GERALD BUTT / NICOSIA
Nicosia will set up co-ordination body to improve safety standards and training as well as exchanging information
Cyprus is establishing an air traffic management (ATM) co-ordination body, with the help of Eurocontrol and the International Civil Aviation Organisation, to act as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East on ATM matters. Representatives from Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria met in Nicosia this month to discuss the issue.
"We are creating a mechanism known as Europe-Middle East Air Traffic Management [EMAC], through which we will be co-ordinating flight-control issues with countries of the Middle East," says Symeon Matsis, director-general of aviation in Cyprus's communications ministry. "For example, Eurocontrol has introduced a new reduced vertical separation minima [RVSM] system, so we want to expand this to cover the area of our neighbouring countries."
The EMAC co-ordination team will be financed by Cyprus. The plan is for EMAC's reach to be gradually extended, taking in Israel next, followed by other Middle Eastern states.
"Through this body, we hope to improve safety standards, upgrade the training of personnel and install a continuous mechanism for the exchange of information, because we are anticipating a very high increase in traffic in this region in the very near future," says Matsis. He adds that because it is a tourist region, "we are expecting that with conditions becoming normal, there will be a big increase".
Egypt's involvement in the scheme to co-ordinate Middle Eastern states with Eurocontrol will increase pressure on the country to adopt the Galileo global satellite navigation system rather than a GPS satellite navigation system which aviation authorities in Cairo prefer because it is cheaper.
As part of its effort to persuade Egypt to adopt Galileo, the European Commission, through its Euro-Med programme, organised a seminar in Cairo on the subject in February.
The EC says this is "the first of a series of actions planned to strengthen the Euro-Mediterranean partnership and its regional transport policy".
Source: Flight International
