Cost-efficiency - Denmark

PRB monitoring

The en route 2025 actual unit cost of Denmark was 75.69€2022, +7.4% higher than the determined unit cost (70.49€2022). The terminal 2025 actual unit cost was 170.86€2022, -2.4% lower than the determined unit cost (175.03€2022).
The en route 2025 actual service units (1.56M) were -5.0% lower than the determined service units (1.64M).
The en route 2025 actual total costs were +2.3M€2022 (+2.0%) higher than determined. This is mainly due to higher staff costs (+2.5M€2022, or +4.1%) for NAVIAIR, partially compensated by lower other operating costs than planned (-1.2M€2022, or -5.8%). The NSA explained that the increase in staff costs is due to the higher use of extra shifts due to the staffing situation.
NAVIAIR spent 19.3M€2022 in 2025 related to costs of investments for both en route and terminal charging zones, +3.6% more than determined (18.6M€2022). According to the NSA, this increase is due to the higher activity level than planned.
The en route actual unit cost incurred by users in 2025 was 75.67€ (+2.6% above the 2025 DUC), while the terminal actual unit cost incurred by users was 182.85€ (-1.0% below the 2025 DUC). The difference between the AUCU and the DUC for the en route charging zone is mainly driven by the traffic risk sharing adjustment, while for the terminal charging zone it is mainly driven by financial incentives.

En route charging zone

Unit cost (KPI#1)

Total costs - nominal (M€)	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029
Actual and determined data
Determined costs	121.4	123.6	125.8	127.5	127.4
Actual costs	123.6	NA	NA	NA	NA
Difference costs	2.3	NA	NA	NA	NA

Inflation assumptions	2025	2026	2027	2028	2029
Determined inflation rate	1.9%	2.1%	2.0%	2.0%	2.0%
Determined inflation index*	106.8	109	111.2	113.4	115.7
Actual inflation rate	1.8%	NA	NA	NA	NA
Actual inflation index*	106.6	NA	NA	NA	NA
Difference inflation index (p.p.)	-0.1	NA	NA	NA	NA
*100 = 2022

Focus on unit cost

AUC vs. DUC

In 2025, the en route AUC was +7.4% (or +38.69 DKK2022, +5.20 €2022) higher than the planned DUC. This results from the combination of significantly lower than planned TSUs (-5.0%) and higher than planned en route costs in real terms (+2.0%, or +17.1 MDKK2022, +2.3 M€2022).

En route service units

The difference between actual and planned TSUs (-5.0%) falls outside the ±2% dead-band, but does not exceed the ±10% threshold foreseen in the traffic risk sharing mechanism. The resulting loss of en route revenues is therefore shared between the ANSP and the airspace users (see the main ANSP regulatory result).

En route costs by entity

Actual real en route costs are +2.0% (+2.3 M€2022) higher than planned. This is the result of higher costs for the main ANSP, NAVIAIR (+1.8%, or +1.8 M€2022) and the NSA/EUROCONTROL (+4.8%, or +0.5 M€2022) and lower costs for the MET service provider (-0.2%).

En route costs for the main ANSP (NAVIAIR) at charging zone level

Based on the additional information to the en route reporting tables, the higher than planned en route costs in real terms for NAVIAIR in 2025 (+1.8%, or +1.8 M€2022) result from:

Higher than planned staff costs (+4.1%), mainly due to the increased use of extra shifts attributed to the “resource situation”.
Significantly lower than planned other operating costs (-5.8%), mainly due to lower or postponed expenditures in various cost items while the budget for training is considered on track.
Significantly higher than planned depreciation (+7.3%), mainly due to a high activity level compared to plan.
Significantly lower than planned cost of capital (-5.1%), mainly due to a lower bank loan interest rate than expected.
Slightly higher than planned deduction for VFR exempted flights (+0.1%).

Assessment of the actual performance in the charging zone reported by the NSA

The NSA of Denmark provides the following overall assessment of the actual performance in 2025 at charging zone level:

“Actual real en route costs are almost in line with determined costs (+2%). However real unit costs are 7,4% above DUC. This is due to actual service units being 5% below forecast.”

Explanation of the differences between actual and determined costs at charging zone level reported by the NSA

The NSA provides the following explanation for the differences between actual and determined costs in the charging zone:

“Actual costs are not significantly above determined costs.”

Recommendations formulated by the NSA to the ANSP (NAVIAIR) to rectify the situation and actions taken by the ANSP

The NSA 2025 monitoring report indicates that no recommendations were proposed by the NSA.

Actual unit cost incurred by the users (AUCU) (PI#1)

	€/SU
AUCU components (€/SU) – 2025
DUC	73.76
Inflation adjustment	-0.08
Cost exempt from cost sharing	0.68
Traffic risk sharing adjustment	1.40
Traffic adjustment (costs not TRS)	0.56
Financial incentives	0.00
Modulation of charges	0.00
Cross-financing	0.00
Other revenues	-0.66
Application of lower unit rate	0.00
Total adjustments	1.91
AUCU	75.67
AUCU vs. DUC	+ 2.6%

Cost exempt from cost sharing by item - 2025	€'000	€/SU
New and existing investments	517.4	0.33
Competent authorities and qualified entities costs	614.1	0.39
Eurocontrol costs	-70.9	-0.05
Pension costs	0.0	0.00
Interest on loans	0.0	0.00
Changes in law	0.0	0.00
Total cost exempt from cost risk sharing	1,060.6	0.68

Focus on AUCU

En route AUCU monitoring at charging zone level

The actual en route unit cost incurred by airspace users (AUCU) in respect of activities performed in 2025 (564.66 DKK or 75.67 €) is +2.6% higher than the nominal DUC (550.42 DKK or 73.76 €) which includes DUC initially charged: 558.44 DKK (or 74.84 €), and DUC to be charged retroactively: -8.03 DKK (or -1.08 €). The difference between the AUCU and the nominal DUC (+14.24 DKK/SU or +1.91 €/SU) is due to:

the negative inflation adjustment resulting from lower than planned inflation (-0.60 DKK/SU or -0.08 €/SU);
the impact of adjustments resulting from the costs exempted from cost sharing mechanism (+5.08 DKK/SU or +0.68 €/SU);
the addition of the traffic risk sharing adjustments (+10.48 DKK/SU or +1.40 €/SU);
the addition of the traffic adjustment (+4.18 DKK/SU or +0.56 €/SU) for the costs not subject to traffic risk sharing; and,
the deduction of other revenues (-4.91 DKK/SU or -0.66 €/SU).

The share of the regulatory result (see next sub-section) in the AUCU (before the deduction of other revenues) is +0.01%.

Initiatives implemented or planned that will improve this PI reported by the NSA

No information on such initiatives was provided in the NSA 2025 Monitoring Report.

Regulatory result (RR)

Focus on regulatory result

NAVIAIR net gain/loss on activity in the Denmark en route charging zone in 2025

NAVIAIR reported a net loss of -4.3 M€, as a combination of a loss of -1.3 M€ arising from the cost sharing mechanism, with a loss of -3.0 M€ arising from the traffic risk sharing mechanism.

NAVIAIR overall regulatory result (RR) for the en route activity

Ex-post, the overall RR, taking into account the net loss from the en route activity mentioned above (-4.3 M€) and the actual RoE (+4.3 M€), amounts to -0.01 M€ (0.01% of the en route revenues). The resulting ex-post rate of return on equity is negative (-0.01%) compared to the 5.0% planned in the PP.