What this session covered
This panel, moderated by Mateusz Zelek, brought civil and military airspace authorities together to examine how Europe was integrating civil and military operations in shared airspace under sustained operational strain. Adrian Codi, Costantino La Selva, Inga Jankunaite, Juan Angel Treceño and Łukasz Godlewski set out the current state of Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA) implementation, the real-time mechanisms for sharing restricted and danger-area data between military and civil ATM systems, and the governance arrangements that determine how quickly civil-military airspace committees can respond to changed requirements. The operational question framing the discussion was whether a concept designed for a more predictable era could still deliver safe and efficient shared airspace when military activity had become larger, more frequent, and less predictable.
Why it mattered
Since 2022, heightened defence activity across the continent had changed the operational calculus for civil airspace managers. Larger and more frequently activated restricted and temporary reserved areas meant civil traffic absorbed more rerouting, longer tracks, and less predictable capacity — costs that compounded the network's existing recovery-era capacity constraints. Flexible Use of Airspace, the framework underpinning civil-military coordination across European states, was designed around relatively stable and predictable military activity patterns; the 2026 environment tested whether its processes and timescales remained fit for purpose. With airspace allocation behaving as a near zero-sum trade between civil efficiency and military access, the integration question had moved from a technical-coordination matter to a strategic one for ANSPs, defence authorities, and the airlines bearing the operational cost.
Key takeaways for ATM operators
- FUA was under stress, not obsolete. The panel weighed whether Flexible Use of Airspace processes and timescales — built for predictable military activity — could keep pace with more dynamic, geographically variable requirements across the continent.
- Data sharing was the practical lever. Real-time exchange of airspace-status data between military and civil ATM systems, including conditional route availability and improved pre-tactical notification timescales, was identified as the most actionable route to reducing the zero-sum cost of allocation.
- Governance speed mattered as much as technology. How civil-military airspace committees were constituted and how fast they could respond to changed requirements shaped operational outcomes as directly as any technical fix.
Frequently asked questions
Who spoke on the civil-military integration panel at Airspace World 2026?
The panel was moderated by Mateusz Zelek and brought together Adrian Codi, Costantino La Selva, Inga Jankunaite, Juan Angel Treceño and Łukasz Godlewski, combining civil ATM and military airspace perspectives from across European states.
When and where did this session take place at ASW 2026?
The session took place on Tuesday 26 May 2026 from 12:00 to 12:50 local Lisbon time (WEST, UTC+1) in the Integra Theatre at FIL — Feira Internacional de Lisboa, the Parque das Nações venue that hosted Airspace World 2026 from 26 to 28 May 2026.
What is Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA)?
Flexible Use of Airspace is the framework under which European states coordinate civil and military access to shared airspace, allowing airspace to be allocated to military use when required and released to civil traffic when it is not. It was designed around relatively predictable military activity patterns, which is why the panel examined whether its processes and timescales remained adequate for the more dynamic requirements seen since 2022.
How has increased military activity affected civil aviation?
Heightened defence activity since 2022 has produced larger and more frequently activated restricted and temporary reserved areas in parts of European airspace. The result for civil aviation has been more rerouting, longer tracks, and less predictable capacity, which the panel addressed in terms of how ANSPs adapted their flow management and capacity planning.
What improvements to civil-military coordination did the panel highlight?
The panel pointed to real-time exchange of airspace-status data between military and civil ATM systems — including conditional route availability and faster pre-tactical notification — alongside governance changes that would let civil-military airspace committees respond more quickly to changed requirements. Together these were framed as the practical means of reducing the zero-sum tension between civil efficiency and military access.