US concerns over year 2000 (Y2K) compliance are shifting to the international arena after a live test of the country's air traffic control system revealed no date-related problems.
The test, conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration on 10-11 April, involved all major elements of the US air traffic control system that have had to be renovated to overcome Y2K compliance issues. It was a milestone for the FAA, which less than a year ago was several months behind with its Y2K efforts.
ATC systems in the Denver area were split in two, with the "live" side handling aircraft as normal while the "test" side was rolled forward to simulate the change from 31 December to 1 January. FAA Administrator Jane Garvey says preliminary results show performance of the live and test sides was "virtually identical".
The FAA says it is on track to field all Y2K upgrades by 30 June. The pressure will then be on to assure the safety of US international flights. To that end, the FAA hopes to conduct end-to-end tests with the six countries handling 60% of the traffic entering and leaving the USA: namely, the Bahamas, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Norway and the UK.
The FAA, however, is relying on the International Civil Aviation Organisation to police Y2K compliance worldwide. States are required to report their Y2K status to ICAO by 30 June. Soon after that, the US Department of State is expected to begin issuing advisories on those countries which are not expected to be ready for the date rollover.
Source: Airline Business
