Polish experience in operational air traffic management in the context of European airspace integration

The continued air traffic growth in Polish airspace requires continuous improvement of the efficiency of the air traffic management (ATM) system in order to meet the needs of all its users and to guarantee the highest level of safety of air operations. Activities in this respect undertaken by the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) in cooperation with military aviation authorities are in line with the objectives of the EU Single European Sky (SES) initiative. In addition to the provision of air navigation services (ANS) for civil aviation (commercial air transport and general aviation), PANSA also provides navigation services for the crews of military aircraft and other state aircraft flying in operational air traffic (OAT). The article describes in general terms flights in operational air traffic, presents the evolution of European regulations concerning this category of air traffic and discusses in detail selected procedures for planning and protecting military aviation flights in Polish airspace.