EUROCONTROL MUAC completes major airspace restructure to improve efficiency and civil-military cooperation

The image – created for illustrative purposes - shows the airspace restructure above the Netherlands and north-west Germany, highlighting the dual-route structure along re-shaped military training areas (shaded in red). Credit: EUROCONTROL

The EUROCONTROL Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) has successfully implemented a major airspace restructure above the Netherlands and north-west Germany. This redesign, the result of several years of collaboration, aims to improve operational efficiency and optimise airspace usage for both civil and military users in one of Europe’s busiest regions.

Details on EUROCONTROL’s airspace restructure

The restructure addresses future air traffic demand and the evolving needs of both military and civil aviation. A key feature is a new dual-route structure along reshaped military training areas, which separates opposite traffic flows, allowing for more efficient continuous climb and descent profiles, even during training. This contributes to reduced fuel burn.

Peggy Devestel, Director of MUAC, expressed pride in the project’s success: “As Europe’s only cross-border civil-military air navigation service provider (ANSP), the new design caters to the future needs of all users, including military training areas and growing civil flight schedules.”

The initiative was led by MUAC, alongside Air Traffic Control the Netherlands (LVNL), DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung, the German Air Force, the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and other partners. Maartje van der Helm, General Manager at LVNL, highlighted the collaboration’s success in modernising military airspace and improving civil route efficiency, reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

Dirk Mahns, COO at DFS, emphasised the cross-border cooperation: “This redesign contributes to a seamless sky, benefiting both airspace users and the European network.”

The project also maximises the Flexible Use of Airspace (FUA) concept, allowing smaller segments to be activated based on daily needs. This boosts flight efficiency and civil-military cooperation.

Colonel Mario Herzer of the German Air Force noted that the new structure enhances military training, particularly for new F35 aircraft, and fosters closer collaboration between the German and Dutch Air Forces. This marks a significant milestone in civil-military cooperation.

This restructure is part of DFS’s broader efforts to optimise traffic flows in northern Germany, including the ZEBRA project, which prepares for the introduction of the trajectory-based air traffic control system iCAS in 2028.

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