SMATSA LLC wins the European Commission award

SEAFRA concept recognized throughout Europe

SMATSA LLC wins the European Commission award

07.03.2017

SMATSA LLC and CEO Radojica Rovčanin won the European Commission award in Madrid for having successfully implemented SEAFRA (South-East Axis Free Route Airspace) Project

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

Serbia and Montenegro Air Traffic Services SMATSA LLC and CEO Radojica Rovčanin are the winners of the European Commission award for having successfully implemented SEAFRA (South-East Axis Free Route Airspace) Project. The Project introduces a 24-hour free planning and implementation of commercial passenger flights, regardless of, both the division of airspace between states, and the limitations of their responsibilities under the South-East axis above flight level 325 (10, 000 meters).

The award has been handed out to SMATSA LLC at today’s World Air Traffic Management Congress in Madrid.

The concept, being introduced for the first time in Europe, over the territories of four states (Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia), has proven that this kind of cooperation is possible and can be beneficial to all stakeholders. The idea to launch such a large scale concept of free flight planning came from the experts responsible for providing services in different states, with the common aim of improving the safety and efficiency of air traffic services, on the one hand, and protecting the environment by reducing the harmful CO2 and NOx gas emissions, on the other. The Project was jointly implemented by SMATSA LLC, CRO Control and BHANSA.

The importance of the Project has been recognised by the Austrian and Slovenian Air Navigation Service Providers, so the Memorandum on the extension of the Project to include these EUROCONTROL Member States shall be signed on Wednesday, March 8th 2017, in Madrid at the World Air Traffic Management Congress.

“This is an important step for Serbia and Montenegro, which have, as air traffic service providers, been members of the European Union for a long time now. I would like to use this opportunity to thank the European Commission which appreciated the efforts of our experts and management that aim at increasing the air traffic safety and efficiency. I am glad that the other states have recognised the significance of our Project and would like to become part of our team,” said Rovčanin when receiving the award at the ceremony in Madrid.

The activities related to SEAFRA have been initiated in accordance with Regulation 716/2014 five years before the scheduled date for the unlimited, free use of the airspace above 9,000 meters throughout Europe (01/01/2022).

This Project is one of the major achievements within the EU initiative on the establishment of the Single European Sky, regardless of the state or airspace borders, which aims at enhancing the safety, efficiency and capacity of the air traffic in Europe.
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