The 5th Baltic Functional Airspace Block Council meeting took place

The Baltic FAB has been operating for a decade Current legal framework of the Baltic FAB is based on the Agreement on the Establishment of the Baltic Functional Airspace Block between the Republic of Poland and the Republic of Lithuania, signed on 17 July 2012 in Vilnius.  

Along with additional agreements between national supervisory authorities (NSA) and air navigation service providers (ANSP), FAB supports efficient cooperation between Poland and Lithuania under FAB concept framework of the European Union.

FAB concept is the key to improved capacity and efficiency, enhanced safety and lower costs for air navigation services through enhanced cooperation and integration across borders and is one of the responses to the fragmentation of the European Air Traffic Management (ATM). 

Over a decade of collaboration has shown that the Baltic FAB is a useful tool for implementing the all-encompassing concepts of Single European Sky. 

Recently the ANSPs (Oro Navigacija and Polish Air Navigation Services Agency) of the Baltic FAB achieved significant progress regarding regional involvement and operational streams, including: 

• implementation of Baltic FRA (free route airspace) on 24 February 2022,
• cooperation under iTEC alliance, developing a next generation air traffic management system,
• cooperation under SESAR 2020 and SESAR 3 scientific research program projects,
• communication and education activity, also including the organisation of international seminars, discussion panels.  

Extremely important topic for the Baltic FAB cooperation are the reserve solutions for provision of air navigations services (ANS) on regional scale, the significance of which is especially evident on periods (both long-term and short-term) of instabilities in flight flows due to wars, permeability challenges within the region and strikes. Therefore, the Baltic FAB countries are planning to evaluate the suggestion of EUROCONTROL to implement pilot ANS service delegation project. The Council approved this initiative and assigned the Baltic FAB air navigation service providers and supervisory agencies to evaluate the benefits, risks, necessary operational, technological, legal and financial aspects of such project.

Furthermore, the Baltic Functional Airspace Block Council, in the context of Russian war against Ukraine and escalating hybrid activities, agreed on the need to enhance bilateral civil and military efforts.  

The Baltic FAB Council affirms the importance of timely and pro-active military activities in air domain in peacetime environment.  

 

Updated at: 2022-12-15 11:46:22

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