Iceland warned over Single European Sky
Iceland is part of the Single European Sky project. Photo: AFP/Brendan Smialowski
Iceland will be taken to court by EFTA if it does not bring itself into line with EU legislation on the Single European Sky.
The ‘Single European Sky’ is a European Commission initiative aimed at coordinating the regulation and management of airspace with a view to “defragmenting European airspace, reducing delays [and] increasing safety standards and flight efficiency”.
The Surveillance Authority of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA, of which Iceland is a member) has sent Iceland an official warning regarding its failure to comply with aspects of existing legislation.
The warning, known officially as a ‘reasoned opinion’, points out three issues:
- Iceland has not designated a specific air-traffic service provider or defined its rights and obligations.
- Iceland has not set up an airspace management ‘cell’ responsible for the day-to-day management of airspace.
- Iceland has failed to ensure that the relevant authorities have the necessary capabilities to ensure safety monitoring of all organisations operating under their supervision.
“The Authority may bring the matter before the EFTA Court if Iceland fails to take the measures necessary to comply with the reasoned opinion within two months,” warns the Surveillance Authority.
See the full EFTA press release here.
