Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovak Republic and Slovenia signed on May 5 2011 an agreement to create the "Functional Airspace Block – Central Europe" (FAB CE) an important step towards achieving the Single European Sky, the European Commission said.

"Slowly the political objectives of the Single European Sky legislation adopted in 2004 is coming into reality with member states taking the necessary steps to ensure the creation of functional airspace blocks, or FABs," the Commission said.

The May 5 agreement marks the realisation of the fourth FAB in Europe. The other EU member states are expected to sign similar agreements in the coming year.

European Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, responsible for transport, said: "The FAB CE agreement is an important achievement bringing together five EU member states and two neighbouring states into a structured cooperation to better manage the airspace and optimise the provision of air navigation services to deliver the performance requested by airspace users.

"In view of the location of the FAB on the South-East axis and the forecasted growth in traffic in this area, its success will depend on the efficient implementation of the co-operation structures and optimisation of the air navigation service provision."

The creation of functional airspace blocks is one of the cornerstones of the Single European Sky, the Commission said.

"They are an important driver to deliver increased performance and will change the landscape of air traffic management (ATM) services."

For air navigation service providers, the creation of the functional airspace blocks opens co-operation opportunities, which will facilitate a response to the new binding performance targets established under the Single European Sky legislation, the Commission said.

FAB CE will involve a high density airspace with main traffic flows East-West, often crossing multiple Air Navigation Service Providers towards the northern part of the airspace. Traffic increases to the western and southern parts of the FAB.

The FAB CE agreement creates the framework, general conditions and governance under which the contracting states intend to ensure air traffic management and the provision of air navigation services in the context of the Single European Sky legislation.

FAB CE will be governed by a Council (the decision-making body) representing the interests of both civil and military aviation.