Flight Trajectory Selection Impact on the Flight Cost

Airlines that exploit controlled airspace of EUROCONTROL Member States pay for the air traffic services they use. They are charged per flight, irrespective of the overflown States number. EUROCONTROL's Central Route Charges Office (CRCO) is responsible for collecting charges from the airspace users on behalf of the Member States. The CRCO calculates route charges based on the Member States imposed rates, taking into account provided services, collects them from the airspace users and distributes income to the States concerned. En-route charges are regulated at the EU level; however, each Member State has different overflight rates. Hence, a flight between two European cities can be less, or more expensive to the airline, depending on the chosen trajectory. The goal of this article is to perform an analysis of the flight trajectory impact on the total flight cost, from the airlines' perspective.