FAB CE News

Unexpected geopolitical events, extreme weather and shifting passenger preferences make traffic forecasting difficult. The increase in these events presents resource challenges for Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) who rely on demand forecasts to plan infrastructure investment, typically over five to seven year’ cycles. In the fifth InterFAB Expert Talk on 24 June 2021, hosted by FAB CE, industry experts came together to discuss volatility in air traffic and the delivery of cost-effective services in the aftermath of COVID-19.

FAB CE’s communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS) infrastructure planning project – which has investigated potential savings available from developing equipment procurement programmes  among FAB CE air navigation service providers (ANSPs) on a regional rather than national basis – has identified up to EUR12.4 million savings in equipment procurement costs over the next few years.

Following an introduction by Vlado Bagarić - Chair of the FAB CE CEO Committee - Matej Eljon, FAB CE Programme Manager and Director of FAB CE Aviation Ltd, talks about prospects for a recovery and the role of functional airspace blocks in enhancing ATM performance.

FAB CE air navigation service providers (ANSPs) are urging other European air traffic management (ATM) stakeholders to continue with the revenue and risk-sharing mechanism agreed for reporting period three (RP3) – suitably amended to take account of revenue losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Airline traffic levels in the seven FAB CE States were on average close to 70% lower between March 1 2021 and March 1 2019 according to the latest figures from Eurocontrol, making this area of Europe the hardest hit, in terms of aviation activity, of any region in the continent.

FAB CE air navigation service providers (ANSPs), neighbouring ANSPs and the Network Manager NM) held an on-line meeting at the start of December 2020 to discuss further airspace restructuring proposals, focusing on extending free route airspace (FRA) procedures in and around the FAB CE area.