The comment comes a couple of days after the European Commission endorsed a third set of measures to reform Europe's air traffic control in a bid to triple its airspace capacity, improve safety ten-fold, slash pollution by 10% and halve air traffic management costs. The measures still need the final nod of approval, which is expected by the end of this year.

The ministry said the first set of measures related to air traffic control was adopted in 2004, focussing mostly on the capacity of Europe's air space. A second set of measures followed in 2009 to improve air space navigation services, and introduce functional airspace blocs (FAB) by the end of 2012.

A functional airspace block brings together several air navigation services providers from different countries regardless of state boundaries to enhance their cooperation and improve their performance.

Based on an agreement from 2011, Slovenia's air navigation services provider, Slovenia Control (KZPS), takes part in the functional airspace bloc of Central Europe, which consists also of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The KZPS favours the creation of a single European airspace. "We support the European Commission's efforts in this process, but we are also aware that the basic goals of its creation were agreed on at a time of fast-growing air traffic," Slovenia Control told the STA yesterday.