At a briefing for MEPs given by EASA (the European Air safety Agency) we are told that they “can reduce aircraft emissions by 12% at a stroke”. Challenged to explain how, the answer is to create a single European air space”.

At present, aircraft weave their way across Europe and are subject to instructions from each country’s air traffic controllers. The result is a zig-zag flight-path across European skies. If there were a single set of traffic controllers - as there is for the USA - aircraft could come in to land on a straight line and thus save lots of fuel. Why doesn’t this happen? Because each national government in Europe wants to keep control in its own little hands, rather than seeing the bigger beneficial picture.