What to expect
This session brings together Network Manager expertise and ANSP operational leadership to present an honest assessment of the European ATM capacity situation and the levers available to improve it:
- Current European traffic levels — the state of demand recovery and the sectors under the greatest strain
- Operational bottlenecks — where the network is losing capacity and why, from staffing constraints to airspace design limitations
- Network Manager coordination tools — how pre-tactical and tactical demand management is applied across the European network
- Capacity optimisation options — what ANSPs and the Network Manager can achieve within existing regulatory and contractual frameworks
- Cross-ANSP collaboration — the role of bilateral and multilateral operational agreements in smoothing network flow
Key questions this session will address
What is the honest assessment of European ATM capacity headroom? This session examines where the gap between traffic demand and declared capacity sits across the European network, and which structural factors — staffing, sectorisation, airspace design — are the binding constraints in the near term.
How does the EUROCONTROL Network Manager coordinate capacity optimisation across 40+ ANSPs? The Network Manager's role is unique — it does not control airspace directly but coordinates pre-tactical measures, slot allocation, and demand management across member states operating under different national frameworks. This session will explore how that coordination works in practice and where it faces friction.
What realistic improvements are achievable without major infrastructure change? Beyond long-term SESAR deployment, this session focuses on what operational and procedural changes can deliver tangible capacity gains on a shorter timescale — dynamic sectorisation, enhanced CDM, improved flow management position collaboration, and cross-border sector sharing.
Why it matters
European airspace capacity has been a persistent structural constraint on aviation recovery and growth. With traffic levels continuing to rise and major SESAR deployment still years away from full effect, understanding what the network can realistically achieve with existing tools and infrastructure is critical for airlines, ANSPs, airports, and regulators alike. This session provides the authoritative operational perspective from EUROCONTROL's Network Management Directorate.