Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH
EUROPEAN AIR traffic control (ATC) delays have been halved during the first five years of the European Air Traffic Control Harmonisation and Integration Programme (EATCHIP), according to Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation.
The improvement has been achieved despite an annual 5% growth in traffic, and industrial -relations problems around Europe which peaked in the second half of 1995, says Eurocontrol, which manages the programme on behalf of the 33 states of the European Civil Aviation Conference.
EATCHIP project board president Tony Goldman says that the programme is "...a concrete demonstration of a political will to meet the challenge of Europe's ever more crowded skies".
The programme has also achieved comprehensive radar coverage for en route surveillance in all ATC centres (ACCs) in Europe's high air-traffic-density areas, and 65% of ACCs in other areas. By comparison, the lower-density areas had 40% coverage in 1990.
As a result of EATCHIP, reduced radar-separation distances of 9km (5nm) are now applicable in 76% of high-density ACCs, compared with 21% five years ago. European airspace has also been reorganised to eliminate the exclusive use of areas by the military.
New communications systems exchange flight plans and ATC data between centres in 90% of ACCs, compared with 37% in 1990.
Eurocontrol says that all states taking part in the programme have now completed detailed plans committing them to harmonisation in airspace organisation, ATC operations and infrastructure.
EATCHIP is now entering a new phase of progressive integration of Europe's ATC systems, and the gradual introduction of new technology such as satellite navigation, says Eurocontrol.
The Brussels Central Flow Management Unit is to become fully operational in April, and took over tactical operations from the London Flow Management Unit on 13 January.
Source: Flight International