Tuesday, January 21, 2025 In 2024, the EUROCONTROL Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) managed approximately 1.79 million flights, marking a 5% increase from the previous year. This growth aligns with EUROCONTROL’s forecast, which anticipated a 5.
1% rise in European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) area flights for 2024. The summer months experienced the highest traffic volumes, with an average of 34,379 flights per day in July, reflecting a 4.5% increase compared to July 2023.
This surge was influenced by seasonal demand and major events in Europe. Despite the increased traffic, MUAC maintained operational efficiency, reporting an average Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) delay of 6.5 minutes per flight in July 2024.
In line with environmental commitments, MUAC advanced several initiatives to enhance sustainability. The introduction of the ECO Service in 2023 allowed airlines to access modified routes aimed at reducing flight emissions. By September 2023, over 100 airlines were participating in this service, contributing to more environmentally responsible flight operations.
Additionally, MUAC collaborated with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) on contrail prevention trials, utilizing advanced algorithms to identify routes that minimize contrail formation, thereby reducing aviation’s non-CO2 climate impact. Looking ahead, EUROCONTROL projects continued traffic growth, with an expected 3.7% increase in flights for 2025, reaching approximately 11.
1 million flights.
