European specialists have formally submitted a proposal to air transport stakeholders recommending that 8.33kHz VHF radio channel spacing be extended to include airspace below flight level 195.
This channel spacing has been in effect above FL245 for the past seven years and is enforced across 30 European states. The threshold altitude will be lowered to FL195 on 15 March next year.
But last year Eurocontrol was tasked with performing the work necessary to reach a decision on introducing 8.33kHz spacing in airspace below this threshold. The business case supporting the introduction has been submitted to a stakeholder consulting group for comment.
"Failure to satisfy long-term VHF demand would put airspace capacity plans at risk which, in turn, could result in delays and additional costs," says the business case document.
It says that, given uncertainty and insufficient estimated benefits from other measures, such as optimised frequency reuse, the need to meet this demand for VHF frequency assignments to 2020 will require full implementation of 8.33kHz spacing. "Given the size of the affected fleet, a phased implementation would be required to realise early frequency planning benefits," adds the document. "Sufficient lead times would be required to achieve the required aircraft retrofit."
Three scenarios have been assessed: a basic implementation, covering only certain area control centre services a mid-sized introduction, which would also feature certain approach centres and a full implementation.
Costs of the combined basic and mid-sized scenarios - including aircraft upgrade and ground station conversion - would be about €332 million ($416 million), with a further €445 million for full implementation.
Under the proposed full implementation, area centre services would switch to the new 8.33kHz spacing arrangement from 2010, and complete introduction would be achieved by 2013. Stakeholders are being invited to comment on the proposal before the end of October.
Eurocontrol estimates that, without a suitable strategy for tackling frequency shortages, average delays per flight would rise from the current 1min to about 1.5min by 2010.
Source: Flight International
