Single European Sky: EU Commission urges 11 MEMBER STATES to comply with EU rules on the provision of data link services
The Commission has decided to send a letter of formal notice to Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, France, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia for failing to provide and operate data link services for all operators of aircraft flying within airspace under their responsibility, and which are capable of data link communications.
Each Member State is required by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 29/2009 to provide these services. Data link services are communications between aircraft and ground that are conveyed through data links, complementing the voice communications used traditionally within air traffic control.
The deployment of this interoperable technology in Europe is essential to improving the efficiency of communications between pilots and controllers, thereby increasing air traffic control capacity.
The deadline for providers of air traffic services to provide and operate data link services expired on 5 February 2018. A lack of equipment in certain control centres is effectively preventing aircraft operators from using data link services, for which the operators have been required to equip as of 5 February 2020.
The Member States concerned now have four months to address the Commission’s concerns. Otherwise, the Commission may decide to send a reasoned opinion.
Arianna Podesta –
