European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation

The General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE (GCAA), represented by Mr Omar bin Ghaleb, Deputy Director General and EUROCONTROL, represented by Frank Brenner, Director General, have signed today an Agreement enhancing cooperation between the two organisations in the key area of exchange of flight data.

The Cooperation Agreement covers exchange of flight data, updated flight plan information, and airport departure planning information. It will help to address the current lack of predictability of traffic between the Middle East and Europe which adversely affects capacity.

“With traffic between Europe and the Middle East predicted to grow at 3.6% a year over the next decade at least, it is clear that in order to deliver efficient air traffic services, we need to improve cooperation and exchange of information between the two regions,” said Frank Brenner, Director General of EUROCONTROL. “This agreement not only will contribute to the ICAO Global Air Traffic Flow Management Concept as part of the Global Air Navigation Plan, but will also help to establish closer links between the Air Traffic Flow and Capacity Units in Europe and the Gulf.”