The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned that the Single European Sky (SES) project to amend the air traffic management of Europe risks collapse if the European states do not support the proposal to restart the initiative by the European Commission.

“New legislation, as proposed by the Commission, is the only way to force the reform and improvements that are desperately needed. But the intransigence and selfishness of key EU states and their air navigation service providers (ANSPs) threatens to collapse the latest Commission effort,” Director General of IATA Willie Walsh said regarding the issue.

According to IATA, the Single European Sky is crucial in order to provide safe, sufficient, and efficient air transport in Europe, and it includes the following benefits:

• Improvement in security level by a factor of ten
• Enhanced capacity and fewer delays, boosting Europe’s GDP by 245 billion and providing a million more jobs every year from 2035
• Support to the European Green Deal by cutting EU aviation emission by ten per cent

Under those circumstances, Welsh explained that the improvement of the effectiveness of the SES has become more crucial during the COVID-19 and the climate crisis, StudyinPoland.Info reports.

Until now, the SES has failed because the Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) had insufficient targets and supervision.

Further, IATA claims that the proposal of the Commission provides a solution by allowing the regulators to enforce tough performance targets, and it firmly supports the Commission’s efforts through a package that includes:

• The creation of potent, independent national economic regulators
• The creation of a regulatory agency all over Europe
• The reinforcement of the pan-European Network Manager to support efficiency

European countries make impressive statements regarding the climate actions but still refuse to support the reforms that would pressure ANSPs in making their routes more efficient, Welsh said.

Several European states are considering blocking the proposed reforms for another alternative which will further weaken the targets and regulatory oversight currently in place. This is deemed to be unacceptable by IATA since it could crash the whole package of the reforms.

“Instead of driving solutions at this critical time, many states are positioning to block reforms, and we are in serious danger of moving backwards,” Welsh added.

Therefore, IATA made a call to transport ministers to establish a more ambitious approach in line with the Commission’s proposal at the next Transport Council, which is to be held on June 3.

Previously, IATA announced that passenger traffic dropped by 74.4 per cent in February 2021 compared to only one year earlier due to the COVID-19 pandemic.