Air navigation service providers (ANSPs) often exclude cooperation agreements with neighbouring countries to take responsibility for part of their workload in the event of a contingency. This can be flexible and inexpensive. In addition to the operational allocation of expenses, it is also possible to develop technical agreements. Several European states operate the same basic technical systems designed to meet their specific operational needs. This may be particularly appropriate for Functional Airspace Block (FAB) agreements (and, subsequently, under Operation SESAR (Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research). This approach extends international agreements beyond immediate operational requirements to ensure broader systemic support. Several ANSPs have begun to develop agreements for the joint acquisition of common infrastructure; these agreements are a model for the exchange of technical assistance in the context of an eventuality. For example, it may be possible to send system engineers from one ANSP to help those in a “failing” unit in another country. Agreements offer opportunities for mutual assistance in the context of an eventuality.

They allow you to plan well before an incident. Tests and exercises are used to determine whether states can implement the common approaches described in the letters of correspondence. For more details on related legal issues, see Legal Aspects of the Unforeseen. At the time, the European Parliament expressed concern about the lack of clear intergovernmental agreements to ensure common air traffic control services across the continent. In 1979, Eurocontrol signed a cooperation agreement with the European Commission, which attempts to create a synergy between Eurocontrol`s technical expertise and EU regulators. Several initiatives during this period became a permanent part of the organisation, such as Eurocontrol`s forecasting service, now STATFOR, as well as the aeronautical information service.