Brussels, 9 April 2024
A provisional deal on better management of European airspace by optimising flight routes and reducing flight delays was approved in the Transport and Tourism Committee on Tuesday.
The draft text agreed informally last month by Council Belgian presidency and Parliament negotiators, led by EP rapporteurs Marian-Jean Marinescu (EPP, Romania) and Bogusław Liberadzki (S&D, PL), reforms the so-called Single European Sky rules.
The deal introduces performance plans for air navigation services to improve network management of EU airspace, with binding targets and incentives to make flights more efficient and environmentally friendly. An independent advisory Performance Review Board would be set up to help Commission and member states take decisions on the implementation of these plans.
MEPs secured in the negotiations provisions to make air navigation services and network management contribute to climate neutrality. Under the new rules the Commission will adopt EU performance targets on capacity, cost efficiency, climate and environmental factors for air navigation services. The performance of these services against these targets would be reviewed at least every three years.
Under the deal, Commission twill have to conduct a study to help define how charges levied on airspace users (airlines or private planes operators) for the provision of air navigation services could encourage them to be more environmentally friendly, for example by using the most fuel-efficient available routing or alternative clean propulsion technologies.
More details on the outcome of the negotiations between EP and Council are available here. The text of the agreement is available here and attached statement here.
Next steps
The deal on new rules was approved by Transport and Tourism Committee on Tuesday by 31 vote to two and one abstentions. It now needs to be approved by Council and later by the full House.
Background
In 2013 Commission proposed to revise the Single European Sky rules, but the file was stuck with member states until Brexit, which prompted the Commission to upgrade the proposal in 2020. The following year legislators updated their positions and engaged in trilogue negotiations to agree on new draft rules.