The Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (Canso) published four steps on January 19 to reduce congestion and improve efficiency in Middle East airspace. "To meet the rapid growth in air traffic, the Middle East region needs safe, efficient and cost-effective air navigation services,” said director general Jeff Poole. He added that the region's airspace is already saturated, yet fragmented, creating safety, efficiency and capacity challenges, with large portions of the airspace off limits to civilian use.

Canso’s steps include creating and managing effective partnerships with all parties involved to create seamless airspace that transcends national boundaries and organizes air traffic management (ATM) services in line with the needs of users. Canso believes separating the regulatory side of ATM from the service side will also eliminate conflicts of interest and enable air navigation service providers (ANSPs) to focus on delivering efficient, cost-effective services. Because the military owns half of the region’s airspace, there’s also a need for better coordination between the civilian ANSPs and the military to create the shortest, fuel-saving routes possible. Finally, Canso said the effective use of new technologies has the potential to free the Middle East from its current fragmentation and ATM constraints by harmonizing systems, processes and traffic flows without reference to national borders or land-based equipment.