The recently signed agreement between IATA (the International Air Transport Association) and ENAV (the Italian Air Navigation Service Provider) lays down a common strategy meant to develop and implement the Italian national airspace. The subject agreement is aimed to support the economic growth and competitiveness of the Italian aviation sector.
The new strategy is based on the achievements of recent air traffic management (ATM) instruments put in place by ENAV to implement the Single European Sky project launched by the EU Commission. The main target of this project is to support modernization and improvement of the EU aviation industry in terms of safety, environment, operations and cost efficiency. The strategy aims to shift towards a sustainable development of the airspace, in cooperation with all the stakeholders involved in the sector, to reduce fuel consumption and co2 emissions.
According to a trustworthy anticipation, Italy will reach an air traffic of 173 million passengers by 2036. In order to face this demand, while, at the same time, ensuring safety, emission reductions and more efficiency, Italy needs an urgent modernization of the national airspace and an adjustment of the air traffic management network. At present, the air transport contributes Euro 42,4 billion to the Italian GDP and employs almost 600.000 people. The enhancement of the air space is expected to generate significant benefits, assessable in extra Euro 27 billion in annual GDP and over 95.000 job positions.
The words of the CEO of ENAV clearly reflect the venture outlined above: "I welcome this initiative, which is fully in line with ENAV's focus on customers and partners. We are developing an airspace strategy with the full involvement of stakeholders to further support the ongoing modernization of our technology and operations. The implementation of the free route project – in December 2016 – is one of the pillars of ENAV's ambitious targets and mission: safety and punctuality for the millions of passengers who fly in the Italian airspace. Our commitment is to contribute to the growth of the national and European air transport through efficiency and innovation".
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