NATO Allies enhance cooperation in the air

  • 05 Jun. 2025 -
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  • Last updated: 05 Jun. 2025 17:36

On Thursday (5 June 2025), NATO Allies further strengthened their ability to train aircrews and use cross-border airspace for exercises.

Stefanie Beck (Deputy Minister of Defence, Canada), Ivan Anušić (Minister of Defence, Croatia), Daniel Blažkovec (Deputy Minister of Defence, Czechia), Troels Lund Poulsen (Minister of Defence, Denmark), Yuriko Backes (Minister of Defence, Luxembourg), Dragan Krapović (Minister of Defence, Montenegro), NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska, Tore O. Sandvik (Minister of Defence, Norway), Paweł Ksawery Zalewski (Secretary of State, Poland), Borut Sajovic (Minister of Defence, Slovenia) and John Healey (Minister of Defence, United Kingdom)

At a signing ceremony held on the margins of NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting, a number of Allies joined two established initiatives. 

Canada, Denmark, Norway and Poland joined the NATO Flight Training Europe (NFTE) High-Visibility multinational initiative, which aims to ensure the delivery of state-of-the-art pilot training across Europe in a cost-efficient and interoperable manner.

Since its launch in 2020, eight military campuses have been fully accredited for NFTE training and six are undergoing certification. NFTE training includes basic, intermediate and advanced training for fighter jet, helicopter and transport pilots, as well as personnel who remotely pilot uncrewed aircraft. On 5 March the first group of students graduated in Remotely Piloted Aircraft System training at the NFTE campus in Waddington, United Kingdom.

Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands and Slovenia agreed to join the 21 other Allies that participate in the Cross-Border Airspace Cooperation initiative.  

Launched in 2023, this initiative aims to develop larger airspace solutions, including cross-border, that are better suited to accommodate training events for modern air capabilities and systems.