Cross-border operations

The FABEC Treaty states: The objective of the FABEC is to achieve optimal performance in the areas relating to safety, environmental sustainability, capacity, cost-efficiency, flight efficiency and military mission effectiveness, by the design of airspace and the organisation of air traffic management in the airspace concerned regardless of existing boundaries. 

FABEC has successfully fulfilled this core task by executing both operational and performance management projects and plans. On the management side, since 2021 the driving force of FABEC is the common FABEC Performance Plan which incorporates common targets valid for all six FABEC States. In addition, it incorporates concrete projects and activities to deliver them. For instance, the new FABEC Performance Plan for the reference period 2020–24 incorporates a list of 15 initiatives from FABEC air navigation service providers to create synergies arising from cross-border initiatives. 

Cross-border operations have become daily business within the FABEC area and its borders over decades. The most prominent example is Maastricht control centre of Maastricht which covers the upper airspaces of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the northern part of Germany. Further examples include Swiss Skyguide’s management of lower airspace in the south of Germany and Munich control centre’s handling of flights in Austrian airspace close to Salzburg.  Dynamic airspace management has become reality for approaches to Geneva airport.