For years I was a member, and chairman, of Eurocontrol's Performance Review Commission (PRC), an advisory body that measures and analyses the efficiency and effectiveness of European providers of air navigation services (ANS). I read with interest your editorial (Flight International, 16-22 December 2003) on the Single European Sky.
Two recent PRC benchmarking studies show that the US air traffic management (ATM) system, which is broadly similar to the European system in terms of airspace volume, traffic concentrations around major airports and average route length, handles almost twice as many instrument flight rules flights at only a slightly higher cost and with the same number of air traffic control officers as in Europe. Subsequent studies confirm this and show that the average cost in Europe is 62% higher than in the USA.
One major reason for this is the inefficient airspace structures arising from national control of airspace and the fragmentation from having so many different ANS providers in Europe. The PRC's figures indicate that it would be possible either to control the current traffic at less cost, or to increase capacity using existing resources, or perhaps both.
Travellers, businesses and airlines need to be aware of the significant improvements that could be made. They need to urge politicians to seize the opportunity given by the Single European Sky legislation and they should demand a topdown redesign of European airspace to give Europe the efficient ATM system it so urgently needs.
Philip Hogge Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, UK
Source: Flight International
