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First FABEC Council Meeting of 2025
Luxembourg, 2 July 2025 – At the invitation of the FABEC States Presidency, CEOs of FABEC air navigation service providers (ANSPs) and their military counterparts convened in Luxembourg on 1 July for the first of two high-level meetings scheduled this year.
The agenda covered a broad range of strategic topics, including updates to the RP4 Performance Plan, the development of performance management indicators, social dialogue initiatives, and the revised environmental strategy.
Given the ongoing geo-political situation, the role of military coordination at both ANSP and state levels was a key point of discussion. FABEC CEO Board Chair Maartje van der Helm (LVNL) emphasized:
The importance of civil-military coordination is obvious. We clearly see the need for a common approach to airspace usage prioritisation and coordination among FABEC ANSPs.
She highlighted the recent launch of a coordination group for information exchange on emerging issues in relation to the introduction of next-generation military fighter aircraft. These aircraft come with different airspace requirements, and accommodating larger training areas across various countries is becoming increasingly important. Additionally, to promote the use of Datalink communications in the European core area, FABEC has established a CPDLC (Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications) group to complement existing Eurocontrol initiatives.
A key priority for FABEC remains the development of actionable performance indicators for Reference Period 5 (2030–2034). Engagement with stakeholders —including airspace users and operational experts— is ongoing and will be aligned with the work of the Performance Review Body and the European Commission. The focus lies on concrete proposals in areas such as vertical efficiency, throughput, delay propagation, and sector configuration. FABEC President Laura Könner (Director General of Civil Aviation, Luxembourg) concluded:
Working on these indicators is essential in our endeavour to make operations as safe and efficient as possible and to ensure optimal use of airspace in the heart of Europe.