NEWSLETTER-2017

378 NEWSLETTER 2017 In light of the foregoing explanations, the Single European Sky, which is the subject of this newsletter, is much more easily understood. With an annual capacity of 800 million passengers, the European Sky has major economic potential. The European Union (“EU”) has been working to realize the dream of a Single European Sky in order to take advantage of that potential. The European aviation industry is a massive industry that encap- sulates more than 400 airports, 60 air traffic control providers and 150 airlines, and, in addition, it provides employment opportunities for millions of people. The European Union would like to take advantage of this air traffic that has major potential in terms of passenger ca- pacity in a more streamlined and efficient manner. With that purpose, in 2009, the EU took over the management and responsibilities that had been previously held by member states. Since then, the EU has worked toward its goal of establishing a Single European Sky through a number of projects, aiming to reform air traffic management across the European continent. These have included the planning of flights, not in terms of airports, but the routes taken by airplanes, and also air traffic operations, being carried out within the scope of plans that take into account the best in safety, economic viability, and environmental sensitivity. In brief, this project, other than uniting the European sky, aims to reduce the delays in flights, increase safety measures, reduce the damage caused by airplanes to the lowest level, and reduce costs with respect to aviation services. The constitution of a single European sky began, in a very lim- ited manner, after the 1990s. There are two substantial reasons behind laying of the foundation of this project so late. Firstly, the unwilling- ness of the state members to delegate their authority and, secondly, confronting and differentiating benefits. The first pan-Europe com- prehensive regulations concerning the aviation industry came into being with three directives published in 1992, with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty. However, those regulations did not address the in- creasing number of problems arising in the aviation industry. Upon the Maastricht Treaty entering into force, new decisions could not be made in the EU regarding the aviation industry. Subsequently, one of the most important developments was a communiqué published on December 1st, 1999, by the EU Commission that addressed the Eu-