The federal government adopted an aviation strategy through 2040 in June 2026. The document names goals for sustainability, competitiveness, and research in the aviation sector. It names no measurable interim targets, no named accountable parties, and no procedure for monitoring implementation. A 15-year plan without interim targets is not a steering instrument—it is a document.
The plan: goals for 2040, no milestones for 2027
The strategy formulates intentions for the German aviation industry through 2040. It names sustainability goals, strengthening competitiveness, and investments in research and development. It names no years between 2026 and 2040, no measurable interim steps, and no body that checks annually whether implementation is on track. According to a Reuters report from 9 June 2026, it remains unclear who is responsible for which part of the strategy and when which results should be delivered.
A comparison: the United Kingdom announced in May 2026 that it would review legislation to improve the delivery capacity of the civil service. The government plans to enshrine a governance model in law that would strengthen innovation, productivity, and delivery capability. The approach requires ministries not only to formulate goals but also to demonstrate how they intend to achieve them and who is accountable. Germany adopted a strategy in the same month that leaves these questions open.
What is missing: milestones, dashboard, accountability
A 15-year plan without interim targets cannot be steered. Without milestones for 2027, 2028, or 2030, there is no moment at which it becomes visible whether implementation is working or stalling. Without named accountable parties, there is no one who can be held to account for delays. Without a public dashboard, there is no transparency about which parts of the strategy have been implemented and which have not.
The British government has announced it will introduce precisely these elements. It plans to embed delivery units in ministries, monitor implementation, and make progress public. The approach is not new: the United Kingdom operated a central Delivery Unit in the Cabinet Office between 2001 and 2010 under the Labour government, responsible for implementing government priorities. The unit worked with ministries, set milestones, monitored progress, and reported regularly to the Prime Minister. The model was later adopted by other countries, including Canada, Australia, and Malaysia.
Germany has no comparable structure. There is no central body that monitors the implementation of strategies across ministries. There is no culture in which ministries must regularly demonstrate that they are meeting their goals. Aviation Strategy 2040 is not an isolated case but an example of a structural pattern: strategies are adopted, but the mechanics of implementation are not delivered alongside them.
The next step: supplement with monitoring and delivery unit
The strategy can be supplemented. The cabinet can decide to establish annual milestones, set up a public dashboard, and create a delivery unit in the transport ministry. The unit would work with the responsible bodies in ministries, states, and industry, monitor progress, and identify obstacles. The dashboard would show which goals have been achieved, which are delayed, and why. The milestones would make visible whether the strategy is on track or needs correction.
Such a model is not theoretical. The United Kingdom plans to enshrine it in law. Canada operated a delivery unit in the Privy Council Office between 2015 and 2021, responsible for implementing government priorities. The unit worked with ministries, set milestones, monitored progress, and reported regularly to the Prime Minister. The approach was dissolved in 2021, but the experience shows that delivery units can work when equipped with clear mandates and resources.
Germany has a choice: it can treat Aviation Strategy 2040 as a document that will be evaluated in 2040. Or it can treat the strategy as a steering instrument that is reviewed, adjusted, and made transparent annually. The first option requires no change. The second option requires a decision.
Delivery is not a question of will but of structure
Aviation Strategy 2040 shows that Germany can formulate goals. It also shows that the mechanics of implementation are not automatically delivered. Milestones, accountability, and monitoring are not technical details but the precondition for a plan to be more than a document. Without these elements, it remains unclear whether the strategy will be implemented by 2040 or whether it will serve in 2040 as another example of an unanswered intention.
The United Kingdom has decided to enshrine the delivery capacity of the state in law. Germany has the option to supplement Aviation Strategy 2040 with the mechanics of implementation. The decision is not a question of will but a question of structure. Structures can be changed. The question is whether they will be changed.
Band 3 "Bauplan" describes how decisions become outcomes. It shows which structures, incentives, and mechanisms are necessary for strategies not only to be adopted but implemented. Aviation Strategy 2040 is a current example of the question the volume answers: how does a plan become a result.