Legal basis
DFS is a company organised under private law (GmbH) and wholly owned by the Federal Republic of Germany. Our task is to control air traffic in Germany in a safe, orderly and expeditious manner. This is what the German Aviation Act (LuftVG) demands. Article 27c(1) lists the tasks of air navigation services and is the legal basis for our work.
However, the legal framework within which DFS operates is much more comprehensive. Among other things, there are the rules defined by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). We comply with them when planning approach and departure routes, for example. In addition, there are various European regulations that aim to introduce a Single European Sky (SES). They have considerable influence on the work of air navigation service providers.
One result of European legislation has been the establishment of the German Federal Supervisory Authority for Air Navigation Services (BAF), which has certified DFS as an air navigation service provider and monitors our work. Another impact is that DFS has had to meet defined performance targets since 2021. Since then, target values have been agreed in terms of safety, punctuality, route efficiency and costs which guide us in our work.
German Aviation Act (LuftVG) (in German)
EU regulation