Single European Sky might cut some emissions

The SES initiative (Single European Sky) main environmental trait is to abolish unnecessary extensions to the length of flights through the defragmentation of European airspace and the implementation of functional airspace blocks. Optimizing air traffic management will lead to lower emissions (estimated at a 10% decrease in CO2 emissions) and reduced fuel consumption in European aviation.

Security and sovereignty of airspace were the main issues of discussion at the Informal Meeting of the EU Transport Ministers held in Vilnius, asserted Siim Kallas, vice-president of the European Commission. Social issues also sparked attention; some Member States have civil servants as traffic controllers whilst in others they are employed by private companies.

The Informal Meeting of the EU Transport Ministers tackled a range of issues affecting implementation of the Single European Sky (SES). The Ministers assessed the need for a new approach of further development of the SES on institutional and industrial levels and discussed opportunities of bridging the gap between national and regional airspaces.