The EU's aviation strategy

KEY POINTS

Priorities

The strategy has 4 main priorities:

1. To establish the EU as a leading player in global aviation whilst ensuring equal opportunities for all EU companies:
   • The strategy includes plans for aviation agreements with key countries and regions around the world.

1. To tackle the limits to airline capacity both in the air and on the ground:
   • The strategy emphasises the importance of completing the Single European Sky project, making the best use of the busiest airports and monitoring the connectivity both between EU countries and between EU and non-EU countries.

1. To maintain high EU standards:
   • The strategy includes measures to maintain standards in safety, security, the environment, social issues and passenger rights.
   • There are also plans to reduce the burden of security checks and costs through new technology and a risk-based approach.

1. To make progress on innovation, new technologies and investments:
   • The strategy seeks to unleash the full potential of drones by proposing laws to ensure safety and legal certainty for the industry whilst addressing concerns related to privacy, data protection, the environment and security.
   • The EU will also invest €430 million a year in SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) to improve air traffic control management.