Introduction

Civil aviation has stepped into the new millennium under the sign of a marked decline in interest in air transport, and a decrease of air traffic in the airspace of most European, as well as overseas, states. This situation has significantly influenced not only the airline companies, many of which have been forced out of business, but also companies providing air navigation services, which are economically dependent on the development of air traffic.

The State Company Air Navigation Services of the Czech Republic has succeeded, notwithstanding this unfavourable global trend, in proving its position of a strong and steadfast company, which is capable of fulfilling its fundamental mission - to secure a safe environment for air traffic, and at the same time is capable of reacting flexibly to the dynamics of civil aviation development, under the ever changing conditions of air transport.

The strategic location the Czech Republic , the flexible capacity of the national system, the quality and safety of provided air navigation services at consistently low charges; these seem to be the decisive factors that make the Czech airspace attractive for airline companies. Due to the global economic recession already noticable in the last months of 2008 especially in Europe, air transport performance dropped considerably. Also in the Czech Republic the recorded annual decrease in air traffic for 2009 was 4.3 %.

A high level of professionalism of all ANS CR employees, supported by sophisticated technologies, has made it possible to accommodate the increasing demand for Czech airspace with a minimum of delays. In 2009, the average delay per an accomplished flight was 0.31 minutes. Flexible securing of the capacity and throughput of the airspace of the CR, together with the continuous upgrade of navaids, is a constant priority of the Company.

The prognosis of requirement for airspace of the Czech Republic , and the demand for a high level of safety and quality of the provided services, were reasons for making the decision to lunch a national Integrated Air Traffic Control Centre project - IATCC Prague. This project includes a change in the organisation of providing air navigation services and technologies of work, including the modernizing and upgrade of the used systems, and implementing elements of civil-military integration. The operation from the new center started on 17 February 2007, in compliance with the time and financial schedule of IATCC Prague Project. 

• CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organization) based in Amsterdam , since 1998. The chief mission of CANSO is to create a worldwide platform for mutual exchange of information and the support of customer orientation in providing air navigation services. ANS CR is represented in ten work groups, which are aimed at a large scope of activities, mostly concerning collection and exchange of information in the field of air traffic control, such as safety, CNS/ATM, the environment, human resources, law, finance, etc.
• ATCA (Air Traffic Control Association, Inc.) based in Arlington (USA) since 1995. The objective of this Association is to support further development of civil aviation, especially in the sphere of providing air navigation services.

Representation of CR:      

• in the European Agency for the Safety of Air Navigation EUROCONTROL based in Brussels . The CR is a member of the Agency since 1996. EUROCONTROL is an international government organisation associating 31 states, the chief objective of which is the development of an ATM system on a pan-European scale, with the orientation at coping with the increasing air traffic while maintaining a maximum level of safety.
• in the International Civil Aviation Organisation ICAO, a member of which the CR has been since 1944. ICAO, which has an important status in the UNO structure, is the most representative government organisation in the field of civil aviation.
• in the CEATS (Central European Air Traffic Services) project since 1997. The Objective of the project is to set up a control centre to provide services in the upper airspace of the member states - Austria , Czech Republic , Slovakia , Slovenia , Croatia , Hungary , Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy (Fir Padova).

European integration

ANS CR is closely following and analysing activities of the European Commission, concerning the development of air traffic services on the European Continent, in connection with the accession of the Czech Republic into the European Union in 2004. The Council of the European Union approved a set of legislative guidelines, which form the basic legal framework of the “Single European Sky” project in December 2002. The objective of this ambitious project is to make the providing of air traffic services as effective as possible, to harmonize the upper air space of member states, to strengthen the civil-military cooperation and to unify the ATM technologies of individual ANS providers. Implementation of the Single European Sky project will substantially influence the current position of both the ANS providers and the civil service in the sphere of civil air traffic. To be prepared for the changes, and to be able to meet the demands of the required flexibility, resulting from European integration, are therefore ANS CR priorities for the nearest future.

• „Service Provision Award“ was awarded to ANS CR ŘLP ČR, at the international exhibit ATC 2002 in Maastricht for completion of its plan of modernisation, and for having achieved the highest productivity in providing air navigation services in Europe in 2001.
• A special IATA honourable mention was given to ANS CR in 2002, 2004 and 2005, for its exceptional contribution to the development of civil aviation, especially for the high quality of provided services, while maintaining a long-term stable level of en-route charges.
• ANS CR is a holder of an ISO 9001:2000 quality certificate in the main areas of services, which it provides.
• In 2004 and 2005 ANS CR was rated A+/czAaa within a regular rating analysis of company´s performance and its financial stability by CRA RATING Agency, which is an affiliate partner of the international rating agency MOODY´S INVESTORS SERVICE. This rating is the highest obtainable by a commercial entity in the Czech Republic.
• In 2005 ANS CR was awarded a prize Construction of 2005 for IATCC Prague.
• Another award received in 2005 was The Best Investment of 2005.
• „Service Provision Award“ was awarded to ANS CR ŘLP ČR, at the international exhibit ATC 2008 in Amsterdam for IATCC Prague.

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