EUROCONTROL launches #thinkNetwork 2026 guide, expanding for the first time to MET providers
EUROCONTROL has just published a new version of its hands-on #thinkNetwork guide for operational aviation staff. The guide includes updated information for dispatchers, pilots, air traffic controllers, flow management positions, airports, and, for the first time, MET providers (or MSP), all aimed at helping aviation actors optimise their operational decisions and think of the impact those decisions have on the network as a whole. Weather providers are a new but important addition to the guide, showcasing how interconnected the system has become across multiple stakeholders.
As traffic across the network is expected to grow by an average of +2% compared to summer 2025, peaking at +5.1% in some weeks, close collaboration between the EUROCONTROL Network Manager Operations Centre and operational partners across Europe will be key to ensuring efficient air traffic and minimising disruptions this summer. To help with that, the guide sets out six priorities that operational stakeholders are encouraged to follow across the network:
- Delivering agreed capacities
- Capacity and weather-based operations
- Realistic schedules, including turnaround times
- Prioritising first rotation
- Disciplined flight plan execution and P-DPI
- Technological modernisation, DATALINK
The timing, of course, is no coincidence. Summer is when the European network is put under the most pressure, with EUROCONTROL aiming for this guide to encourage stakeholders to think closely about the overall impact of individual actions on the network. The full guide can be downloaded here.
