As anticipated, it was during the summer that the highest volume of traffic was recorded in MUAC’s airspace. From the beginning of June to the end of September 2024, MUAC handled 669,774 flights; representing an increase of 3% compared to the same period the previous year. The factors contributing to this increase include the typical seasonal uptick in flights for the summer period as well as additional flight schedules related to major sporting events in Germany and France.
July was the busiest month for MUAC with 172,195 flights. The busiest day of the year was also in July with 5,649 flights on 11 July, coinciding with the beginning of the summer holiday period. This figure is just short of the all-time daily flight record that was set in 2018.
In terms of delay, MUAC reported an average delay of 0.20 minutes per flight across the full year with weather as the primary cause. This was lower than the prediction of 0.23 minutes per flight and in line with the previous year. This was achieved due to pre-tactical and tactical management as well as advanced Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) techniques using MUAC’s iFMP.
Reflective of its unique area of responsibility, which includes managing the upper airspace of Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and north-west Germany, the top five destinations for flights through MUAC’s airspace in 2024 were Amsterdam, Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris and Stansted respectively.
Commenting on MUAC’s performance in 2024, Peggy Devestel, Director of the EUROCONTROL Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC), said:
“MUAC’s strong performance in 2024 reflects our commitment to providing our airspace users, whether civil or military, with safe, efficient and reliable services and it is the result of the hard work and dedication of the highly skilled team at MUAC. In 2025, we expect to exceed pre-pandemic levels of traffic for the first time. Our meticulous planning efforts for the year ahead mean we are well prepared for the challenges that this increase in traffic will bring. I look forward to the year ahead and to supporting our airspace users and partners as traffic levels grow.”
In 2024, MUAC continued to invest in initiatives to enhance efficiency in its airspace, while also supporting environmental efforts. Initiatives included the implementation of Continuous Descent Operations (CDO) into Frankfurt together with Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS), which allows aircraft to follow an optimum vertical flight path (for arrivals from the North-West); in addition to the use of ATS B2 technology allowing not only vertical but also lateral trajectory optimisations to be implemented.
In addition, two operational contrail prevention trials were initiated; one of which, in conjunction with Google, harnesses the potential of satellite imagery and AI to predict regions where contrails may develop. MUAC’s ATM Portal also marked a milestone by achieving 10,000 ECO rerouting proposals; offering airlines new routings with an estimated reduced
Tags: Peggy Devestel, EUROCONTROL
environmental impact.
