COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Practices favouring Air Traffic Management Service Continuity Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Aviation: Open and Connected Europe
Date: 2017-06-08
Institutions: Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission
Subjects: agreement (EU), air space, air transport, carriage of passengers, competition policy, competitiveness, foreign investment, restriction on competition, services of general interest, third country

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 8.6.2017  SWD(2017) 207 final   COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Practices favouring Air Traffic Management Service Continuity Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Aviation: Open and Connected Europe {COM(2017) 286 final}  
 
 
Table of Content 

1.  

2.  

Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 3 

Disruptions to aviation caused by strikes ........................................................................ 5 

2.1 Shortage of staff and capacity matters ............................................................................. 5 

2.2 Impact of strikes on the EU network ................................................................................ 6 

2.3 Impact on passengers and the single market .................................................................... 9 

2.4 Impact on the performance of air navigation services ................................................... 10 

3.  

Role of air traffic controllers, occurrence and origin of strikes .................................... 10 

3.1 Role of the air traffic controllers .................................................................................... 10 

3.2 Occurrence of ATM strikes across Member States ........................................................ 12 

3.3 Causes of strikes ............................................................................................................. 13 

4.  

Importance of social dialogue in air navigation service undertakings .......................... 14 

4.1 Social dialogue as a key enabler for strike avoidance ................................................... 14 

4.2 Room for more efficient social dialogue ......................................................................... 16 

5.  

Overview of the legal position ...................................................................................... 16 

5.1 The right to strike: a fundamental right primarily regulated at national level .............. 16 

5.2 A diversity of Member States' legal frameworks on strikes ............................................ 17 

5.3 Relevant EU and international framework ..................................................................... 19 

6.  

Practices favouring ATM service continuity, observed in Member States ................... 20 

6.1 Improvement of social dialogue in Air Traffic Management ......................................... 20 

6.2 Early notification of strikes by the unions (for better predictability of strikes) ............. 21 

6.4 Protection of 100 percent of overflights ......................................................................... 23 

6.5 Protection of air traffic peak periods ............................................................................. 23 

7.  

Other EU level actions favouring ATM service continuity .......................................... 23 

7.1  Operational cooperation in the event of strikes ............................................................ 23 

7.2. European Upper Information Region ............................................................................ 24 

7.3 Single European Sky performance framework ............................................................... 24 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
1.  

Introduction  

Aviation is a strong driver of mobility and provides connectivity within the EU and with the 
rest  of  the  world.  The  value  of  air  transport  is  widely  recognised.  It  contributes  EUR  300 
billion, or 2.1% to EU GDP and can act as an 'economic enabler', facilitate and generate wider 
economic activity. It also has a spill over effect on other sectors, such as trade and tourism. 
Overall,  the  aviation  sector  employs  5.5  million  people.  Reliable  connectivity  is,  therefore, 
both a social and economic good.1 In 2015, the four major airports of Paris, Frankfurt, London 
and Amsterdam2 provided more than 158 million seats to passengers.3 

Because the aviation industry is so important to the European economy, the Aviation Strategy 
adopted by the Commission in  December 20154  identified that action needed to be taken to 
ensure that the European aviation sector would remain competitive and reap the benefits of a 
fast-changing and developing global economy5. The competiveness of aviation also depends 
on other essential elements of the air transport chain, including air navigation services. 

Air  navigation  services  account  for  about  EUR  7.5  billion  of  revenue  per  year.  Though 
relatively small compared to other actors in that chain, air navigation services have a crucial 
role in ensuring reliable connectivity. They guarantee the safe and expeditious performance of 
air traffic flows. Air traffic and aviation services cannot be provided without their operation. 
Air traffic is subject to various levels of traffic seasonality. In the busiest periods of the year 
such as the peak summer periods, air navigation services must manage a volume of traffic of 
over  30,000  flights  per  day6,  which  means  providing  services  to  around  3.4  million 
passengers7. Therefore the costs and operational environment of air navigation services have 
an impact on the value created by the air transport industry as a whole.  

Manpower has an essential role in delivering air navigation services. Two-thirds of the costs 
of  air  navigation  services  relate  to  staff.  In  Europe  at  large  56,300  employees,  17,370 
controllers  and  38,930  other  staff  work  in  the  area  of  air  navigation  services8.  While 
stakeholders  in  the  air  transport  chain  have  been  operating  -  over  the  last  decades  -  in  an 
increasingly competitive environment, air navigation services continue to be state-owned and 
provided under monopoly conditions. 

Since the Single European Sky (SES) initiative was launched in 2004, the European air traffic 
management (ATM) system has experienced significant pressure to improve its performance. 
Since 2012 ATM performance is monitored and steered at the European level in the areas of 
capacity,  environment,  cost-efficiency  and  safety.  This  development  has  been  supported  at 
operational  level  by  the  establishment  of  the  network  manager  for  the  ATM  network 

1   https://ec.europa.eu/transport/modes/air_en  
2   Airports  concerned  are  Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle,  London  Heathrow,  Flughafen  Frankfurt  am  Main  and 

Amsterdam-Schiphol. 

3   Atlas of the Sky. 
4   Communication from the Commission "An Aviation Strategy for Europe", COM(2015)598, 7.12.2015. 
5   Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and 
Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions,  An  Aviation  Strategy  for  Europe,  COM(2015)  598 
final. 

6   Eurocontrol – 2015 traffic: a summer surge then slower, steadier growth (2016). 
7   Eurocontrol  -  Standard  Inputs  for  EUROCONTROL  Cost-Benefit  Analyses  (2015).  The  data  used  is 
"Average number of passengers per departing flight, EU28" according to Eurostat (page 10). It is combined 
with the average number of flights per day (30,700), see footnote 5. 

8   2015 data. 

3 

 
 
                                                            
functions9 and regional cooperative mechanisms known as functional airspace blocks (FABs), 
at the infrastructure level through the launch of the SESAR project.  

Overall the efficiency and resilience of the European ATM system has improved thanks to the 
combined  efforts  of  the  air  navigation  service  providers  (ANSPs)  and  the  network  manager 
that  jointly  cooperate  to  carry  out  air  traffic  flow  and  capacity  management  in  a  consistent 
manner. The European ATM system was able to absorb a traffic increase of 68% in 20 years, 
from 5.8 million flights in 1995 to 9.74 million in 2014. Over that period there was an 81% 
reduction  in  the  average  (en-route)  delay  per  flight  from  3.23  minutes  to  0.61  minutes  that 
corresponds to a saving of EUR 80 billion. In this regard traffic disruptions related to adverse 
or extreme weather conditions, technological upgrades, exceptional events, crisis situations as 
well as industrial action in the form of strikes may impact on the efficiency and continuity of 
air navigation services and therefore air traffic. These occurrences are today subject to a close 
monitoring  from  operators  and  coordinated  management  in  order  to  mitigate  their  impact. 
Nevertheless, they cannot be addressed in the same way, as their level of predictability, their 
impact and their nature are different. In 2016, air traffic flow management suffered en-route 
delays10  due  to  the  following  causes  in  the  following  proportions:  air  traffic  control 
capacity/staffing (57%), weather conditions (19%), ATM strikes (14%) and events11 (9%). 

The cause of traffic disruption for which the SES is  the least  equipped to  react is industrial 
action  in  the  form  of  strikes.  This  disruption  is  largely  due  to  the  uneven  level  of  social 
dialogue in the Member States, the monopoly situation and network dimension of the ATM 
industry.  The  impact  of  these  strikes  on  aviation  and  the  economy  as  a  whole  may  be 
considerable even though they occur in only a few Member States. 

This  staff  working  document,  the  first  document  of  the  Commission  services  dealing  more 
systematically  with  the  issue,  reports  about  the  impact  of  strikes  in  ATM  and  describes 
measures taken to mitigate the disruption caused. As announced in its Aviation Strategy, the 
exchange  of  good  practices  related  to  national  experiences  in  maintaining  ATM  service 
continuity  could  help  the  Member  States  concerned,  their  ANSPs  and  their  staff  to  identify 
options for improvements. In this regard the Commission's services commissioned a study12 
in  2016.  The  results  of  that  study  have  informed  this  staff  working  document.  The 
Commission invited aviation stakeholders to contribute to the study, i.e. airlines, ANSPs, the 
network  manager,  professional  staff  organisations  and  trade  unions.  The  professional  staff 
organisations and trade unions chose not to contribute, however. 

This staff working document provides a description of the impact of strikes in ATM and their 
origin, points out the importance of social dialogue, provides an overview of the legal position 
and identifies existing practices favouring ATM service continuity, observed in the Member 
States so as to illustrate the factual background against which the Communication "Aviation: 
an  open  and  connected  Europe"13  can  be  seen.  Being  purely  descriptive,  it  goes  without 
saying that this staff working document  is in no way intended to question the legitimacy of 
the  right  to  strike;  it  rather  describes  the  disruption  and  costs  caused  by  ATM  strikes  and 

9   The network manager is a body nominated by the European Commission; it was established in 2011. 
10   Network Functions – Update by the network manager – Paper presented at the Single Sky Committee 17/64 

– February 2017 

11   "Events" corresponds to projects involving the implementation of ATM infrastructure, which generates 

delays due to transition periods. E.g. ERATO in Bordeaux ACC in 2016. 

12   Study on Options for ATM Service Continuity in the Event of Strikes – Ricardo & York Aviation – 2016. 
https://ec.europa.eu/transport/sites/transport/files/2017-03-06-study-on-options-to-improve-atm-service-
continuity-in-the-event-of-strikes.pdf 

13   Communication from the Commission 'Aviation: Open and Connected Europe' COM(2017) 286 

4 

 
 
                                                            
describes  practices  implemented  by  Member  States  today  to  minimise  the  disruption  and 
maximise  the  continuity  of  service  to  the  extent  possible.  The  European  Pillar  of  Social 
Rights14 commits to "supporting social dialogue in the EU" and recalls the principle that the 
social partners shall be consulted on the design and implementation of economic, employment 
and social policies according to national practices15. " 

2.  

Disruptions to aviation caused by strikes    

Strikes in ATM are an issue not only for the aviation sector but also European citizens and the 
single  market  as  a  whole.  Before  analysing  the  impact  of  strikes,  it  is  important  to  indicate 
that air traffic controllers have specific working conditions. Their work is organised in shifts, 
which  include  work  on  days  or  nights,  during weekends  and  bank  holidays.  Given  the  high 
level of safety required in performing air navigation services, air traffic controllers have high 
responsibilities  and  work  under  significant  pressure.  The  role  of  air  traffic  controllers  is 
further elaborated under section 3.1. 

2.1 Shortage of staff and capacity matters 

ATM strikes result in a reduction in staff resources to control air traffic in the European ATM 
network.  At  national  level,  air  traffic  control  is  organised  into  area  control  centres  (ACC), 
each  one  responsible  for  a  block  of  airspace  that  is  further  divided  into  control  sectors  to 
enable  the  monitoring  and  guidance  of  flights  by  a  team  of  (two  or  three)  air  traffic 
controllers.16 In each Member State there are at least one or more ACCs depending on the size 
of their airspace. The shortage of staff in the event of a strike results in a reduced capacity in 
certain  ACCs  and  forced  closure  of  certain  sectors.  For  reasons  of  safety  and  capacity 
constraints,  the  traffic  cannot  be  fully  reallocated  through  the  functioning  sectors.  The 
capacity  constraint  on  multiple  sectors,  added  to  their  geographical  situation,  make  the 
planning  of  traffic  increasingly  difficult  for  the  ANSPs.  To  ensure  safety  as  a  matter  of 
priority,  ATM  strikes  inevitably  result  in  a  reduction  of  capacity  in  the  airspace  of  the 
ACC/State concerned and also in congestion in the airspace of neighbouring States/ACCs. 

The current limitations to ensuring air navigation services in the event of an ATM strike are 
due to operational constraints. But there are also other issues that come into play. ANSPs and 
Member  States  affected  by  ATM  strikes  are  very  reluctant  to  allow  other  Member  States' 
ANSPs  to  control  their  airspace.  Although  in  some  regions  these  practices  exist  at  certain 
times  (for  example,  during  the  night)  with  the  ‘cross-border  sectorisation’,  they  still  remain 
very limited. 

ATM  preparation  for  a  strike  day  involves  the  ANSP  affected  by  the  strike  sending 
information to the airlines so that they can cancel flights at specific airports. Because airlines 
are  aware  that  strikes  can  potentially  be  called  off  shortly  before  they  start,  they  do  not 
necessarily  cancel  all  flights  several  days  before  the  beginning  of  the  strike.  All  in  all,  the 

14   (COM 2017 250 final) 
15   They shall be encouraged to negotiate and conclude collective agreements in matters relevant to them, while 
respecting  their  autonomy  and  the  right  to  collective  action.  Where  appropriate,  agreements  concluded 
between the social partners shall be implemented at the level of the Union and its Member States. Workers 
or their representatives have the right to be informed and consulted in good time on matters relevant to them, 
in  particular  on  the  transfer,  restructuring  and  merger  of  undertakings  and  on  collective  redundancies. 
Support for increased capacity of social partners to promote social dialogue shall be encouraged. 

16   Depending on the size of a State, there might be one or more ACCs.  

5 

 
 
 
                                                            
uncertainty regarding the number of ANSP staff on strike, results in even more uncertainty for 
the network and the passengers when airlines cancel flights at the last minute. 

2.2 Impact of strikes on the EU network  

Strikes  cause  disruptions  not  only  in  the  State  where  they  occur,  but  also  in  neighbouring 
States and have a knock-on effect on the overall EU network. Delays and cancellations have a 
multiplier effect: they force flights to take alternative routes avoiding the affected airspace but 
also result in flight cancellations and delays in the affected airspace and the adjacent airspaces 
affecting  passengers  and  businesses  all  over  the  European  network.  Significant  financial 
losses  and  inconveniences  for  airlines,  ANSPs,  employees  and  passengers  can  occur  as  a 
result. 

Delays and flight cancellations  
From 2004 to 2016, a total of 375 days of strikes have been recorded in the EU17 (see Table 
1). Over a 13 year aggregate period, this means that the European airspace has suffered from 
disruptions for over a full year. 
Over  that  period,  strikes  have  generated  more  than  9.2  million  minutes  of  delays.18  The 
impact  of  strikes  in  terms  of  delays  has  been  very  burdensome  especially  in  2010  but  also 
more recently in 2013, 2014 and 2016. In 2016 in the EU, ATM strikes caused 1,06 million 
minutes  of  delay,  corresponding  to  around  14%  of  all  en-route  delays  for  2016.  By  way  of 
comparison, weather conditions caused 19% of all en-route delays, whereas other causes such 
as  capacity/staffing  of  air  traffic  controllers  generated  57%  and  implementation  of  ATM 
infrastructure caused 9% of such delays. 

Table 2-1 - Overall numbers of strikes in the EU and total delay in years from 2004 to 2016 

Year 
2004 
2005 
2006 
2007 
2008 
2009 
2010 
2011 
2012 
2013 
2014 
2015 
2016 
Total (2004 to 2016) 

Number of strikes 
12 
21 
30 
19 
36 
22 
80 
21 
35 
30 
18 
23 
32 
375 

Total delay (minutes) 
74 289 
437 272 
522 226 
246 602 
398 239 
197 514 
3 440 728 
108 217 
633 964 
815 721 
737 003 
569 648 
1 068 346 
9 249 769 

Total cost of delay (€)19 
 €                    8,208,935  

 €                  48,318,556  
 €                  57,705,973  
 €                  27,249,521  

 €                  44,005,410  
 €                  21,825,297  
 €               380,200,444  

 €                  11,957,979  
 €                  70,053,022  
 €                  90,137,171  

 €                  81,438,832  
 €                  62,946,104  
 €               118,052,233  

 €            1,022,099,475  

Source: Study on Options for ATM Service Continuity in the Event of Strikes – Ricardo & York Aviation – 2016 

17   Study on Options for ATM Service Continuity in the Event of Strikes – Ricardo & York Aviation – 2016. 
18   Minutes are the unit used for delay monitoring in aviation.   
19   Total costs of delays are calculated using the reference cost of 110.5EUR per minute of delay (Eurocontrol 
recommended value). This cost is the "tactical cost" with network effect (including reactionary delay). 
Reactionary delay is the delay caused by the late arrival of aircraft or crew from previous journey, impacting 
the wider network.   

6 

 
 
                                                            
Strikes have also provoked significant flight cancellations, as indicated in Table 2. Although 
there are variations particularly related to the severity of the strike, the undertaking affected, 
the size of the airspace concerned and the cause of the strike, the impact of a one day strike in 
terms of flight cancellations can be estimated to be approximately 300-1000 flights per day of 
strike.   

Table  2-2  -  Calculated  numbers  of  flight  cancellations  for  period  2005  to  2016  for  Member  States  with  highest 
numbers of strikes 
Member State 

Number of Strikes 

number 

Total 
cancellations 
period 

of 
in 

Average  number  of 
cancellations 
per 
strike day 

cost  of 
Total 
cancellations 
in 
period (million€) 

France 

Greece 

Italy 

Portugal 

Spain 

Belgium 

Cyprus 

Germany 

249 

  44 

  34 

  10 

   6 

   5 

   5 

   4 

162 392 

  29 799 

  35 460 

    5 234 

    5 209 

   1 398 

   1 527 

   2 641 

  652 

  677 

1 043 

  523 

  868 

  280 

  305 

  660 

 €                2 858  

 €                   524  

 €                   624  

 €                     92  

 €                     92  

 €                     25  

 €                     27  

 €                     46  

TOTAL 
243 660 
Source: Study on Options for ATM Service Continuity in the Event of Strikes – Ricardo & York Aviation – 2016 

  626 

357 

 €              4 288 

Impact on the air navigation service provision 

ATM  strikes  impact  flights  controlled  by  the  ANSP  directly  affected  by  the  strike  but  also 
those  controlled  by  neighbouring  ANSPs.  When  a  strike  occurs,  the  network  disruption  is 
therefore felt by the majority of ANSPs in the network. 

In the ANSP directly affected by the strike, air traffic is reduced due to a shortage of air traffic 
controllers  and  therefore  airspace  capacity  is  decreased.  The  ensuing  delays  are  significant 
and  often  result  in  knock-on  delays  for  the  wider  network  or  cancellations  due  to  missing 
connections. More importantly, the consequence for the ANSP is the appearance of unusual 
traffic flows across its airspace. The traffic disruption caused by the delays and the capacity 
shortages  are  a  major  source  of  uncertainty  for  air  traffic  controllers.  Whereas  air  traffic 
controllers  are  usually  very  familiar  with  the  traffic  flows  patterns  in  their  respective  ACC 
sectors,  the  disrupted  airspace  caused  by  strikes  brings  additional  complexity  for  them  to 
anticipate changing traffic flows. The uncertainty created results in a reduced functioning of 
ATM with possible increased work pressure for  air traffic controllers, and possible risks for 
safety. Indeed, the closing of certain ACC sectors because of capacity shortage due to strikes 
modifies the usual traffic flows that air traffic controllers are used to deal with in their own 
ACC  sector.  When  trained  on  a  specific  sector,  an  air  traffic  controller  is  acquainted  with 
certain  patterns  of  traffic  coming  in  and  out.  When  the  traffic  is  disrupted,  air  traffic 
controllers have to adapt quickly to the changes, while maintaining high performance to reach 
the targets. This can possibly generate stressful situations, which in turn can possibly be a risk 
for safety. 

In  the  neighbouring  ANSPs,  the  effects  of  strikes  are  almost  similar  to  that  affecting  the 
ANSP  where  the  strike  is  taking  place.  However,  as  a  consequence  of  the  strikes, 

7 

 
 
neighbouring ANSPs receive high volumes of traffic flows that are being re-routed around the 
strike  affected  area.  Operationally,  this  phenomenon  results  in  an  overload  of  traffic, 
generating further delays and potential risks for safety.  

Under  these  circumstances  the  operational  coordination  mechanism  set  up  at  the  European 
level  has  a  positive  impact.  Under  this  operational  coordination  mechanism,  it  is  the 
responsibility  of  the  network  manager  to  mitigate  the  impact  of  strikes  on  the  European 
airspace20. In the event of traffic disruption due to ATM strikes, mitigation actions taken by 
the  network  manager  very  often  includes  rerouting  proposals  to  airspace  users  (RRPs), 
suggestions  for  flight  plans,  and  the  possible  postponement  of  scheduled  military  activities 
(including  in  the  neighbouring  States).  Without  this  coordination,  the  continuity  of  ATM 
services would be more severely affected. 

Financial losses for airlines 

ATM strikes reduce predictability and consequently create uncertainty in the airlines planning 
process.  In  addition  to  the  impact  on  ticket  sales,  airlines  suffer  greatly  from  the  loss  of 
revenue incurred by the increasing likelihood of strikes at certain periods of the year in some 
Member States and cancelled flights prior to and during strikes.  

The estimated cost for airlines: 

  1 minute of delay is EUR 110.50 (includes reactionary delay21 and passenger value 

of time cost); 
the cost of a cancelled flight is estimated at EUR 17,600; and 
the cost of an additional nautical mile flown is EUR 10.60.  

 
 

Overall between 2004 and 2016, a total cost of more than EUR 5.3 billion22 was incurred 
by airlines due to strikes in the EU.23 

Airlines  incur  certain  costs  as  a  result  of  their  obligations  under  the  Air  Passengers  Rights 
Regulation  (No  261/2004)24  (for  details,  cf.  Section  5.3  below).  These  obligations  create  a 
financial  burden  for  the  airlines  that  is  not  recovered  through  the  performance  management 
arrangements.  Moreover,  airlines  incur  significant  costs  arising  from  a  loss  in  productivity 
due to ATM strikes. This loss in productivity impacts air services, as well other sectors of the 
economy that rely on air services for their business activities. Cancellations, delays, increased 
waiting  times,  longer  flights  all  contribute  to  a  slowdown  of  the  economy  and  to  a  loss  of 
opportunity on days of strike.  

The cumulative economic impact incurred by the decrease in productivity between 2010 and 
2015 is estimated to be EUR 4 billion, i.e. EUR 670 million per year on that period. 

The environmental impact resulting from ATM strikes is also significant. Unlike in the case 
of  other  aviation  strikes  (e.g.  aircraft  pilots,  on-board  personnel),  the  absence  of  or  partial 

20   The network manager for the SES is the body nominated by the Commission to promote the network 

dimension in the management of the European airspace.  

21   Delay caused by the late arrival of aircraft or crew from a previous journey, impacting the wider network.   
22   This cost was calculated by summing the total costs incurred by delays due to strikes from 2004 to 2016 and 

the total costs incurred by flight cancellations due to strikes from 2005 to 2016. 

23   Study on Options for ATM Service Continuity in the Event of Strikes – Ricardo & York Aviation – 2016. 
24   Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing common rules on 
compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay 
of  flights  and on  Council Regulation  (EC)  No 2027/97  on  air  carrier  liability  in  the  event  of  accidents  as 
amended by Regulation (EC) No 889/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council. 

8 

 
 
                                                            
coverage  of  air  navigation  services  over  certain  airspace  sectors  prevents  flights  from 
operating optimal routes and generates considerable re-routing of aircrafts. The consequences 
are longer flight distances and journey times, potential increase in air navigation charges, but 
more  notably,  a  considerable  rise  in  fuel  consumption,  which  produces  higher  rates  of  CO2 
and  NOX  emissions  and  a  considerable  increase  of  the  aviation  industry's  impact  on  the 
environment.  From  January  2014  to  December  2015,  the  additional  distance  flown  in  the 
European airspace due to strike amounted to 2.2 million kilometres25. 

2.3 Impact on passengers and the single market 

For  passengers,  the  practical  consequences  of  ATM  strikes  are  a  loss  of  connectivity  and 
therefore  a  limitation  of  their  freedom  of  movement  as  European  citizens.  ATM  strikes  not 
only decrease the reliability of air transport for European citizens, but also financially penalise 
passengers  as  they  are  required  to  spend  more  money  to  change  their  travel  and 
accommodations arrangements, very often at the last minute. Given that there were a total of 
243,660 cancelled flights from 2005 to 2016, and taking into account the average number of 
passengers  per  flight26,  it  can  be  estimated  that  the  number  of  passengers  affected  by  flight 
cancellations due to ATM strike in that period is over 27 million. The costs incurred by these 
passengers based on the number of delays due to ATM strikes from 2004 to 2016 can also be 
estimated.  For  that  purpose,  the  value  of  air  passenger  waiting  time  can  be  used.  The 
opportunity  cost  incurred  by  passengers  while  waiting  at  the  departure  gate  area  was 
estimated  in  2014  to  amount  to  20  and  18  US  dollars  respectively  for  leisure  air  travellers 
(corresponding  respectively  to  EUR  15.2  and  EUR  13.727).  The  rough  estimate  of  the  cost 
incurred  by  passengers  for  all  delays  in  2014  due  to  ATM  strikes  (737,000  minutes)  was 
therefore around EUR 10 million. 

ATM  strikes  have  a  detrimental  impact  on  the  EU  economy,  and  especially  on  its  tourism. 
Although related data is missing, it is obvious that the cancellation of flights, especially when 
strikes  occur  in  the  summer  time,  oblige  travellers  to  shorten  (if  not  cancel)  their  holidays, 
which  has  an  impact  on  tourism.  Some  Member  States  affected  by  ATM  strikes  (such  as 
France, Greece, Italy and Portugal) rely on tourism as an important contributor of their GDP. 
The  failure  to  ensure  ATM  service  continuity  and  connectivity  have  a  major  detrimental 
impact on tourism, as passengers are often required to cancel their travel plans in the event of 
ATM  strike.  Other  Member  States  where  tourism  is  a  major  source  of  revenue,  such  as 
Ireland,  also  suffer  from  indirect  consequences  of  ATM  strikes  in  the  EU.  Given  its 
geographical  location,  ATM  strikes  in  France  and  consequential  partial  closure  or  the 
reduction of capacity in French airspace considerably decreases the potential for overflight in 
the  French  airspace,  and  decreases  the  connectivity  of  and  with  other  Member  States.  This 
affects the European economy as a whole. The impact of a French strike is greater as it also 
has negative knock-on effects on other neighbouring Member States.  

25   Study on Options for ATM Service Continuity in the Event of Strikes – Ricardo & York Aviation – 2016. 
26   In  2014,  the  average  number  of  passengers  per  departing  flight  is  114  according  to  Eurostat  database: 

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/transport/data/database  

27   The exchange rate Euro/US Dollar in 2014 varied from 0.7231EUR/$ (March) to 0.8123EUR/$ (December) 

with an average around 0.7557EUR/$, used for the present calculation. 

9 

 
 
                                                            
2.4 Impact on the performance of air navigation services 
The  performance  of  air  navigation  services  and  ATM  network  functions28  is  constantly 
monitored and steered in four key performance areas: 1) safety, 2) environment, 3) capacity 
and  4)  cost-efficiency.  By  bringing  improvements  in  all  four  areas,  air  navigation  services 
should contribute to the sustainable development of the air transport system.  

Performance  in  all  four  areas  is  monitored  through  specific  performance  indicators.  For 
example, the lack of capacity is measured as the average minutes of en-route air traffic flow 
management (ATFM) delay per flight attributable to air navigation services. The efficiency of 
a  flight  path  is  measured  by  comparing  the  actual  trajectory  of  a  flight  to  the  more  direct 
route. 

Network  disruptions  caused  by  ATM  strikes  are  detrimental  to  the  performance  of  air 
navigation services. For example, in the area of capacity, the average delay per flight due to 
strike29 was 1.59 minutes in 2010 and 1.77 minutes in 201430. With 680,000 minutes of delays 
in 2014, strikes contributed to 13.4% of total en-route delays that year.31 

Similarly, as stated under section 2.1, the additional distance flown in the European airspace 
due to strikes between January 2014 and December 2015 amounted to 2.2 million kilometres. 

ATM is a crucial link in the aviation value chain. It is a major enabler for a functioning air 
network, not only from a safety standpoint, but also because of its reliability and performance. 
The  aviation  value  chain  is  so  tight,  that  each  minute  of  delay  incurred  at  one  stage  of  the 
chain creates  disproportioned delays all  along  the value chain. On days  of traffic disruption 
due  to  strikes,  decreased  capacity  and  higher  environmental  impact  affects  its  overall 
performance, and negatively impacts all aviation stakeholders, from the European citizens to 
airlines or ANSPs. 

3.  

Role of air traffic controllers, occurrence and origin of strikes 

ATM strikes are primarily strikes by air traffic controllers, although other categories of staff, 
such as technicians, could also lead to an inability of the air traffic control centre to perform 
its function and cause disruption to the ATM network.   

3.1 Role of the air traffic controllers 

Air traffic controllers are responsible for the safety of air traffic flows 24 hours a day and 7 
days  a  week.  They  are  essential  to  the  smooth  and  safe  running  of  the  aviation  industry. 
They  direct  aircraft  to  avoid  collision,  manage  the  traffic  flows  into  and  out  of  the  airport 
airspace, guide pilots during take-off and landing, and monitor aircraft as they travel through 
the skies. In Europe, air traffic controllers help to keep up with one of the world’s busiest 

28   Commission  Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  No  390/2013  of  3  May  2013  laying  down  a  performance 

scheme for air navigation services and network functions. 

29   This  is  calculated  as  the  total  delay  due  to  strikes  during  the  year  divided  by  the  total  number  of  flights 
(across  the  full  network)  on  days  in  which  strikes  occurred  in  the  same  period.  The  average  delay  on 
particular flights which are delayed because of the effects of the strike would be expected to be significantly 
higher. In these calculations, the ‘total delay’ includes both the delays recorded in the country in which the 
strike took place (directly attributed to the strike) and delays imposed in other countries (recorded as ‘Other 
delays  (with  industrial  action  referred  to  in  the  regulation  remark)’  in  the  data  provided  by  network 
manager).   

30   Study on Options for ATM Service Continuity in the Event of Strikes – Ricardo & York Aviation – 2016. 
31   Network Manager Annual Report 2014. 

10 

 
 
                                                            
airspaces. Subject to a specific licensing32, including linguistic requirements, they are highly-
trained professionals. Because of the  demanding tasks they perform, the necessary level of 
concentration  and  the  high  responsibilities  exercised  by  them  -  especially  to  provide  the 
required level of safety, air traffic controllers have specific professional and personal skills. 

Today there are approximately 14,000 air traffic controllers working in 50 ACCs in operation 
in the Member States, while a further 1,800 are employed to perform other duties.33  

Overall there seems to be a shortage of air traffic controllers to meet the capacity and flight 
efficiency  objectives  of  the  performance  schemes,  which  adds  to  the  stressful  conditions  of 
the air traffic controllers' daily work. The training of new air traffic controllers may solve this 
problem as well as other practices requiring the support of staff, such as the mobility of the 
existing  staff,  more  flexibility  in  the  provision  of  air  traffic  control  within  each  individual 
ANSP and between adjacent ANSPs or within a FAB through the cross-border sectorisation. 

The  status  of  the  ANSP,  and  hence  that  of  the  air  traffic  controllers  working  for  it,  varies 
between  different  countries.  In  most  of  the  Member  States,  the  ANSP  is  a  private  sector 
company and its employees are not public servants. In a few countries (e.g. France, Greece), 
the ANSP is part of the administration and its employees are civil servants. 

Table 3-1 – Breakdown of ANSPs, ACCs and air traffic controllers per Member State 

Member States 

ANSPs 

Number of ACCs  Number of air traffic controllers 34 

Austria 

Belgium 

Bulgaria 

Croatia 

Cyprus 

Austro Control 

Belgocontrol 

BULATSA 

Croatia Control 

DCAC Cyprus 

Czech Republic  ANS CR 

Denmark 

NAVIAIR 

Estonia 

Finland 

France 

EANS 

Finavia 

DSNA 

Germany 

DFS 

Greece 

HCAA 

Hungary 

HungaroControl 

Ireland 

Italy 

IAA 

ENAV 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

5 

4 

1 

1 

2 

4 

291 

232 

248 

234 

86 

192 

208 

52 

183 

2782 

1777 

496 

173 

204 

1414 

32   Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/340 laying down technical requirements and administrative procedures 
relating  to  air  traffic  controllers'  licence  and  certificate  pursuant  to  Regulation  (EC)  No  216/2008of  the 
European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council,  amending  Commission  Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  No 
923/2012 and repealing Commission Regulation (EU) No 805/2011.   

33   Study on Options for ATM Service Continuity in the Event of Strikes – Ricardo & York Aviation – 2016. 
34   Number of air traffic controllers in OPS. Cost-Effectiveness (ACE) 2014 Benchmarking Report with 2015-

2019 outlook – Performance Review Unit (PRU) with the ACE Working Group – May 2016.  

11 

 
 
                                                            
Number of ACCs  Number of air traffic controllers 34 

Member States 

ANSPs 

Latvia 

LGS 

Lithuania 

Oro Navigacija 

Luxembourg 

ANA 

Malta 

MATS 

Netherlands 

LVNL 

Poland 

PANSA 

1 

1 

1  

1 

1 

1 

Portugal 

NAV Portugal (Continental)  2 

Romania 

ROMATSA 

Slovakia 

Slovenia 

Spain 

LPS 

Slovenia Control 

ENAIRE 

Sweden 

LFV 

United Kingdom  NATS (Continental) 

MUAC 

1 

1 

1 

5 

2 

5 

1 

93 

87 

48 

54 

178 

479 

220 

548 

82 

91 

1779 

470 

1415 

268 

TOTAL 

50 

14 384 

3.2 Occurrence of ATM strikes across Member States  

Air  traffic  controller  strikes  are  not  an  issue  in  every  Member  State  as  shown  in  the  map 
below. 

  Over  the  period  2004-2016,  there  have  been  no  strikes  in  the  following  15  Member 
States:  Bulgaria,  Czech  Republic,  Denmark,  Estonia,  Hungary,  Ireland,  Latvia, 
Lithuania,  Luxembourg,  Malta,  the  Netherlands,  Poland,  Slovenia,  Sweden,  and  the 
United Kingdom. 

  13  out  of  the  EU-28  have  been  directly  affected  by  at  least  one  strike  action  since 
2004.  Days  of  strikes  varied  from  1  to  10  in  the  following  Member  States:  Austria, 
Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. 
Notably, there were 37 strike days in Italy, 46 in Greece and 254 in France. 67% of the 
total strike days in that period took place in France.35 

35   There have also been instances of strikes just in individual ACCs. E.g. a strike in Reims ACC (France) in 

November 2015 generated 65,000 minutes of ATFM delay. 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
Map 3 Overall number of ATM strike days from 2004 to 2016 

3.3 Causes of strikes 

There  are  multiple  causes  of  strikes  in  ATM.  However,  two  principal  causes  of  strikes 
affecting ATM can be identified - ATM-related, and non-ATM related: 

  ATM-related  strikes  can  occur  for  various  reasons.  As  explained  under  section  2,  air 
traffic  controllers  have specific  working  conditions  that can  oblige them  to  work  during 
the  day  or  night,  weekend  and  bank  holidays.  Their  work  is  performed  under  pressure 
because of the responsibilities they carry, and because of the performance objectives that 
they  have  to  compose  with.  Also,  social  dialogue  across the  Member  States  is  unevenly 
implemented. Strikes in ATM may therefore be linked to the employment conditions (e.g. 
salaries or retirement conditions), to more operational/managerial reasons (e.g. rosters and 
shifts), to structural changes in the organisation of the ANSPs (e.g. as a result of the SES 

13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
policy),  or  finally  to  the  technological  evolution  of  the  sector  (e.g.  towards  more 
automation).36  

  Non-ATM  related  strikes  can  be  solidarity  strikes  relating  to  wider  national  themes 
concerning  workers  in  the  public  sector  (e.g.  terms  and  conditions  of  employment).  In 
these cases, the ANSP has much less influence over the conduct and timing of the strikes 
and limited, if any, control on the process by which such issues are resolved. 

4.  

Importance of social dialogue in air navigation service undertakings  

4.1 Social dialogue as a key enabler for strike avoidance  

The Aviation Strategy identifies the need for reinforcing the social agenda and creating high 
quality jobs in aviation. To this end, an active and comprehensive social dialogue in industrial 
relations is essential. 

Directive  2002/14/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  11  March  2002 
provides a general framework for informing and consulting employees in the EU. It lays down 
the  nature  of  and  the  conditions  under  which  information  and  activities  must  be  shared 
between the employers and the employees of the undertakings37.  

Additionally, Article 10 of EU Regulation (EC) No 549/2004 provides that Member States are 
required to establish consultation mechanisms for the appropriate involvement of stakeholders 
(including professional staff representative bodies) in the implementation of the SES38. 

However,  while  establishing  social  dialogue  is  an  obligation,  there  are  various  degrees  of 
application  across  the  EU.  As  a  result  of  a  good  social  dialogue  certain  Member  States, 
service providers and staff have concluded local agreements. This means that staff (air traffic 
controllers) and employers (ANSPs) have co-defined their own principles and conditions for a 
successful social dialogue.  
This is the case in Denmark, Ireland or in MUAC39. The ANSP staff and management have 
agreed  to  proceed  with  mediation  and  conciliation,  followed  if  necessary  by  arbitration,  in 
order to solve any issue before a strike is called. Social partners place a strong emphasis on 
the maintenance of a high level of social dialogue in order to avoid disputes escalating to the 
point of a strike being called.  

These  local  agreements  complement  national  legislation  on  the  right  to  strike  for  air  traffic 
controllers.  In Ireland, compulsory arbitration processes are not required before a strike can 
be called in ATM. However, the Irish ANSP40 has a local agreement in place since 2015 with 
its staff, which requires mediation and conciliation followed by binding arbitration to resolve 

36   To be noted that currently, there is little data supporting this point. See Study on Options for ATM Service 

Continuity in the Event of Strikes – Ricardo & York Aviation – 2016. 
37   Directive 2002/14/EC of 11 March 2002, OJ L 80, 23 March 2002, p. 29-34. 
38   Regulation  (EC)  No  549/2004  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  10  March  2004  laying 
down  the  framework  for  the  creation  of  the  single  European  Sky  (the  framework  regulation),  OJ  L  96, 
31.3.2004, p. 1-9. 

39   Maastricht Upper Area Control (MUAC – organisation managing the upper airspace over Belgium, the 

Netherlands, Luxemburg and part of Germany). 

40   The Irish Aviation Authority acts both as Civil Aviation Authority and ANSP, but these are functionally 

separate within the organisation. 

14 

 
 
                                                            
any issue before a strike can be called. The agreement states that both sides will respect the 
outcome of the arbitration.  

In  the  case  of  Maastricht  Upper  Area  Control  Centre  (MUAC),  local  agreements  between 
management  and  staff  are  also  in  place.  In  this  regard,  the  local  agreements  concluded  at 
MUAC between the staff and the management prevail despite differing national legislation of 
the  States  for  which  it  provides  air  navigation  services.  Besides,  the  single  ACC  is  seen  as 
being a major contributor to the lack of strikes at MUAC. This allows for a focus on the local 
issues, which improves social dialogue and reduces the risk of social conflict. 

In Denmark, there is no legislation on the right to strike for air traffic controllers. However, 
the Danish ANSP was privatised in 2007, leading to a change in the terms and conditions of 
Danish  air  traffic  controllers.  Before  2007,  as  civil  servants,  air  traffic  controllers  were  not 
allowed to strike. As a consequence of the privatisation, air traffic controllers have acquired 
the right to strike. Also, air traffic controllers formerly civil servants are gradually acquiring 
the right to strike. There has never been any strike in Denmark since the establishment of the 
Single  European  Sky,  because  the  relationship  between  staff  and  management  is  based  on 
continuous social dialogue at many levels within the structure of the organisation. 

These  local  agreements,  complementing  national  legislation  on  the  right  of  strike,  have 
proven  to  be  very  effective.  All  potential  social  conflicts  in  ATM  in  Denmark,  Ireland  and 
MUAC  have  been  solved  in  the  frame  of  these  local  agreements,  and  no  strikes  have  been 
recorded in the past years. Additionally, other Member States have not been subject to strike 
action  for  a  considerable  number  of  years,  which  is  an  indication  of  an  effective  social 
dialogue in place between the ANSPs and the unions.  

While Spain has achieved a generally good relation between the ANSP and the unions, there 
has been only one single strike over last few years. Italy and Greece have both experienced a 
number  of  strikes  in  ATM  in  recent  years.  Although  there  have  been  negotiations  to  avert 
strikes, the level of social dialogue has been insufficient to avoid them occurring. The recent 
changes in the organisational set up of the ANSPs in these two countries are expected to bring 
benefits to the social dialogue. Efforts were made in France to foster a good social dialogue, 
and  there  is  evidence  of  progress  in  that  direction.  Most  of  the  recent  strikes  have  been 
solidarity  strikes  in  support  of  national  labour  disputes.  As  a  result,  the  efforts  made  to 
improve social dialogue do not appear to have been very effective in reducing the impact of 
strikes on the ATM network. 

There are many trade unions, with different approaches in the handling of industrial relations; 
certain  unions  call  for  strikes  while  others  prefer  to  resort  to  a  more  dialogue  oriented 
approach. 

At EU level the European Social Dialogue Committee  for civil  aviation is  established since 
2000 with the aim to notably assist the Commission in the formulation and implementation of 
Common Air  Transport policies which on the one hand have  a social effect  or  employment 
implications in the European Civil Aviation sector and on the other hand aim at strengthening 
the  economic  and  competitive  position  of  the  Community's  civil  aviation  both  within  the 
Community and in the wider international context. 
In  that  context,  the  social  partners  active  in  the  field  of  Air  Traffic  Management41  have  in 
March 2016 promoted a joint initiative: the "Toolbox for Successful Social Dialogue in Air 

41   European Transport Worker's Federation (ETF), the Air Traffic Controllers European Union Coordination 
(ATCEUC) and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO), representing the air navigation 
service providers. 

15 

 
 
                                                            
Traffic Management". The purpose of this toolbox is to increase the quality of social dialogue 
and reduce the risk of conflicts. This social partners' joint initiative promotes a series of best 
practice in order to enable an effective social dialogue.42   

4.2 Room for more efficient social dialogue 
The  Aviation  Strategy  recognises  the  important  role  of  social  dialogue43.  It  is  clear  that  the 
quality of the mechanisms in place for social dialogue, and the quality of the national or local 
agreements between ATM staff and employers is a determining factor to avoid social conflict 
and  consequently  the  impact  of  strikes  on  ATM.  Analysis  has  shown  that  the  effective 
implementation of social dialogue at Member States and FAB 44 level is very uneven45. There 
is still room for more efficient social dialogue in certain Member States.  

It is clear that national characteristics may influence the success of improved social dialogue 
as a means to reduce the likelihood of strikes in ATM. Nonetheless, it appears that there are 
opportunities  to  obtain  reductions  in  the  number  of  strikes  through  better  relations  between 
management and unions.  

The majority of FABs have created a formal set up for FAB level social dialogue to address 
FAB  related  issues.  However,  in  many  FABs  social  dialogue  has  been  less  developed  in 
practice,  as  the mechanisms that  have  been  set up are dormant. A recent  study46  has  shown 
that  over  half  of  the  FABs  are  inactive  when  it  comes  to  the  implementation  of  the  social 
dialogue.  FABs  which  have  effectively  implemented  social  dialogue  mechanisms  have 
ensured that staff opinion is being heard at the management level, by ensuring their presence 
on the consultation forums/meetings. Even though there are formalised FAB social dialogue 
mechanisms established in some of the FABs, the national social dialogue is still regarded by 
all  parties  involved  as  being  much  more  significant.  FAB  social  dialogue  is  always 
complementary to the national processes47.  

5.  

Overview of the legal position  

5.1 The right to strike: a fundamental right primarily regulated at national level 
The  right  to  strike  is  a  fundamental  right  of  workers48.  Article  28  of  the  Charter  of 
Fundamental  Rights  states  that  ‘Workers  and  employers,  or  their  respective  organisations, 
have,  in  accordance  with  Community  law  and  national  laws  and  practices,  the  right  to 
negotiate  and  conclude  collective  agreements  at  the  appropriate  levels  and,  in  case  of 
conflicts of interest, to take collective action to defend their interests, including strike action’.  
This right also falls outside the scope of EU social policy49. At this stage, the arrangements 
and limits to exercise the right to strike generally fall under national laws and practices. The 

42   Toolbox for Successful Social Dialogue in Air Traffic Management – ATCEUC, CANSO, ETF – 2016. 
43   Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and 
Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, An Aviation Strategy for Europe, COM(2015) 598 
final. 

44   FABs are multi-State arrangements based on operational requirements and established regardless of State 
boundaries. FABs aim to reduce the fragmentation of the European ATM network and thus to improve 
performance.  

45   Study on Function Airspace Blocks– Integra – 2017. 
46   Study on functional airspace blocks by Integra, Ecorys, Winsland and Combitech (January 2017) 
47   Study on Function Airspace Blocks– Integra – 2017. 
48   Article 28 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, ECJ rulling (Viking and Laval). 
49   Article 153(5) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. 

16 

 
 
                                                            
right  of  employees  to  take  industrial  action,  including  strikes,  is  explicitly  recognised  and 
extends to employees in ATM in all Member States. Moreover, the majority of the Member 
States  have  specific  laws  or  regulations  defining  the  conditions  for  exercising  the  right  to 
strike in ATM.  

The  right  to  strike  as  a  fundamental  right  must  not  be  challenged.  Nevertheless  a  balance 
needs  to  be  found  so  that  its  exercise  does  not  jeopardize  the  attainment  of  other  EU 
fundamental principles and fundamental freedoms. 

5.2 A diversity of Member States' legal frameworks on strikes 

The  analysis  of  the  current  legal  framework  clearly  shows  the  diversity  and  complexity  of 
Member States legal norms regarding strikes. In most cases, these conditions cover advance 
strike notice, conciliation and arbitration rules, and negotiation and mediations requirements. 
Member States frequently affected by strikes (e.g. France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Cyprus) have 
minimum  service  levels  in  place,  as  part  of  their  regulatory  means  to  manage  ATM  strikes 
(see Table 5-2). Although in place, these mechanisms have so far not been able to mitigate the 
impact of strike. 

Minimum notification period 
A  minimum  notification  period  is  mandated  in  the  majority  of  Member  States  (24)50. 
However,  it  differs  greatly,  ranging  from  24  hours  in  Germany  to  1  month  in  Denmark.  In 
Malta, within the minimum notification period of 7 days, there are 2 days in which parties are 
bound to meet to try to resolve the dispute. Moreover, a few Member States apply different 
requirements on the minimum notification for strikes that are solidarity strikes than if they are 
primary  strikes.  Hungary,  for  example,  through  a  collective  agreement  requires  a  minimum 
notification period of 24 hours if there is an upcoming solidarity strike, while in Croatia the 
minimum  notification  period  for  solidarity  strikes  is  2  days.  In  addition  to  specifying  a 
minimum  period  for  the  notification  of  a  strike  by  the  union,  Croatia  also  includes  a 
requirement for individuals to provide at least 72 hours' notice if they intend to participate in 
the strike. A similar law applies to the transport sector in France; however it does not apply to 
ATM.  

Table 5-1 Minimum notification periods defined for Member States (in ascending order of the value) 

Member States 

Period of notification 

Germany 

Romania 

Hungary 

Greece 

Croatia 

France 

Netherlands 

Bulgaria 

24 hours 

2 working days 

72 hours 

4 days 

5 days 

5 days 

5 – 7 days 

7 days 

50   Austria, Cyprus and Czech Republic do not have a defined minimum notification period. 

17 

 
 
                                                            
Member States 

Period of notification 

Ireland 

Latvia 

Malta 

Sweden 

United Kingdom 

Luxembourg 

Spain 

Portugal 

Italy 

Estonia 

Finland 

Lithuania 

Poland 

Belgium 

Slovenia 

Denmark 

MUAC 

7 days 

7 days 

7 days 

7 days 

7 days 

10 days 

10 days 

10 working days 

12 days 

14 days 

14 days 

14 days 

14 days 

15 days 

15 days 

1 month 

5 days 

Source: Study on Options for ATM Service Continuity in the Event of Strikes – Ricardo & York Aviation – 2016 

Minimum levels of services 

Fewer Member States (9) have  provisions for minimum levels of service than for minimum 
notification  periods.  Analysis  also  shows  that  not  only  is  there  a  wide  variation  between 
Member States in legal measures requiring a level of service which must be provided but also 
in  the  manner  of  defining  the  service  level  to  be  provided.  In  France,  for  example,  the 
minimum  level  of  service  is  decided  on  a  case-by-case  basis.  Spain  and  Portugal  define  a 
minimum service including flights to islands, which is generally in response to a requirement 
that the inhabitants of the islands should not be 'cut off' in the event of strike. Other Member 
States (e.g. Italy and Greece) protect 100 percent overflights. 

Table 5-2 Minimum service levels defined by Member States 

Member States        Overflights                                                Departing and Arriving Flights 

Croatia 

Cyprus 

Minimum of three sectors served (two 
in winter) to give a minimum of 75 % 
of  the  flights  prescribed  by  network 
manager 
40 % normal capacity 

France 

50 % normal capacity 

Maximum duration of strike two hours; no more 
than eight flights affected 

50 % normal capacity 
Limited number of (defined) airports open 
Capacity  decided  on  a  case-by-case  basis 
(usually about 80 % capacity) 

Greece 

100 % 
(through 
unions rather than legislation) 

agreement  with 

Emergency, SAR, state flights only 

18 

 
 
Hungary 

46 flights per hour 

Italy 

100 % 

Portugal 

3  contingency  routes  served;  to  give 
about  33 %  of  normal  capacity  (by 
agreement rather than legislation) 
33 % normal capacity 
100 % served (with delays) 

50 % normal capacity 
All  intercontinental;  all  departures  07:00-10:00 
and 18:00-21:00; flights to islands 

Public  service  flights  (to  islands),  emergency 
flights 

Romania 
Spain 

33 % normal capacity 
On case-by-case basis, flights to islands 
Source: Study on Options for ATM Service Continuity in the Event of Strikes – Ricardo & York Aviation – 2016 

Other mitigation measures 

Some Member States have adopted measures to mitigate the impact of strikes on the network. 
For  example,  in  Italy,  strikes  cannot  take  place  during  day  time  peak  traffic  periods  and 
during seasonal peak traffic periods. They are also limited in their duration to 4 hours for the 
first strike, and then 8 hours for the second. Two strikes must not take place between 14 to 21 
days of each other. 

5.3 Relevant EU and international framework   

 As already addressed in section 5.1, the right to strike is a fundamental right and is governed 
in  essence by national law. The  Aviation Strategy for Europe,  published in  2015,  envisages 
action  intended  to  promote  best  practices  in  order  to  ensure  a  minimum  level  of  service  in 
managing the European network and airspace, in particular for overflights.  

In the international legal context, Annex 11 (Air Traffic Services) to the Chicago Convention 
includes (within Chapter 2.3) the requirement for ANSPs to ensure contingency planning for 
disruption to ATM services51. However there are no standards or recommended practices on 
the subject. 

There are no applicable EU regulations dealing with guaranteed service provision specifically 
during  strikes.  The  common  requirements  for  the  provision  of  air  navigation  services 
(Commission  Regulation  (EU)  No  1035/2011)  only  require  ANSPs  to  have  in  place 
contingency  plans  for  all  air  navigation  services  they  provide  in  the  case  of  events  which 
result in significant degradation or interruption of their operations without requiring a level of 
minimum  service  or  specifically  addressing  strike52.  However,  the  main  aim  of  the  SES 
legislation,  as  stated  in  Article  1  of  the  Framework  Regulation  549/2004,  is  to  ‘enhance 
current safety standards and overall efficiency for general air traffic in Europe, to optimise 
capacity meeting the requirements of all airspace users and to minimise delays’53. The service 
continuity is an underlying objective of the SES, even if it is not explicitly mentioned. 

As such, the performance driven ATM system established in EU through the implementation 
of the SES regulation and its performance targets have been heavily affected by strikes. 

51   ICAO, Air Traffic Services, Annex 11 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.  
52   Commission  Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  No  1035/2011  of  17  October  2011  laying  down  common 
requirements for the provision of air navigation services amending regulations (EC) No 482/2008 and (EU) 
No 691/2010, OJ L 271, 18.10.2011, p. 23-41. 

53   Regulation  (EC)  No  549/2004  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  10  March  2004  laying 
down  the  framework  for  the  creation  of  the  single  European  Sky  (the  framework  regulation),  OJ  L  96, 
31.3.2004, p. 1-9. 

19 

 
 
                                                            
In addition, Regulation (EC) No 261/200454 on air passengers' rights is a European legislation 
aiming to ensure rights of compensation and assistance to passengers under certain conditions, 
in  the  event  of  cancellation  or  long  delay  of  flights.  It  obliges  airlines in  the case  of  flights 
cancelled less than 14 days before departure and in the case of flights delayed more than three 
hours on intra-Community flights to pay compensation. An operating air carrier is exempted 
from  paying  compensation  in  the  event  of  cancellation  or  delay  of  a  flight  when  the 
cancellation or delay is caused by extraordinary circumstances such as strikes that affect the 
air carrier55. Nevertheless, air carriers must fulfil their obligations of ‘care and assistance’ to 
the  passengers,  even  though  the  cancellation  or  delay  was  caused  by  extraordinary 
circumstances and even if the announced strike was finally called off, as it could still have led 
to  traffic  disruptions56.  Depending  on  the  circumstances,  the  notion  of  care  and  assistance 
includes:    the  right  to  reimbursement,  re-routing,  meals  and  refreshments  and  hotel 
accommodation,  for  as  long  as  is  necessary.  This  also  includes  cases  of  ‘extraordinary 
circumstances’ entitling the air carrier to refuse the granting of compensation.57  

All in all, there are both global and European requirements on ANSPs to ensure contingency 
planning for disruption to ATM services, including continuity of services and mitigating the 
impact in the event of strikes. 

6.  

Practices favouring ATM service continuity, observed in Member States 

Some Member States have already implemented at national level a number of practices that 
aim  to  avoid  ATM  strikes,  limit  or  remove  their  negative  impacts  on the  air traffic,  the  EU 
citizens and the economy as a whole. A number of practices that are in place in at least one of 
the Member States are particularly relevant, and bring significant improvements to the whole 
network  in  the  event  of  strikes.  Section  6  gives  a  detailed  explanation  of  those  practices.  It 
should  be  noted  that  one  practice  being  successful  in  one  Member  State  does  not 
systematically mean that it would be successful in another Member State. 

Social dimension 

6.1 Improvement of social dialogue in Air Traffic Management 

It is clear that reducing the impact of strikes in ATM on the functioning of the network starts 
by reducing the probability of strikes occurring and then by mitigating their impact through 
social  dialogue. Measures in  place  in Member  States  such as  Denmark, Ireland and the UK 
show that this can be achieved with procedures enabling a sound and efficient social dialogue.  

Efficient procedures for social dialogue in ATM have been put in place in various countries 
and especially in Denmark, Ireland and the UK thanks to local agreements concluded between 

54   Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing common rules on 
compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay 
of  flights  and on  Council Regulation  (EC)  No 2027/97  on  air  carrier  liability  in  the  event of  accidents  as 
amended by Regulation (EC) No 889/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council. 

55   Recital 14 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. 
56   Articles 8 and 9 of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004. 
57   Commission  Notice  —  Interpretative  Guidelines  on  Regulation  (EC)  No  261/2004  of  the  European 
Parliament and of the Council establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in 
the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights and on Council Regulation (EC) No 
2027/97 on air carrier liability in the event of accidents as amended by Regulation (EC) No 889/2002 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council, OJ C 214, 15.6.2016, (Sub-paragraph 4.3.3.Care in extraordinary 
circumstances 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
exceptional 
or 
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52016XC0615(01) 

events), 

20 

 
 
                                                            
the  ANSP  management  and  the  staff.  These  local  agreements  determine  the  conditions  in 
which social  dialogue  is to  be organised. As explained under section 4.1, examples of local 
agreements  in  place  within  ANSPs  show  that  their  effectiveness  is  improved  when 
agreements are concluded at ACC level. Notably in Member States with several ACCs, ANSP 
staff and management working together at ACC level establish ACC level local agreements, 
which  enables  to  encompass  better  the  local  needs  and  specificities  of  the  staff  and  the 
management. 

A  number  of  practices  for  social  dialogue  have  been  proposed  by  the  social  partners,  as 
mentioned  in  section  4.1.  The  Toolbox  for  Successful  Social  Dialogue  in  the  Air  Traffic 
Management industry contains the following practices: 

  Any  arrangements  or  procedures  agreed  between  undertaking  management  and 
workers' representatives should be formalised in writing and signed by both parties; 

  Behaviour should be recognised as key for good communication and dialogue; 
  There should be mutual recognition of the rights and responsibilities of unions and the 

management; 

  There should be open meetings to improve communication;  
  Early information and consultation of unions should be encouraged;  
  Use of internal committee for dispute settlement process should be promoted;  
  When employer and employees representatives reach an impasse in negotiations that 

cannot be resolved between them, they should use an external mediation tool58.  

6.2 Early notification of strikes by the unions (for better predictability of strikes) 

The provision of early notification in advance of strike plays a positive role in reducing the 
occurrence  of  strikes.  Indeed,  possible  strikes  notified  with  a  sufficiently  lengthy  period  of 
time in advance, allow for three important steps to take place. Namely, (i) the unfolding of an 
open,  transparent  and  sound  social  dialogue,  including  the  dispute  resolution  mechanism  in 
force  in  that  country  or  through  the  local  agreement  at  ANSP  level;  (ii)  the  notification  of 
passengers by the airlines of the confirmation or cancellation of their flight; and (iii) the set up 
and coordination of all operational measures aiming to organise the network so as to limit as 
much as possible the negative effects of the strike.  

The  latter  involves  all  operational  stakeholders  to  be  coordinated  across  the  network,  and 
therefore takes time. For example, it includes the assessment of the workforce available on the 
different  shifts  during  the  strike  in  the  strike  affected  ANSP,  the establishment  of  the  shifts 
and rosters, the establishment of opened sectors, the communication of the available airspace 
to  all  aviation  actors  including  all  concerned  airlines  and  all  European  and  some  extra-EU 
ANSPs, the filing of flight plans by airlines, and the cancellation of certain flights by airlines. 
It  should  be  noted  that  the  above  list  of  actions  is  not  exhaustive.  The  network  manager  is 
involved  and  in  charge  of  the  EU  wide  coordination  for  several  of  the  above  mentioned 
actions. 

As indicated in Table 5-1, the Member States have adopted different time frames for advance 
notification periods. These rank from 24 hours to 1 month.  

Depending  on  the  length  of  the  notification  period  in  force  in  the  Member  States,  very 
different results have been observed in the occurrence of strikes. Indeed, the Member States 
with a notification period inferior to 14 days cumulate from 2004 to 2016 a total of 359 strike 
days. On the other hand, Member States with a notification period equal to or higher than 14 

58   Toolbox for Successful Social Dialogue in Air Traffic Management – ATCEUC, CANSO, ETF – 2016. 

21 

 
 
                                                            
days (Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Poland, Belgium, Slovenia, and Denmark) cumulate only 7 
days of strike on the same period.  
During  stakeholders'  consultation  in  the  context  of  the  Commission  study59,  the  network 
manager,  airlines  and ANSPs have  identified as "Best Practice"60  a  notification  period of at 
least 14 days.  

The benefit of a sufficiently advanced notification, i.e. 14 days at least before a strike, lies in 
its interdependence with the need for better social dialogue in ATM. 

6.3 Individual notification of staff members (for better visibility shortly before strikes) 

Because of safety requirements relating to minimum staffing, the unexpected absence of even 
one controller can require the ATM service to be completely shut down at a given location, 
even  if  other  controllers  are  at  work.  And  because  of  the  way  ATM  service  is  organised,  a 
shutdown  at  one  location  has  a  ripple  effect  throughout  the  system,  effectively  closing  off 
specific  traffic  routes.  Low  visibility  as  regards  the  staff  availability  during  the  consecutive 
shifts on the day of strike in the ANSP thus makes it difficult for the ATM service provider to 
plan ahead the level of ATM service that will effectively be available during a strike. France 
adopted in 2012 a specific legislation61, transposing to passenger air transport companies the 
legislative  scheme  that  was  already  applicable  since  2007  to  its  rail  sector.  It  requires  all 
workers  in  the  aviation  sector  intending  to  take  part  in  a  strike,  to  individually  notify  the 
management at least 48 hours in advance. This law does not apply to air traffic management. 
In another Member State (Croatia), a similar scheme is applied with a 72 hours notice period. 

Where implemented, the individual notification of staff members brings benefits on two very 
important aspects. 

1.  It  improves  the  situation  for  all  employees,  whether  they  wish  to  work  or  to  strike. 
Indeed,  thanks  to  good  visibility  provided  by  the  individual  notification,  the  ANSP 
management  can  prepare  shifts  knowing  exactly  how  many  employees  will  work. 
Therefore,  there  is  no  need  for  the  management  to  "guess"  this  number.  In  Member 
States  where  a  minimum  service  level  is  applicable,  "guessing"  usually  leads  to 
overstaffing on the day of strike. Some employees are asked to come to work although 
they  intended  to  strike,  but  their  workforce  is  not  needed  after  all  if  the  number  of 
employees  choosing  to  work  is  higher  than  expected.  With  individual  notification  of 
strike, this scenario does not happen. It also benefits the employees who choose to work, 
as  they  can  operate  on  shifts  prepared  well  in  advance  by  their  management.  A  more 
relaxed working environment also contributes to greater safety for the operations. 

2.  From an operational point of view, better visibility enables ANSP to provide the NM and 
all  other  ANSPs  and  aviation  stakeholders  with  a  clear  picture  of  which  ATM  sectors 
will  be  operational.  Airlines  can  file  their  flight  plans  accordingly,  anticipate  possible 
delays  and  inform  passengers.  Better  operational  visibility  also  makes  the  work  of  air 
traffic controllers easier and less stressful, and thus safer. 

Operational dimension  

59   Study on Options for ATM Service Continuity in the Event of Strikes – Ricardo & York Aviation – 2016. 
60   The complete list of "Best Practices" identified is available in the study referred to in footnote 61. 
61   Loi n° 2012-375 du 19 mars 2012 relative à l'organisation du service et à l'information des passagers dans 
les entreprises de transport aérien de passagers et à diverses dispositions dans le domaine des transports. - 
JORF n°0068 du 20 mars 2012 page 5026, known as 'Loi Diard' 

22 

 
 
                                                            
6.4 Protection of 100 percent of overflights 

The  impact  of  ATM  strikes  on  neighbouring  ANSPs  is  significant,  notably  because  of  the 
reduction  in  airspace  capacity  over  the  strike  affected  area.  As  a  consequence,  aircraft  that 
would  normally  overfly  the  affected  area  need  to  take  alternative  routes  at  the  last  minute, 
causing major delays and cancellations. 

Some Member States, among which Italy, Greece and Spain have adopted measures intended 
to preserve continuity of service for 100 percent of overflights (flights crossing the airspace of 
an  affected  area).  Although  in  certain  cases,  an  amount  of  delay  cannot  be  avoided,  this 
practice  allows  overall  for  a  decrease  of  the  traffic  disruption  and  limits  the  negative 
consequences of the strike on the overall network. 

6.5 Protection of air traffic peak periods 

The impact of ATM strikes on the entire EU air network is considerable when the traffic is 
disrupted  during  a  period  of  normal  traffic.  In  Member  States  affected  by  strikes,  it  is 
generally recognised that there may be a risk that strikes would coincide with air traffic peak 
periods  of  the  day  or  of  the  year.  Indeed,  given  the  large  volumes  of  passengers  travelling 
during those peak periods, the potential for damage caused to the EU economy could be used 
as bargaining power by the ATM staff in their negotiations with the management or national 
authorities.  

Disruptions during traffic peak periods generate additional pressure on neighbouring ANSPs 
from a safety, capacity and flight-efficiency standpoint. 

In  Italy,  certain  traffic  peak  periods  of  the  day  and  certain  traffic  peak  times  of  year  are 
protected.  That  means  no  ATM  strikes  can  take  place  during  determined  periods.  The 
rationale behind this practice is to protect the movements of passengers during the busiest air 
traffic period of the day and of the year, as well as to protect the national economy of Italy 
during those periods. 

7.  

Other EU level actions favouring ATM service continuity 

7.1  Operational cooperation in the event of strikes  

This  operational  cooperation  takes  place  under the  auspices  of  the  network  manager,  which 
increasingly plays a role to mitigate the impact of strikes in terms of traffic delays and flight 
cancellations.  

Where necessary, SES rules allow ANSPs to enter into cooperative agreements, on bilateral or 
multilateral bases, to improve the flexibility of the airspace in crisis situations, as contingency 
measures. This may be done on the basis of cross-border sectorisation, as it is already the case 
for  certain  cross-border  sectors  between  Member  States  at  night-time.  Under  such  ANSPs 
cooperative  agreements,  ANSPs  may  determine  on  a  case-by-case  basis  the  rules  and 
procedures allowing other ANSPs to take partial control of their airspace in order to relieve 
the capacity disruptions.  

The  monitoring  of  origins  and  operational  effects  of  network  disruptions  is  of  great 
importance  in  the  efforts  to  understand  how  they  can  be  avoided  in  the  first  place  and 
mitigated when they occur. In this regard, accurate tools developed by the network manager 
help  for  the  calculation  of  delays  attributable  to  ATM  strike,  the  monitoring  of  the  total 
volumes of flight cancellations as well the identification of all the measures taken to mitigate 
the impact for the European citizens. The collection and analysis by the network manager of 

23 

 
 
all  strike  relevant  metrics  in  a  ‘strike  registry’  may  allow  for  data  of  higher  quality,  a 
consistent  understanding  of  the  strikes  phenomenon  and  ways  to  mitigate  it.  Gathering  and 
monitoring of information on strikes is necessary to better understand their origin and impact, 
as well as to properly apply the SES performance scheme.  

7.2. European Upper Information Region  

This  strengthened  cooperation in the event of  strikes  could be  enhanced and enabled by the 
creation  of  a  specific  airspace  zone  where  the  same  procedures  and  operational  concept 
applies,  including  for  ensuring  the  continuity  of  air  navigation  services.  The  concept  of 
European Upper Information Region is already provided for in the existing legislation under 
the  name  of  European Upper  Information  Region  (EUIR)  (Article  3  of  Regulation (EC)  No 
551/2004). 

The European airspace is today divided into national flight information regions (FIR), that is 
specified regions of airspace in which flight information services are provided. The concept of 
EUIR as enshrined in the SES legislation allows moving to a unified flight information region 
over Europe by grouping existing national FIR. Grouping FIRs into a unified EUIR does not 
affect sovereignty of Member States over their airspace. It materialises the concept of a block 
of airspace where the same rules and procedures apply, including for addressing contingency 
aspects  and  ensuring  the  continuity  of  air  traffic  services.  The  EUIR  would  result  in 
operational  benefits,  such  as  better  use  of  available  capacity,  environment  benefits,  cost-
effectiveness and fully harmonised operation. 

Following the request of the European Parliament, the Commission will launch a pilot project 
to  investigate  the  feasibility  of  a  strengthened  architecture  of  the  European  airspace.  The 
practical steps to establish the EUIR will be assessed in the context of that project.  

7.3 Single European Sky performance framework 

According to the SES performance scheme, as set out in Implementing Regulation (EU) No 
390/201362,  Member  States  must  ensure  that  the  contribution  to  the  performance  target  of 
each ANSP is identified in the performance plan63. 

For the performance scheme to be effective, delays are to be properly attributed to the ANSPs 
that  generate  them.  The  performance  and  charging  scheme  is  to  provide  the  relevant 
incentives,  so  that  ANSPs  are  encouraged  to  put  all  necessary  measures  in  place  for  the 
avoidance of ATM strikes. 

The  performance  framework  contains  a  traffic  risk  sharing  mechanism,  whose  application 
may be distorted by the occurrence of strikes. The SES charging scheme64 provides a specific 
support from the airspace users to the ANSPs in the event of traffic volumes variations. When 
a strike of staff in a given ANSP has resulted in a major decrease of traffic, the airlines may 
be subject to an increase of their costs for the following years.  

A traffic risk sharing mechanism that is adapted to the event of strikes can help avoid aviation 
stakeholders to be subject to additional costs in the context of the charging scheme, as a result 
of strikes for which they are not responsible. 

62   Commission  Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  No  390/2013  of  3  May  2013  laying  down  a  performance  scheme  for  air 

navigation services and network functions. OJ L 128, 9.5.2013, p. 1. 

63   These objectives are expressed in terms of ATFM delays 
64   Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 391/2013 of 3 May 2013 laying down a common charging 

scheme for air navigation services, OJ L 128, 9.5.2013, p. 31. 

24 

 
 
 
                                                            
8.  

Glossary/Definitions65 

ACC 

ANS 

ANSP 

ATCEUC 
ATCO 
ATFM 

ATM 

CANSO 
ETF 
FAB 

ICAO 

MUAC 

NM 

SES 

SESAR 

Area  Control  Centre  is  a  unit  established  to  provide  air  traffic  control  service  to 
controlled flights in control areas under its jurisdiction (ICAO official definition). 
Air  Navigations  Services  means  air  traffic  services,  communication,  navigation  and 
surveillance  services,  meteorological  services  for  air  navigation,  and  aeronautical 
information services. 
Air  Navigation  Service  Provider  means  any  public  or  private  entity  providing  air 
navigation services for general air traffic. 
Air Traffic Controllers European Union Coordination 
Air Traffic Controller is a person authorised to provide air traffic control services.  
Air Traffic Flow Management means a function established with the objective of 
contributing to a safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic by ensuring that ATC 
capacity is utilised to the maximum extent possible, and that the traffic volume is 
compatible with the capacities declared by the appropriate air traffic service providers. 
Air  Traffic  Management  means  the  aggregation  of  the  airborne  and  ground-based 
services  (air  traffic  services,  airspace  management  and  air  traffic  flow  management) 
required  to  ensure  the  safe  and  efficient  movement  of  aircraft  during  all  phases  of 
operations. 
Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation 
European Transport Workers’ Federation 
Functional  Airspace  Block  is  an  airspace  block  based  on  operational  requirements 
and  established  regardless  of  State  boundaries,  where  the  provision  of  air  navigation 
services  and  related  functions  are  performance-driven  and  optimised  with  a  view  to 
introducing, in each functional airspace block, enhanced cooperation among ANSPs or, 
where appropriate, an integrated provider. 
International  Civil  Aviation  Organization  as  established  by  the  1944  Chicago 
Convention on International Civil Aviation. 
Maastricht Upper Area Control manages the upper airspace over Belgium, 
Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of Germany. It operates as single ACC. 
Network Manager is a body nominated by the European Commission. It was 
established in 2011 with as primary objective to reinforce the European ATM network 
and improve its performance. The NM is in charge of the Central ATFM function. 
Performance and Charging  Schemes  are the instruments of economic regulation  of 
ANSPs. The performance scheme sets targets in the key performance areas of safety, 
environment,  airspace  capacity  and  cost  efficiency  through  the  adoption  of  EU-wide 
performance targets and approval of consistent national or FAB performance plan. The 
targets in the key performance area of cost efficiency are the basis for the calculation of 
user en route and terminal charges under the charging scheme. 
Single European Sky is a European Union initiative by which the design, management 
and  regulation  of  airspace  is  coordinated  through  the  EU.  The  main  objective  is  to 
reform  ATM  in  Europe  in  order  to  cope  with  sustained  air  traffic  growth  and 
operations under the safest, most cost-and flight-efficient and environmentally friendly 
conditions.  The  SES  legislative  framework  consists  of  four  Basic  Regulations  (No 
549/2004,  550/2004,  551/2004  and  552/2004).  These  Regulations  adopted  in  2004 
were revised and extended in 2009 with Regulation (EC) No 1070/2009. 
Single European Sky ATM Research is a technological pillar of the Single European 
Sky.  It  aims  to  improve  ATM  performance  by  modernising  and  harmonising  ATM 
systems through the definition, development, validation and deployment of innovative 
technological and operational ATM solutions.  

65   Definitions of ANS, ANSP, ATM, ATFM, FAB are definitions from the Framework Regulation on the 

Single European Sky. 

25