An air traffic control programme that provides better management of flight delays in capacity-constrained areas is being expanded by the US Federal Aviation Administration. The so-called airspace flow programme, which was launched last year at seven locations, allows air traffic controllers to equitably manage en route flight delays during periods of severe weather within a specific air traffic region.
Flights scheduled to fly through storms are given estimated departure times and airlines can either accept delays or fly longer routes to safely manoeuvre around them. This summer, the FAA will increase the number of AFP locations - chosen for their combination of heavy traffic and frequent bad weather - to 18, to ease delays for flights operating through the south and midwest USA, and across the continent, it says.
"This is a much better way to handle summer traffic," says FAA administrator Marion Blakey. "If your flight isn't scheduled to fly through bad weather you don't have to sit on the tarmac. If it is, your airline has the choice of taking a delay shared evenly by all the affected flights or flying around the storm."
Source: Flight International
