Draft regulations for airport operational and financial standards 'could force closures'
Proposed European Commission (EC) rules for airport technical, operational and financial standards may force the closure of many smaller aerodromes used extensively by general aviation, says Martin Robinson, vice-president of the International Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (IAOPA).
The rules, aimed primarily at improving the quality of airport air traffic control (ATC) and other safety-related operational services, also prescribe how airports should be run as businesses.
In a letter to the EC, Robinson says the rules as drafted would affect all aerodromes with an annual turnover exceeding €400,000 ($485,000), and says this minimum figure should be raised to "at least" €5 million.
Also, he maintains, the regulations would come into force too soon to allow changes to be made to achieve compliance. But it is the complexity and bureaucratic nature of the draft rules that Robinson says small businesses may not be able to handle.
As well as meeting new Eurocontrol safety regulatory requirements (ESARR), each aerodrome would have to comply with specific EC regulations to demonstrate:
technical and operational competence; operation of a safety management system (SMS); reporting systems; quality of service; liability and insurance cover; ownership and organisational structure; human resources and staffing plans; security arrangements; ability to confirm the level of accuracy of meteorological and aviation information supplied from official sources.If the rules were brought in as drafted by 2005 and compliance required by 2006, says Robinson, small aerodromes would have problems hiring and training new staff in time, and difficulty drawing up manuals for an SMS and other requirements.
DAVID LEARMOUNT / LONDON
Source: Flight International
