EU regulation requires separation between regulator and service providers within aviation. This implies at least a functional separation. Within EU and the rest of the world, separation has been implemented in many different ways.

First, you need carefully to consider exactly what you want to achieve from either functional or institutional separation between regulator and service provider, taking into account the specifics of your State.

Secondly, you need to consider the institutional arrangement of the service provider – being an air navigation service provider or a main airport. Once again, you have to take into account the specifics of your State. The outcome of this range from a public owned entity to a full privatization, with a numbers of hybrid solutions in between.

Keld Ludvigsen has firsthand experience in these areas from:

• Regulatory work within the EU on the requirements to separation of regulator and service provider, as well as the institutional framework for service providers. On the institutional framework of the air navigation service providers and airports, he has been involved in the drafting of various ICAO guidance material and manuals;
• The actual separation of the regulator and air navigation service provider, where he was one of the high level executives driving the separation in Denmark in 2001 and as well in the transforming in 2010 of the national air navigation service provider of Denmark (Naviair) into a separate State Enterprise. He has as well been involved in the transforming of regional airports from state owned to regional owned airports;
• Working with the institutional setup in a Flight Information Region (Sondrestrom FIR) with multiple air navigation service providers providing area control.