Airlines for Europe (A4E), Airports Council International Europe (ACI EUROPE) and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) issued a joint press release from Brussels on 24 February 2026 calling on EU finance ministers to maintain robust funding for SESAR – the research and deployment programme behind the Digital European Sky. The groups warn that traffic at European hubs, including Brussels Airport, is already back to 96 % of 2019 levels and will surpass pre-pandemic peaks by 2027.
![Aviation bodies in Brussels urge EU to keep funding the Digital European Sky]()
For business travellers anticipating these busier skies, managing travel documentation remains just as critical. VisaHQ’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers a fast way to verify visa requirements, secure electronic authorisations and monitor applications in real time, making sure executives and flight crews are cleared for take-off while Europe’s aviation infrastructure undergoes its digital transformation.
Without accelerated digital air-traffic-management (ATM) upgrades, the Continent risks a repeat of the capacity crunch that caused record delays in 2018. SESAR technologies such as virtual towers, trajectory-based operations and cross-border free-route airspace promise to boost network capacity by up to 20 % while cutting CO₂ emissions. Belgian business travellers would see shorter routings via the Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre, and cargo operators predict fuel savings of €120 per rotation on typical Brussels–Shanghai sectors. The timing matters: the European Commission’s draft 2028-2034 Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) proposes shifting more ATM investment to member states. Industry fears that uneven national budgets could slow deployment and create new bottlenecks over Belgium and neighbouring core airspace. The open letter – co-signed by 45 transport bodies – urges finance ministers at the General Affairs Council to ring-fence Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funds for SESAR. If the plea is heeded, corporate travel managers can plan with greater confidence that Belgian airspace will keep pace with rising demand and stricter sustainability targets.
For business travellers anticipating these busier skies, managing travel documentation remains just as critical. VisaHQ’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers a fast way to verify visa requirements, secure electronic authorisations and monitor applications in real time, making sure executives and flight crews are cleared for take-off while Europe’s aviation infrastructure undergoes its digital transformation.
Without accelerated digital air-traffic-management (ATM) upgrades, the Continent risks a repeat of the capacity crunch that caused record delays in 2018. SESAR technologies such as virtual towers, trajectory-based operations and cross-border free-route airspace promise to boost network capacity by up to 20 % while cutting CO₂ emissions. Belgian business travellers would see shorter routings via the Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre, and cargo operators predict fuel savings of €120 per rotation on typical Brussels–Shanghai sectors. The timing matters: the European Commission’s draft 2028-2034 Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) proposes shifting more ATM investment to member states. Industry fears that uneven national budgets could slow deployment and create new bottlenecks over Belgium and neighbouring core airspace. The open letter – co-signed by 45 transport bodies – urges finance ministers at the General Affairs Council to ring-fence Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funds for SESAR. If the plea is heeded, corporate travel managers can plan with greater confidence that Belgian airspace will keep pace with rising demand and stricter sustainability targets.
