Cooperation
Coming from one of the worlds most advanced digital societies, Estonia, gives us the strength, knowledge, and expertise to make the digital transformations in air navigation industry real.
We are well integrated into international air navigation services community and together with our partners shaping the future of air traffic management within European Union. EANS partners with some of aviation industry´s best experts to design innovative and sustainable integrated airspace for the future.
With our collaborations with legislators and control bodies in Estonia and in European Union we help to improve aviation performance, service, and safety.
Membership in international organisations
1992: Estonia joined International Civil Aviation Organisation and became its 166th member-state; it urges us to provide the air traffic flying in the airspace over our territory with the services compliant with the internationally recognized standards and recommended practices.
1995: membership in European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC).
2000: EANS became a member of CANSO - Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (international organisation of ANS Providers).
2002: EANS joined the group of ANS Providers of the Nordic states; in 2007 it got the name of NEAP (North European ANS Providers) cooperation. In 2012 the cooperation was reorganised and received a new name - Borealis Alliance.
End of 2012: establishment of NEFAB - North European Functional Airspace Block, covering Norway, Finland, Estonia, and Latvia.
2015: Estonia joined EUROCONTROL
NEFAB cooperation
NEFAB*, or North European Functional Airspace Block, is established with the aim to create a common Functional Airspace Block in cooperation between Norway, Finland, Estonia and Latvia; the service provision to customers in the block is optimal, harmonised and meeting their expectations and needs.
NEFAB Air Navigation Service Providers cooperation strategy for 2018-2022 was updated in 2017 and approved by NEFAB CEO Board - it is targeted on six key strategic objectives:
- Improvement of airspace use
- Improvement of ATS provision
- Implementation of SES initiative and SESAR Deployment Programme
- Assurance and enhancement of ATM safety
- Systematic organisation, development, and networking of the ATM domain
- Cooperation between states
NEFAB Business Plan (2018-2022), annual action plans and budgets are prepared based on this Strategy. Their implementation is guided by NEFAB Management Board and organised by Programme Management Office. Depending on the specificness of the projects they are executed either by the respective specialists of NEFAB Air Navigation Service Providers or by outsourced experts.
Borealis Alliance
Borealis alliance of the Air Navigation Services Providers of Northern countries was created to bring into life more business oriented initiatives starting with the establishment of free route airspace (FRA) to be based on NEFRA ideology and principles.
The Free Route Airspaces of NEFAB and Swedish Danish FAB (NEFRA) was expanded by the areas of responsibility of Ireland/UK FAB and Isavia (ANSP of Iceland).
Borealis FRA implementation is currently hampered by COVID 19 crisis, therefore planned to be completed by 2024+. This will be the end to the creation of Borealis wide FRA, but process will continue, hopefully including all the European States and beyond.
Currently there are ongoing discussions to expand Borealis FRA to Lithuania and NATS is having bilateral discussions with MUAC and DSNA.
In addition to own resources, the implementation of Free Route Airspace project is also funded by EC Innovation and Networks Executive Agency – INEA – through its support unit and a special web environment established /facilitated by SESAR Deployment Manager.
Single European Sky
Single European Sky (SES) project was initiated by European Parliament and EC with the aim to create a common unified upper airspace instead of the existing state-border oriented airspace architecture. It is focused on facilitating accommodation of increasing traffic flows, enhancing overall safety, improving airspace capacity and ATM efficiency.
On 20 April 2004 the European Parliament and European Council adopted the following SES basic regulations: Frame Regulation, Airspace regulation, Air Navigation Service Provision regulation, Interoperability regulation.
The SES I regulation adopted in 2004 did not bring anticipated results in the critical spheres.
Changes to SES II package entered into force on 20 July 2009, by regulation PE-CONS 3640/09 of the European Parliament.
SES II principles are implemented through legal acts of different levels - they contained significant changes in air traffic management, infrastructure usage, implementation schedule, established goals and their measurement. With SES II package came also supporting activities, like SESAR JU project with its aim to develop systems and infrastructure for Single European Sky. Estonia participated in the SESAR I program with NORACON consortium.
The progress with European Airspace development was still not satisfying and airspace demand was higher than expected by ANSPs, therefore in 2018-2019 the delays started to climb. As a result, EC initiated a SES 2+ reform, which is currently under active negotiation and will be approved by the end of 2021.