Emma Kelly/LONDON
The Association of European Airlines (AEA) has called for a radical rethink on European air traffic control (ATC), after the latest capacity and delay predictions.
European air navigation organisation Eurocontrol had originally targeted accommodating 8% more traffic this year, compared with the previous year, with a 25% reduction in delays. Eurocontrol has since revised its targets, predicting a 4.4% increase in traffic, with no delay improvements, or 6% more traffic and 14% additional delay.
The AEA, which represents Europe's major airlines, says that reality is worse than Eurocontrol's revised figures, with the results for the first eight weeks of the year showing delays more than doubling on traffic growth of 5%.
AEA secretary-general Karl-Heinz Neumeister says there are "seriously underperforming" ATC centres in Europe. The AEA suggests that Eurocontrol needs a statute providing it with real power to take, implement and enforce decisions.
"European ATC desperately needs a regulator with teeth; a regulator with a mandate to get things done and, in the absence of a better solution, maybe the European Union should take on this task," says Neumeister.
The association also suggests that airlines could eventually own or run the ATC system themselves. Consideration should also be given to developing a pay-for-performance scheme to relate en route charges to the level of service provided, the AEA adds.
In response, Eurocontrol says that only 20-25% of delays in Europe are ATC-related. The air navigation organisation has developed short, medium and long term solutions to deal with ATC problems. The conflict in Yugoslavia, resulting in restrictions in large sections of European airspace, has been a major factor in the recent delays and capacity reductions. "Nobody predicted this," points out Eurocontrol.
Eurocontrol's Provisional Council was due to meet on 23 April, when member states were expected to endorse capacity improvements of 2-15% for the summer.
Medium term solutions were also due to be discussed, including a positive decision on reduced vertical separation minima implementation in January 2002, and long-term solutions such as the ATM-2000+ plan.
In the short term, Eurocontrol has implemented the first two phases of the three-stage revised air traffic services route network (ARN), which is intended to result in capacity increases. The organisation had warned that, following the implementation of the second stage of the ARN in February, capacity would be reduced for safety reasons. These reductions have been lifted and capacity increases are expected to follow shortly, says Eurocontrol.
Source: Flight International
