Europe's GA operators are reaching the end of their tether. Faced with indifference, red tape and the might of the region's airlines, some are issuing a call to arms

Europe's army of general aviation aircraft operators has for years run the gauntlet of hostility and apathy from industry, policymakers and the public alike. While its battle to enlighten the apathetic rages on, the industry continues to face tough challenges that threaten to drive sectors of GA into extinction.

GA industry supporters suggest a key factor in the erosion of its operating infrastructure is down to policymakers giving precedence to powerful airlines at the expense of the smaller operators. "General aviation is a worldwide economic driver, but this message is simply not getting through," says Martin Robinson, chief executive of the UK Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and regional vice-president of the European branch of the International Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (IAOPA), which represents 31 European AOPA affiliates. GA accounts for around 40,000 aircraft in Europe alone, says IAOPA.

"This is a vital part of the global transport system," Robinson says. "It creates thousands of jobs and tens of billions of dollars in revenue...without this activity, essential transport functions would be eliminated and the opportunities associated with them would be lost." One ongoing concern for GA operators is the decline in access to a growing number of the Europe's airports, notably in Greece, Norway and the UK.

Greek operators are calling for Athens international airport to be reopened to general aviation as part of a wider plea to the national government to re-evaluate and expand the role of GA in the country. Yiouli Kalafati, president of AOPA Hellas (Greece), says: "There is a severe lack of GA provision in Athens, which is home to more than half of the country's owner-flyers."

Norway's GA community is asking the government to create a dedicated facility in Oslo for private and recreational flyers, as they face expulsion from their only base in the capital. The Oslo Aero Club says GA has become an essential form of transport in Norway, where around half the country's 4.5 million population lives within the Arctic Circle, where road travel is difficult.

Mark Wilson, chief executive of the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA), fears the problem could be exacerbated as Europe's low-cost carriers expand their route networks and establish new bases at secondary airports across the continent that are home to a plethora of GA operators. "We hope the commercial interests of the airport owners will not leave these operators homeless as it has done at countless bases around Europe," he says.

Wilson's view is supported by IAOPA's Robinson, who points to an added pressure on the GA industry from the proposed European Commission rules for air navigation service provision at aerodromes with an annual turnover of more than €1 million ($1.3 million). He says that many small aerodromes used extensively by GA will become unviable and have to close if the EC rules, aimed primarily at improving the quality of airport air traffic control and other safety-related operational services, are adopted.

Belgium, Italy and Spain have already said they would face legal problems implementing some of the regulations, IAOPA says, while France and Portugal, where most of the small aerodromes are owned by local authorities or chambers of commerce, are also angry about the problems the legislation may cause.

Robinson says the draft rules are so complex that many small businesses may struggle to apply them. The cost of implementing the changes will also have to be passed on to the aerodrome users, which could be detrimental to others, he says: "Some aerodromes will be forced to shed their licensed status to avoid the cost burden, but will no longer be able to offer essential facilities and services, such as pilot training. In contrast, Europe has the green light to develop regional airports and develop facilities to cater for the growing numbers of low-cost carriers. It doesn't seem fair."

Unnecessary costs

Robinson suggests GA is paying a high price to co-exist with the airlines. As well as being squeezed out of regional airports, he says, operators are also being forced to install costly and often unnecessary equipment, such as Mode S transponders "for which most will derive no benefit", he says.

Eurocontrol argues that Mode S is being deployed because conventional secondary surveillance radar will reach its capacity limits by 2007 for instrument flight rules operations and 2008 for visual flight rules operations. But Robinson says: "The major beneficiaries of this system are the airlines who want a clearer operating environment, and GA operators have to fall in line to make their life easier."

Eurocontrol's draft rules for common air traffic services under the Single European Sky legislation could also decimate sectors of Europe's general aviation industry, IAOPA warns. The document proposes national user charging systems, which, according to IAOPA, could wipe out leisure general aviation, most helicopter and utility VFR operations, and Europe's flight training industry by levying unnecessary fees on users of uncontrolled airspace. At the moment these are not charged in Europe or anywhere else.

Robinson says most GA aircraft do not use or require services from air navigation providers. They require aerodrome and meteorological services. Most GA aircraft navigate visually using charts and satellite navigation systems such as GPS, which is free to all users. They also carry out separation by see-and-avoid, and do not use controlled airspace. Robinson says the proposals are full of anomalies and contradictions, and is yet another example of GA helping the airlines. "Airlines are already subsidised by not having to pay tax on fuel and not having to charge value added tax on ticket sales, while most GA operators earn no revenue and pay tax on fuel."

The effect of these proposals will be disastrous for the UK pilot training industry, which could be forced to move out of Europe, IAOPA says. Schools have been battling with dwindling student numbers for many years, but a recent proposal by the European Aviation Safety Agency to introduce a pan-European recreational private pilot's licence (RPPL) could reverse this downward trend.

The RPPL would be based on the UK national PPL (NPPL), which has boosted pilot training registers significantly following its introduction in 2003. The BBGA's Wilson says: "There was a demand from pilots for a less costly and stringent alternative to the Joint Aviation Authorities JAR flightcrew licence to cover all piston- single fixed-wing aircraft with a maximum take-off weight no greater than 2,000kg [4,400lb]."

Two years on, 2,000 NPPLs have been issued. Wilson says: "We are hoping the RPPL will have the same impact throughout the rest of Europe and ultimately propel more people into aviation."

GA proponents argue that the lack of appreciation or understanding for the industry is a root cause of its struggle. "There must be a better understanding from the wider population of what GA does for aviation and the world's economies," Wilson says. "GA often provides an essential lifeline to many communities in the form of air ambulance, police air support and search and rescue services," he says, adding: "Airlines should also ask where their engineers and pilots come from."

Lacking clout

But in many less-developed regions GA does not have the political and financial clout to challenge the power brokers. In countries like Portugal and Slovenia for example, says Michael Erb managing director AOPA Germany, there is little or no representation from industry bodies as funding for staff and resources is scarce. He continues: "Associations must unite across Europe to develop a strong and united voice for GA, only then can we hope to challenge the decision makers and make a difference to our industry."

Such is the determination of GA to create a fair and level playing field with the airlines that IAOPA has signed up as a partner in Eurocontrol's Single European Sky implementation plan (Sesame), designed to move European air traffic management (ATM) away from its present fragmented system and towards a unified and integrated environment. The initiative aims to develop an ATM master plan for the next two decades, involving the industry, manufacturers, airports and the service users. The development phase should be completed by about 2007.

Although the EC and Eurocontrol are funding the 60 million needed for the development phase, the money will not be paid to the partners until all project packages are submitted by the Sesame working groups. "We will have to find around 300,000 in advance to underwrite the GA element of the airspace user group of which we are a member," Robinson says.

"This is a great deal of money for us to find, but if we don't take part in Sesame then the industry won't listen to us and could dream up new regulations that saddle us with additional costs and more unnecessary equipment." 

KATE SARSFIELD/LONDON

Source: Flight International