An A6 Steering Board has met in Brussels for high level talks with EU Commission, EASA, SESAR JU and Eurocontrol on next steps towards modernising European Air Traffic Management.
Key challenges and opportunities facing European Air Traffic Management (ATM) were at the center of discussions between the A6 Alliance and the European Commission. Philipp Piber, Chair of the A6 Alliance together with Arndt Schoenemann, Chair of CANSO EC3, and Enrique Maurer, Chair of the EUROCONTROL Network Management Board (NMB), met with Magda Kopczyńska, Director-General of DG MOVE.
The discussions focused on three critical topics shaping the future of European skies:
- The Future of SESAR, aiming to accelerate innovation and deployment of advanced ATM technologies across Europe, highlighting the key role of ANSPs in its co-creation and governance.
- Ensuring the effective execution of the European ATM Master Plan, with a particular focus on sustainable financing and funding mechanisms to support modernization efforts.
- The importance of implementing the new service delivery model as a cornerstone of the Digital European Sky initiative, aiming to enhance efficiency, resilience, and environmental sustainability.
This strategic dialogue underscored the commitment of ANSPs to work together with political decision makers to meet Europe’s growing operational and environmental ambitions.
The SESAR Post-2027 Strategy, the New Service Delivery Model, and the development of a new Common Project 2 (CP2) aimed at further accelerating ATM modernization were on the agenda for the A6 Steering Board. All A6 ANSPs reaffirmed their strong support for the New Service Delivery Model and emphasized the importance for delivering a more efficient, harmonized, and digitalized European ATM system.
High-level discussions were held with EASA – European Union Aviation Safety Agency Director General Florian Guillermet and SESAR Joint Undertaking Chief Technology and Strategy Officer Alain Siebert. Talks focused on the creation of an EASA-SJU Joint Roadmap for the New Service Delivery Model, which is expected to be finalized by the end of 2025. The success of the New Service Delivery Model will depend on a realistic implementation plan that includes an appropriate technical regulatory framework and harmonized standards.
EUROCONTROL Director General Raúl Medina provided an update on EUROCONTROL’s recent strategy refresh. A6 CEOs highlighted the importance of continued close cooperation in ATM transformation and Service Oriented Architecture as well as the important supportive role of EUROCONTROL in the future set-up of SESAR.
