million) which will be recovered
in subsequent years through the EUROCONTROL cost-
base mechanism.
The Agency has kept its commitment with its Member
States to close the gap between assets and liabilities
by the end of 2008. This alignment ensures that the
depreciation of the assets, through the Route Charges
System, will provide the financial resources to repay the
loan with the banks.
As shown in the graph below, the total amount of the
Agency’s debt has been considerably reduced from
€438.1 million in 2003 to €280.7 million in 2008,
significantly improving as a result the Agency’s financial
position. The total debt of the Agency will be reduced in
future years, as can be seen in the years 2008-2013.
The debt in 2013 (€154.4 million) will mark a reduction
of 65% as compared to the debt level of 2003
(€438.1 million).
150 000
200 000
250 000
300 000
350 000
400 000
450 000 438 129 430 448
383 070
345 797
314 613
280 688
244 754
216 832
194 241
170 392
154 405
100 0002003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Trend in the total Agency debt (2003-2007 actual & 2008-2013 forecast)
78
EUROCONTROL costs
Under ICAO rules, each Member State includes its own share of
EUROCONTROL’s costs in its individual cost-base, which is then
funded by airspace users through the route charges system.
1. From budgetary contributions to EUROCONTROL costs
As shown in Chart 1 (page 73), contributions are established
on the basis of cash flows, while costs exclude some transac-
tions such as repayment of loans and include other transac-
tions, not involving a direct cash operation, such as the inter-
nal tax and the amortisation of assets.
The following table reconciles these two dimensions for
Parts I and IX:
Use of contributions 476,859
Internal tax 59,820
Other adjustments
(mainly related to asset depreciation) -5,126
Cost-base 531,553
Further details of this reconciliation are included in para-
graph 4.1 of the Agency 2008 Annual Accounts.
2. EUROCONTROL cost by strategic activity
Traditionally, the EUROCONTROL cost has been determined
by reference to the source of financing:
n Cost of Parts I and IX, which is included in the individual
cost-base of the 38 Member States, amounting to
€531,553,000 in 2008.
n Cost of Part II (CRCO), financed from a handling charge on
the route charges collected via the system, amounting to
€18,085,000 in 2008.
n Cost of Part III (Maastricht UAC), included in the costs of the
4 Member States, amounting to €128,434,000 in 2008.
n Cost of Part VI (CEATS), amounting to 6,101,000 in 2008.
The total EUROCONTROL cost amounts to €684,173,000.
79EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
3. Costs of Parts I and IX
Trend in nominal terms of total costs (Parts I and IX) in ‘000
Staff costsPension costsOperating costsDepreciationInterest
Total EUROCONTROL costs% i/i-1
Total en-route costs%i/i-1
EUROCONTROL (Parts I and IX) portion
2004
188 06420 67289 24493 025
9 749
400 7544%
5 536 6405%
7.2%
2005
192 86383 95399 488
107 7778 620
492 70123%
5 762 4044%
8.6%
2006
209 049100 535141 081
59 3926 753
516 8105%
5 995 9284%
8.6%
2007
219 558104 977143 792
45 7367 173
521 2361%
6 344 0986%
8.2%
2008
221 869105 641140 016
56 5207 507
531 5532%
6 694 0486%
7.9%
2008/07
1%1%
-3%24%
5%
2%
6%
2008/2004
18%411%
57%-39%-23%
33%
21%
Trend in real terms of cost per km (Parts I and IX)
* Estimated
EUROCONTROL costs (Part I and IX) accounted in 2007 for 8% of the total en-route costs.
The increase from 2007 to 2008 (2%) is much lower than the estimated increase of the total en-route costs (6%).
*
In real terms, EUROCONTROL costs (Part I and IX) decreased by 1% between 2007 and 2008. In addition, as the total number of kilometres flown increased much more than EUROCONTROL costs over the same period, the real EUROCONTROL cost per kilometre decreased by 6%.
400 000
450 000
500 000
550 000
600 000
0.50
0.55
0.60
0.65
Total real costs
Real unit cost
0.70(€2008) (€2008/km)
2007 2008200620052004
80
4. Costs of Part III
Trend in nominal terms of total costs (Part III) in €’000
Trend in real terms of total cost (Part III)
Staff costsOperating costsDepreciationInterest
Total EUROCONTROL (PART III) costs% i/i-1
Total en-route costs% i/i-1
EUROCONTROL (PART III) portion
Total nominal EUROCONTROL costs (€’000)
Price index
Total real EUROCONTROL costs (€2008)
2003
128 434
1.0778
128 434
2004
86 36811 36812 367
1 938
112 0412%
5 536 6405%
2.0%
2004
112 041
0.9786
123 399
2005
86 77310 07313 491
1 804
112 1410%
5 762 4044%
1.9%
2005
112 141
1.0000
120 866
2006
89 64610 04414 967
1 804
116 4614%
5 995 9284%
1.9%
2006
116 461
1.0218
122 844
2007
98 14611 07911 959
2 227
123 4116%
6 344 0986%
1.9%
2007
123 411
1.0436
127 455
2008/07
2%16%
9%16%
4%
6%
2008/07
4%
3%
1%
2008/04
16%13%
5%33%
15%
21%
2008/04
15%
10%
4%
EUROCONTROL costs (Part III) accounted in 2008 for 1.9% of the total en-route costs. In nominal terms, the increase from 2007 to 2008 (4%), which was mainly due to increased operating costs and depreciation, is in line with the estimated increase of the total en-route costs (6%). Over the period 2004-2008, the increase has been limited to 15%, while total en-route costs increased by 21%.
In real terms, the increase from 2007 to 2008 is 1% and 4% over the period 2004-2008.
2008
100,00812,84113,008
2,577
128 4344%
6 694 0486%
1.9%
81EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
5. Summary of EUROCONTROL costs in €’000
Part I& IXPart III
Subtotal
Part IIPart VI
Total nominal costs
Price index
Total real costs
2008
531 553128 434
659 987
18 0856 101
684 173
1.0778
662 463
2004
400 754112 041
512 795
18 6019 714
541 110
0.9786
577 051
2005
492 701112 141
604 842
17 94814 088
636 878
1.0000
664 646
2006
516 810116 461
633 271
18 4469 899
661 616
1.0218
675 732
2007
521 235123 411
644 646
18 5326 927
670 105
1.0436
670 105
2008/07
2%4%
2%
-2%
-12%
2%
3%
-1%
2008/07
33%15%
29%
-3%
-37%
26%
10%
15%
After a few years of significant increase which were mainly due to the Pension Reform and the introduction of IAS 38, EUROCONTROL’s total costs decreased, in real terms, by 1% from 2006 to 2007 and from 2007 to 2008.
By resolving these two long-standing issues, EUROCONTROL is now able to show a nominal cost increase lower than inflation in 2007 and 2008, which means negative trends, in real terms (-1%).
While costs of Part I, III and IX are included in the individual cost-bases of the Member States, the costs of Part II are recovered through a handling charge levied on every bill recovered through the CRCO system.
For Part VI, CEATS Member States include in their own cost-base the contributions that they pay to EUROCONTROL (i.e. K€ 6,101 in 2008).
83EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
Glossary
AAAIB Aviation Accident Investigation BoardAB Audit BoardACAF ATM Common Assessment FrameworkACAS Airborne Collision Avoidance SystemACC Area Control CentreA-CDM Airport Collaborative Decision MakingACE Airside Capacity EnhancementACE ATM Cost-EffectivenessACI Airports Council International ADEXP ATS Data Exchange PresentationADQ IR Aeronautical Data Quality and Information Implementing RuleADR Altitude Deviation Report ADS-B Automatic Dependent Surveillance- BroadcastADS-B-NRA Automatic Dependent Surveillance- Broadcast for non-radar areasAENA Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (Spanish Airport and Air Navigation Administration)AIS Aeronautical Information ServicesAIXM Aeronautical Information Exchange ModelAMHS ATS Message Handling SystemAMON Airport MonitoringANSB Air Navigation Services BoardANSP Air Navigation Service ProviderAPM Approach Path MonitorAPW Area Proximity WarningARN V6 ATS Route Network - Version 6ASAS Airborne Separation Assistance SystemASM Airspace ManagementASSIST Assistance for Single European Sky Implementation to StakeholdersAST Annual Summary TemplateATFCM Air Traffic Flow and Capacity ManagementATFM Air Traffic Flow ManagementATM Air Traffic ManagementATM/CNS Air Traffic Management / Communications, Navigation and SurveillanceATS Air Traffic ServicesATSEP Air Traffic Safety Electronics PersonnelAVAL ACAS on VLJs and LJs – Assessment of Safety Level
CCANSO Civil Air Navigation Services OrganisationCARA Controller Action Reliability AssessmentCASCADE Cooperative ATS through Surveillance and Communication Applications deployed in ECACCASSIS CTA ATM System Integration StudiesCATF Conformity Assessment Task ForceCCG CEATS Coordination GroupCDA Continuous Descent ApproachCDR Conditional RoutesCE Committee of ManagementCEATS Central European Air Traffic ServicesCEM Collaborative Environmental ManagementCEN Comité européen de normalisationCENELEC Comité européen de normalisation électrotechniqueCE-R Enlarged Committee for Route ChargesCFMU Central Flow Management UnitCFMU-SB Central Flow Management Unit Supervisory BoardCMAC Civil/Military ATM CoordinationCMIC Civil/Military Interface Standing CommitteeCMTP Corporate Management Training ProgrammeCN (Permanent) CommissionCND Corporate Network DesignCND-SB Corporate Network Design Supervisory BoardCNS Communication, Navigation & SurveillanceCODA Central Office for Delay AnalysisCPD CEATS Programme DirectorateCPDLC Controller-Pilot Data Link CommunicationCRCO Central Route Charges OfficeCRCO-SB Central Route Charges Office Supervisory BoardCRISTAL Cooperative Validation of Surveillance Techniques and Applications (of ADS-B)CTA Controlled Time of ArrivalCUMA Civil Use of Military Aerodromes
DDAP Directorate ATM ProgrammesDAS Directorate ATM StrategiesDCMAC Directorate for Civil-Military ATM CoordinationDF Directorate FinanceDG Director GeneralDG TREN Directorate-General for Energy and TransportDHA Directorate of Human Resources and Administration
84
DLS Data Link Service(s)DLS IR Implementing Rule for Interoperability on Data Link ServicesDMEAN Dynamic Management of the European Airspace NetworkDOW Description of Work (SESAR)DR Directorate of ResourcesDRAHG Double Regulation Ad-hoc GroupDR-SB Directorate of Resources Supervisory Board
EEAD European AIS DatabaseEASA European Aviation Safety AgencyEASC European ATM Staff Representatives ConferenceEATM European Air Traffic Management ProgrammeECAC European Civil Aviation ConferenceECIP European Convergence and Implementation PlanEEC EUROCONTROL Experimental CentreEIA Environmental Impact AssessmentEIS EUROCONTROL Implementation SupportELPAC English Language Proficiency for Aeronautical CommunicationsEMF Excellence Management FunctionENAV Ente nazionale di assistenza al voloESARR EUROCONTROL Safety Regulatory RequirementESIMS ESARR Implementation Monitoring and Support ProgrammeESP European Safety Programme (for ATM)ESSIP European Single Sky Implementation mechanismETS Emissions Trading SchemeETSI European Telecommunications Standards InstituteEUROAT EUROCONTROL harmonised Rules for Operational Air Traffic under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) inside controlled Airspace in the ECAC AreaEUROCAE European Organisation for Civil Aviation EquipmentEVAIR EUROCONTROL Voluntary ATM Incident Reporting system
Glossary
FFAA Federal Aviation AdministrationFAB Functional Airspace BlockFAB-EC FAB Europe Central; Functional Airspace Block for Central EuropeFASTI First ATC Support Tools Implementation ProgrammeFDPS Flight Data Processing SystemFEP Flight Efficiency PlanFPL Filed Flight PlanFMTP Flight Message Transfer ProtocolFSF Flight Safety FoundationFUA Flexible Use of Airspace
GGAT General Air TrafficGNSS Global Navigation Satellite System
HHACO Hannover and Deco sectorsHRA Human Reliability Analysis
IIAA Irish Aviation AuthorityIANS Institute of Air Navigation ServicesIATA International Air Transport AssociationICAO International Civil Aviation OrganizationICB Industry Consultation BodyIFPS Integrated Initial Flight Plan Processing SystemIFR Instrument Flight RulesIR Implementing RuleIS Information System
KKPI Key Performance Indicator
LLARA Local and Regional Airspace ManagementLCIP Local Convergence and Implementation PlanLFV Luftfartsverket (Swedish Civil Aviation Administration)LSSIP Local Single Sky Implementation mechanism
85EUROCONTROL Annual Report 2008
MMAB Military ATM BoardMILHAG Military Harmonisation GroupMILO Military Liaison OfficerMOPS Minimum Operational Performance StandardsMSAW Minimum Safe Altitude WarningMSI IR Implementing Rule on Mode S Interrogator Code AllocationMTCD Medium-Term Conflict DetectionMUAC Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre
NNAA National Aviation AuthorityNEASCOG NATO/EUROCONTROL Air Traffic Management (ATM) Security Coordinating GroupNextGen Next-Generation Air Transportation SystemNM nautical milesNOP Network Operations PlanNOPAL Network Operations Plan Access LayerNSA National Supervisory AuthorityNTI NSA Training Initiative
OOAT Operational Air TrafficOAT-IFR Operational Air Traffic under Instrument Flight RulesOATTS OAT-IFR transit systemOCG Operations Coordination GroupOLDI On-Line Data Interchange
PPADAC PRISMIL Automated Data Acquisition and Collection toolPAGODA Profile Alignment Group for ODA (Open Document Architecture)PASS Performance and Safety Aspects of STCAPC Provisional CouncilPCC Provisional Council Coordinating CommitteePFSB Pension Fund Supervisory BoardPRC Performance Review CommissionPRISME Pan-European Repository of Information Supporting the Management of EATMPRISMIL Pan-European Repository of Information Supporting Military Key Performance IndicatorsPRU Performance Review Unit
QQMWG Quality Management Working Group
RRA Resolution AdvisoryRMA Regional Monitoring AgencyRNDSG Route Network Development Sub-GroupRTCA Radio Technical Commission for AeronauticsRU Regulatory UnitRVSM Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum
SSAFREP Safety Data Reporting & Data FlowSAFREP TF Safety Reporting and Data Flow Task ForceSAM Safety Assessment MethodologySAME Safety Assessment Made EasierSCF Standing Committee on FinanceSCG Stakeholder Consultation GroupSDC Staff Development CentreSENSE Human Factors ProgrammeSES Single European SkySESAR Single European Sky ATM ResearchSESIM SES Implementation by the MilitarySI Surveillance IdentifierSIM Security Incident ManagementSIMEX Simulation and ExperimentS-JU SESAR Joint UndertakingSMP SESAR Safety Management PlanSOA Service-Oriented ArchitectureSOOD Safety Oversight Overview DocumentSPI IR Surveillance Performance and Interoperability Implementing RuleSPIN Safety Nets Performance Improvement NetworkSPT Separation Performance ToolSRC Safety Regulation CommissionSRU Safety Regulation UnitSSC Single Sky CommitteeSSR Secondary Surveillance RadarSSR-CF SESAR Safety Regulation Coordination FunctionSTCA Short Term Conflict AlertSWIM System-Wide Information Management
86
TTCAS Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance SystemTCT Tactical Controller ToolTMA Terminal Manoeuvring Area
UUAC Upper Area Control CentreUAS Unmanned Aerial System / Unmanned Aircraft SystemUAS SG Unmanned Aircraft System Study GroupUAV Unmanned Aerial VehicleUKFSC United Kingdom Flight Safety CommitteeUSOAP Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme
VVEIRT Versatile Environmental Impact Reporting ToolVLJ Very Light JetVIP VLJ Integration Platform
XXPG Excellence Policy Group (of ANSP Managers)
Glossary
EUROCONTROL
© July 2009 – European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL)
This document is published by EUROCONTROL for information purposes. It may be copied
in whole or in part, provided that EUROCONTROL is mentioned as the source and it
is not used for commercial purposes (i.e. for financial gain). The information in this document
may not be modified without prior written permission from EUROCONTROL.
EUROCONTROL
Corporate Communications
Rue de la Fusée, 96
B - 1130 Bruxelles
www.eurocontrol.int