The AEFMP initiative to harmonise air navigation services moves forward with the incorporation of Tunisia

Algeria, France, Morocco, Portugal and Spain renew their commitment to continue working together, now with TunisiaThe AEFMP MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) that covers service providers from Algeria, France, Morocco and Portugal has incorporated Tunisia to harmonise air navigation services.

The document was signed in the ENAIRE stand (the company of the Ministry of Public Works that manages air navigation in Spain) during the World Air Traffic Management Congress, held in Madrid from 6 to 8 March, representing one step further towards harmonising air navigation service provisions with European and African countries.

Service providers from Algeria, France, Morocco, Portugal, Tunisia and Spain, and the Civil Aviation authorities in these countries, have renewed their commitment to continue working together to facilitate the optimum use of their air space, maintaining the highest levels of quality and security, in line with the latest requirements and initiatives in place, such as the Single European Sky project.

The AEFMP initiative is a vital complement for reaching the objectives established in the Single European Sky initiative, given that the South West Functional Airspace Block (SW FAB), formed of Spain and Portugal, is supported by the AEFMP, from a technical and operational perspective, for the purposes of promoting the extension of the SES to collateral airspaces that are not directly included in the SES, Morocco and Algeria, directly related to the ENAIRE's '2020 Flight Plan'.

About the AEFMP

the AEFMP initiative is rooted in the EFP Plan created by Spain, France and Portugal in 1990, with a view to optimise, harmonise and integrate their air navigation systems, following the principles established in the EUROCONTROL EATCHIP Programme.

In 1996, it was decided that the initiative would be extended to Algeria and Morocco to optimise the main transit flows in the area through coordinating and improving the interoperability of the ATS systems with both states, and the AEFMP Plan was established.

Later, in October 2002, after a period of co-existence, both plans combined into the AEFMP Joint Plan.

In January 2016, the members agreed to move forward and strengthen the cooperation, by signing the AEFMP MoU, with a view to face the future developments of air traffic management derived from the SES.

Finally, in 2018, after the 15th Anniversary of the AEFMP initiative, under the chairmanship of ENAIRE, this initiative was extended to Tunisia.

About ENAIRE

The public corporate entity ENAIRE is a company designated by the Ministry of Public Works to manage the fourth largest airspace in Europe in terms of traffic through 5 control centres, 22 control towers and a network of air traffic infrastructure and equipment. In 2017, ENAIRE managed over 2 million flights and 250 million people.