- Discussions around establishing a potential UK-Ireland FAB started in 2004 with the launch of the SES legislative package. The FAB was the first to be established and operationally active, in 2008.
- Throughout the process of establishing the FAB there was liaison with staff groups, airlines and the military – all of which played a key part in ensuring the IAA and NATS were able to complete the historic agreement.
- The UK-Ireland FAB was formally established in July 2008 through the signing of three simultaneous agreements between the Irish and UK Governments, the Irish and UK NSAs and the Irish Aviation Authority and NATS.
- The UK-Ireland FAB does not include any change to sovereign airspace arrangements, nor does it alter any of the existing Safety, Regulatory or Executive accountabilities in either country.
- Approximately 80% of North Atlantic traffic passes through Irish or UK airspace and the joint approach enables enhanced safety and improved efficiency of the management of the airspace to the benefit of the airline industry and passengers.
- The UK-Ireland FAB is Europe’s North Atlantic gateway and is strategically important to integrating airspace across Europe. No other FAB or European ANSP has a similar role on this scale.
- In its first four years of operation, the FAB delivered more than double the €12m customer savings that it targeted when it was established. By 2012 the FAB had enabled €24.5m in savings, including €17.8 in fuel savings.
- Total cumulative customer savings enabled by the FAB, projected out to 2020, amount to €336.5m, including 332,000 tonnes of fuel (1.06m tonnes of CO2 emissions).
- The primary objective of the UK-Ireland FAB is to reduce costs to airspace users and increase the efficiency of FAB airspace. Through this objective we will meet the EC performance targets regarding safety, cost efficiency, capacity/delay and the environment.
- The FAB is a genuine partnership with civil and military airspace users, who contribute to the decision making process. This facilitates enhanced coordination on airspace design (e.g. UK Future Airspace Strategy), cross-FIR airspace management, FUA and sharing of expertise and resources. This is accelerating the delivery of benefits to airspace users.
- Cross-border regulatory coordination is crucially important. The Irish and UK NSAs supervise the FAB on behalf of their respective States through the joint FAB Supervisory Committee
- The UK-Ireland FAB strongly supports inter-FAB connectivity and coordination and is working with other FABs, including NEAP and FABEC, to ensure a harmonised implementation of the SES initiative at a European level
- The implementation and maintenance of the highest safety standards is a fundamental parameter which guides the UK-Ireland FAB.
- The FAB has made great progress in delivering better operational efficiency. 11 projects were completed in 2012-13 and a further 13 projects are currently under way.
- The UK-Ireland FAB was the first to introduce integrated network management at FAB level, matching demand with capacity in the most efficient manner. This is supporting the aspiration of the EC to reduce the number of ANSP interfaces. For example, this eliminated regulations in the Isle of Man sector during 2012 (compared to 60 in 2011).
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