Single European Sky snegler seg fremover

It’s time to deliver Single European Sky says EU transport committee

In a resolution adopted last week, a committee of transport and tourism MEPs (Members of the European Parliament), said that air traffic control in Europe is in urgent need of modernisation “in order to reduce congestion, boost safety, reduce flight times, delays and fares, create jobs and cut CO2 emissions”. “We have to have proper, efficient use of air space and 21st century technology for traffic management available to avoid the consumer having to pay twice: in time and in price”, said Jacqueline Foster, who drafted the non-binding resolution. “More  than 10 years ago we agreed on the Single European Sky legislation, now it's time to deliver”, she continued. “We need to send a strong message to the member states: put your money where your mouth is. Dragging on and on is not acceptable for us as parliamentarians, for citizens or businesses.” The European Comission has estimated that a full and swift deployment of the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research (SESAR) technology “would lead to the direct and indirect creation of 328 000 jobs, as well as saving some 50 million tonnes of CO2 emissions”. Benefits to travellers, it claims, would include less congestion,  an average of 10 per cent cut in flight times with cancellations and delays being halved. However, it pointed out, “a 10-year delay in implementing SESAR would mean losses of around €268 billion, some 190 000 fewer new jobs created and around 55 million tonnes less CO2 saved”. Criticism of the speed to implement the scheme was also highlighted. Firm commitments were made by member states to merge their national air control spaces into nine Functional Airspace Blocks by December 2012 and “to evolve progressively towards a single European sky. However, only two such blocks are  ready, in the Scandinavian skies and over Ireland and the UK. To speed up the process, MEPs call for the implementation of performance schemes and ask the Commission to adopt a top-down approach by proposing new legislation, including possible  sanctions and, where necessary, EU-funding”.