Eurocontrol appoint new Director for regional hub

EYE IN THE SKY: Eurocontrol play a significant role in the Single European Sky initiative

On Monday October 2, Frank Brenner, the Director General of Eurocontrol, announced the appointment of John Santurbano as the new Director of the Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC). The centre provides an air traffic control services for the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and northern Germany. 

Its bio on the Eurocontrol website says it “ensures that aircraft flying in the upper airspace (above 24,500 feet or 7.5 km) over the Benelux and north-west Germany can do so safely and efficiently.”

Mr Santurbano took up the role on October 1 2017. He succeeds Ian Middleton, the current Head of Operations at MUAC and Acting Director since the departure of Jac Jansen, who headed MUAC between April 1 2012 and March 31 2017.

Today, more than one out of six aircraft over Europe go through MUAC’s airspace, a total of 1.77 million flights a year across 260,000 km² of airspace.

“John Santurbano is a highly experienced senior manager with hands-on experience managing an ANSP (air navigation service provider),” said Mr Brenner. “His strong grounding in operational matters and established strong links with international and national stakeholders in European ATM will make him a valuable member of the senior management team of the Agency, as the team drives forward Eurocontrol’s objective of improving the performance of the European ATM Network.”