The Asia-Pacific region should move towards achieving a "Single Asian Sky" by co-ordinating its air navigation service provision, in order to avoid future capacity problems, says Ashley Smout, chief executive of Airways New Zealand and chairman of CANSO
With the highest air traffic growth of all world regions, the Asia-Pacific must ensure that its air navigation services infrastructure develops in line with demand in order to meet future air traffic requirements and avoid major capacity shortages, such as those seen in the USA and Europe when demand outstripped air traffic management capacity.
Air traffic capacity is today dictated by the weakest link. The high number of flight information regions (FIR), many of them comparatively small, creates a fragmented airspace which is uneconomical to investment for individual providers. This fragmented airspace requires intense co-ordination between air navigation service providers, and a high workload for pilots. The latest ATM systems are able to serve entire regions, making individual investments by each FIR and each state commercially unsustainable. State funding will not be possible or indeed justifiable in many cases.
Air traffic growth is expected to continue, driven by strong economic growth and the impact of low-cost carriers. High fuel costs and increasing demands for mitigation of environmental impacts continue to drive efficiencies of the air transport industry. Dramatic advances in regional ATM services are therefore essential, if we are to satisfy Asia-Pacific demand for capacity, safety and efficiency.
The key to addressing these serious challenges is likely to be a shift away from the current fragmented airspace to a more regional approach to airspace management, in line with the latest in global ATM thinking. Challenges similar to the Asian situation are being faced - with some success - in areas such as Scandinavia.
Europe is tackling identical challenges with its Single European Sky concept. If air traffic growth continues at its present rate, Asia will face similar capacity-enhancing requirements to keep pace with regional economic developments and the associated air transport demand, and to do so safely and efficiently.
As IATA director general Giovanni Bisignani said recently: "We need Asia to step in and help move the industry forward, because Europe and the US have lost the vision that makes them natural leaders."
In my view, the time is right for Asia to begin looking seriously at the future of air navigation services provision in the region. If this is to happen, it must be done by the operational experts of the ANSPs in Asia themselves. Regional leadership will increasingly be required to avoid the pitfalls, while learning from other regions' experiences. To do this, the ANSPs will require a regional structure to effectively co-ordinate their expertise while at the same time engaging the aircraft operators. This is necessary because Asia has an opportunity to "future-proof" itself against further turmoil - an opportunity that should be grasped with both hands.
The concept of a "Single Asian Sky" will deliver huge capacity and safety benefits and savings in ATM costs, but it will need strong support from both the airlines and the governments of participating countries. The airlines and ANSPs need to get together to co-operate closely and professionally, within the regulatory framework set by the Asia-Pacific states.
The obstacles to achieving a Single Asian Sky will be largely political, and will be connected to national security, prestige, jobs, and funding. The last two issues can be solved quite easily with some good business thinking. The first, national security, and how to meet the needs of the military, will prove more difficult.
So while a Single Asian Sky may not happen in my lifetime, we should at least work towards it. Because without addressing the key issues, the Asia-Pacific region will face serious capacity problems similar to the experiences of the USA and Europe - delays, increased fuel consumption and emissions, and possibly a rise in incidents. This is a good reason for politicians and the industry to act now and build the aviation highway before it's too late.
CANSO offers ANSPs the opportunity to co-operate on a shared vision for the future of ATM. It is ideally equipped and experienced to facilitate regional ANSP co-operation in the Asia-Pacific region. The organisation can facilitate the issues, work through individual ANSP concerns, leverage political support and work towards long-term Asian ANSP co-operation.
If we want to achieve efficient and effective "future-proofed" Asian skies, to benefit the aviation industry as a whole, our political masters will have to enter the debate. And just as they have created organisations like APEC and ASEAN, they should consider the building blocks for a Single Asian Sky.
Source: Airline Business
