Brussels, 5 November 2026 – A high-level delegation from the European Air Transport Command (EATC), led by Major-General Franck Mollard, Commander EATC, visited EUROCONTROL Headquarters in Brussels for a working meeting with Majo-General Karsten Stoye, Director of the Civil-Military Cooperation Division, and his team.
The visit underscored the shared commitment of both organisations to enhancing civil-military cooperation in air traffic management (ATM) across Europe. The meeting agenda covered a wide range of strategic and operational topics, reflecting the growing interdependence between civil and military actors in European airspace, especially during this period when international relations are tense.
Deepening Understanding of EUROCONTROL’s Role
General Stoye opened the discussions with a comprehensive overview of EUROCONTROL’s organisational structure, mission portfolio, and operational responsibilities, with particular emphasis on the Network Manager’s pivotal role in ensuring the safe and efficient management of Europe’s air traffic flow and capacity. He outlined how EUROCONTROL has adapted to a rapidly evolving security environment since the onset of the Russo-Ukrainian war, highlighting the need for closer coordination between civilian and military stakeholders.
The EATC delegation received detailed insights into the Improved Operational Air Traffic (iOAT) concept and its benefits, such as greater harmonisation, centralisation and automation of airspace management. Discussions also explored ATM resilience, addressing challenges related to spamming and spoofing, alternative navigation solutions to GPS, and the potential of dual-use products for command, navigation and surveillance.
The visit included a guided tour of the Network Management Operational Centre (NMOC), offering the delegation a first-hand view of EUROCONTROL’s central role in Europe’s air traffic coordination. General Stoye extended an invitation to EATC to participate in the 2026 European Aviation Crisis Coordination Cell (EACCC) tabletop exercise, aimed at improving Europe’s crisis response mechanisms.
Expanding Cooperation Between EATC and EUROCONTROL
Both delegations reaffirmed their intention to strengthen cooperation under two main pillars: peacetime and crisis/war scenarios.
In peacetime, discussions focused on optimising the flexible use of European airspace and particularly in the Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) area to better accommodate military flight requirements, including AAR, aeromedical evacuations, dangerous goods transport and avoiding diplomatic clearances last minute issues. The use of EUROCONTROL-developed software tools such as LARA, CIMACT, Sherlock's GRID and SWIM was explored for possible use by EATC’s staff and connectivity with EATC’s IT tools, with a follow-up meeting of subject matter experts planned to assess technical feasibility and interoperability.
Both organisations discussed the value of iOAT as an operational framework, improving efficiency compared to traditional General Air Traffic (GAT) procedures. In this spirit of cooperation, EATC invited EUROCONTROL to participate in the upcoming Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR) Day in April 2026 — an event aimed at deepening mutual understanding and strengthening coordination between AAR crews and MUAC air traffic controllers.
The delegations also discussed training opportunities as a field of mutual interest. EUROCONTROL’s training centre in Luxembourg, which provides dedicated courses and resources for planners, dispatchers and taskers, was presented as a potential area for collaboration with EATC’s own training initiatives and professional development programmes.
In crisis or wartime contexts, both organisations acknowledged the growing importance of civil-military coordination with NATO AIRCOM, particularly in the pre-Article 5 phase. They discussed the need for a conceptual framework for “pre-war times” and agreed to explore EATC’s contribution to future EACCC exercises, in line with the outcomes of EATC Study 58 on pre-Article 5 and Article 5 operations.
The Way Ahead
The meeting concluded with a shared ambition to formalise the cooperation between EUROCONTROL and EATC through a Letter of Intent, establishing a structured framework for collaboration in air traffic management, training, and crisis response.
Both General Mollard and General Stoye underlined the mutual benefits of sustained civil-military dialogue and the importance of building resilient, interoperable, and future-proof air mobility solutions for Europe.