On 12 June, the EUROCONTROL Civil-Military Aviation Summit 2025, in cooperation with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), gathered keynote speakers and panels in Brussels to explore the latest challenges for the security framework of airspace and space operations. Coming just one day before the next crisis near European airspace – the escalation of conflict between Israel and Iran on 13 June – and in the third year of a fundamentally changed security landscape for airspace stakeholders in Europe and globally. The voices of the military were strong and well heard.
Rapid Transformation in Aircraft Capabilities and Weapons
Many speakers, including the Head of the Civil-Military Cooperation Division of EUROCONTROL, Major General Karsten Stoye, who led the forum, Director General EUROCONTROL, Raul Medina, DFS CEO Arndt Schoenemann, and Naviair CEO Anders Rex, highlighted the new technical capabilities of next-generation fighter aircraft such as the F-35 and its unprecedented requirements for training area space. They also addressed the new dimension of threats from jamming and spoofing “from minor irritations to major disruptions in the last months”, and how new technologies are shaping future wars, crises, and war preparation.
All of these challenges require a new dimension of cooperation between all stakeholders in daily operations as well as in planned manoeuvres. Activities such as the recent ‘Air Defender 2023’ and the upcoming ‘Air Defender 2027’ reinforce this. A consistent statement was reiterated throughout the day: “We do not have the luxury of time to find solutions, as the threat is rapidly accelerating and not everyone realises this. We need to act swiftly and decisively.”
Predictability Is Key in Pre-Crisis and Crisis Mode
The civil-military cooperation in the ‘new normal’ security paradigm was explored in Panel 1. A4E Managing Director Ourania Georgoutsakou acknowledged the bottom line that in case of a defence situation, the military has priority; however, in normal operational times it is key to collaborate strategically and for airlines to have predictability – as much as possible! With 5% more traffic and an expected 20% more delays in summer 2025 compared to last year, airline operations are already stretched. The message from military speakers was equally clear: “It is crucial that we train as we fight.”
All panellists acknowledged that mutual trust and collaboration will be essential, with the criteria being:
- operational understanding
- technical feasibility
- risk mitigation
- cost transparency
This addresses available technologies, processes, real-time data availability and data sharing, and political decision-making. Who has priority in pre-crisis times such as today – civil or military aviation? All while continuing to plan for the unplannable together.
From the Ground to Space: Congested – Contested – Competitive
The civil-military challenges in integrating space launches into European airspace operations were the focus of Panel 2. Moving beyond the hype of higher space operations to address real challenges such as unwanted re-entries of space objects into the airspace, the still insufficient data on space debris and their entry pathways, and options for evolving the space desk of the Network Manager in the future.
Given that the number of spaceports in Europe will almost double to around twelve in the near future, the airspace requirements for planned launches will impact air traffic significantly more. Many launches are commercial, as commercial space is a strategic market for the European Union, so the right strategy is needed, as outlined by EC Head of SES Unit, Flor Diaz Pulido.
The Elephant in the Room: Funding and Cost-Sharing
As reiterated by DFS CEO Schoenemann, Naviair CEO Rex, and other speakers, the financing scheme of air traffic management in Europe needs to be revisited. States are becoming significant airspace users, impacting the outcome of Performance Scheme indicators beyond the influence of ANSPs. Airlines have to bear the operational costs and often pay compensation to passengers in case of related delays.
The investment requirements in technology on both the civil and military side to provide the needed systems are significant. Examples were provided by SESAR DM Executive Director Mariagrazia Lapiscopia, while the need to invest in ground systems to reflect on-board technology in military aircraft was reiterated by Network Manager Director Iacopo Prisinotti. Dual use of technology by design from the outset will be key, and was strongly requested by EDA’s Christophe Vievier.
Is it all realistic?
The threats to civil and military airspace users are real; however, joint understanding of the strategic challenges and day-to-day risks is not yet common knowledge. The military voices did everything to reinforce their messaging of urgency.
From the ground to space: Airspace at all levels is congested and will only get worse. Fast implementation of advanced technologies combined with strong collaboration and trust between major stakeholders will be the only way to manage it. However, even the exact definition of needed technologies is a challenge, not talking about the procurement and deployment phases. The SESAR Deployment Manager has a crucial role to play but the military sector is complex and new weapons pose new challenges almost by the day.
The funding of the technology advancements due to security needs as well as the cost allocation of impacts from military training requirements are not yet sufficiently addressed. Negative effects on individual ANSP income from ATC charges through military training zones are observed. Detriments on sustainable routings occur. All these impacts related to the Performance Scheme are new terrain. The current finance scheme will not be sustainable. Also, European co-funding for new technologies needs to be revisited. The EU financial support for aviation as critical infrastructure is currently high on the political agenda, outcome unknown.
There is no time to waste. The pathway from normal times to crisis to pre-war is fast and hard. Even a lot of best practices have been shared, like the outstanding civil-military cooperation close to a war zone by PANSA CEO Magdalena Jaworska, or the new military training zone in Northern Germany, still a lot of required actions are addressed but still to be executed.
The silver lining: Stakeholders were aligned with the conclusion “where there’s a will, there’s a way” and there was a strong commitment to collaboration.
Way Forward
As requested by one of the final panellists: “Let’s put the nice speeches into action”.
Those who are not yet familiar with the latest military requirements, their impacts on civil aviation, and the security ecosystem for airspace and space management are strongly recommended to re-watch the panels from the Forum. The increasing risks from space debris, in parallel with the growing number of space launches, are not prioritised on the agenda as they need to be.
Global Airspace Radar will follow up with separate articles on the specific elements discussed at the Forum in the coming months. Please also revisit our related articles in our first magazine edition on F-35 training and jamming and spoofing and articles on the role of aviation for European infrastructure and competitiveness in the context of the next Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF).
