On 2 June 2010, EUROCONTROL chose CIS as the main executant of the “SMS cost model validation and link to safety maturity” project. The new project is a natural continuation of the SMS Cost Model project, which was accepted very well by the aviation community in 2008/2009.

The current project is a part of the ESP+ (The European Safety Programme) programme, which focuses on priority safety-improvement actions agreed with and implemented by stakeholders in a central and coordinated manner. It is designed to ensure that Air Traffic Management (ATM) safety is safeguarded throughout the period of significant development and change currently underway.

Any future development of ATM is now to be considered from a performance-based viewpoint. Developments in the Single European Sky area impose certain safety aspects as an integral part of the performance approach. Within this approach, as an element of quantitative safety assessment, comprehensive measurement systems are essential for adequate feedback, report progress, and support for decision-making in the area of safety.