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EUROPE: ACTION AGAINST CONGESTION IN THE SKIES IS URGENT

An autumn wind sweeps across the apron of the Paris Airport Charles de Gaulle. The main travelling season in which delays are very likely, is obviously over. The Kosovo War, which disrupted air travel in Europe in spring, is also almost history. However, all this does not help Lufthansa flight LH 4117 to Frankfurt this Friday morning in October. Over the intercom the Captain explains to his passengers who were only able to start their flight after one and a half hour's delay, that, "delays are at their worst on routes between the big hubs". This is now commonplace in Europe. The pilot says, "we cannot take off before all seven control zones, which are to be crossed, are ready. We do fly faster than normal, ask air traffic control for direct connections and come up with still further tricks." Meanwhile, the fight over minutes has become a sport for the captain. The passengers are able to sample this during the landing. While the braking is pressing them into their safety belts, the passengers are informed through the intercom that "today we will brake harder than normal to enable us to use the first exit taxiway. This will save us a few minutes' of taxi time". Unfortunately this manoeuvre is in vain, because the gate is not ready yet and the Airbus has to wait for minutes on the apron with engines running.

On some days in the summer of 1999 European air traffic was near to collapse. According to airline representatives delays have never been so bad, at least not since 1959. The breakdown seems to be pre-programmed. Because of national egoism of some countries within the ECAC-States (European Civil Aviation Conference) with 62 control centres and 420 zones, because of tedious handling which often stopps at borders and lack of co-ordination and planning while the traffic is growing rapidly, the breakdown is almost programed. Pierre Jeanniot, President of the international Air Traffic organisation IATA in Geneva, complains that, "air traffic control in European states is as fragmented as if it was part of a medieval pact between small states. This means that an aircraft travelling at 900km/h has less space to manoeuvre than a slow train". The balance for 1999 is devastating: During the worst time 225,000 minutes' delay were recorded per day (!), even at the beginning of September there were 130,000 minutes on bad days. According to the European Regions Airline Association (ERA), this year half a million flights with ten million passengers have been affected by delays. The average delay of flights not on time is around 23 min, neglecting the fact that there were occasional delays lasting several hours. According to ERA the reduced flight capacity caused by delays corresponded with 440 aircraft kept on the ground. Compared with the same month in the year before there was the equivalent of 260 aircraft kept on the ground.

IATA expert Philip Hogge explains that "the capacity is limited by the mental workload of air traffic controllers. They are able to handle 22 to 23 flights per hour. However, they are meant to deal with up to 60 flights on occasions. Only if an air traffic controller has capacity in his sector, an aircraft, which has to cross this sector, can take off". However, employing new air traffic controllers is not necessary. "If the air space was divided up correctly, more aircraft could be handled by as many or even fewer controllers", explains Hogge.

It is amazing to see which states cause most delays. On busy days there are 26,000 to 27,000 flights in the skies over Europe. France and Germany have to handle about 7,000 flights each, Switzerland 3,500. Despite this almost a quarter of all flight delays were due to France. The small country of Switzerland managed to achieve almost twice as many delays as Germany (cp. illustration). These problems arise because of the introduction of new area navigation technology in France and Switzerland in February 1999. Philip Hogge claims, that "the way the air space is divided is a decisive factor in the co-ordination of civilian and military air traffic". Germany is almost seen as Europe's model student. Combine civilian-military air traffic control has been commonplace for a long time. "The Germans are currently reorganising their airspace and are gaining 54 percent more capacity without major investment", praises Hogge, "unfortunately only within their country's boundaries". IATA complains that generally too many areas are reserved for military flights". "It is ridiculous, it seems that World War I is still underway", says an annoyed President Pierre Jeannoit. Flexible agreements according to the needs are necessary.

Initially the airlines have to pay for the dreadful conditions in the skies and the ultimately the passengers: Prices might have to be increased because of the tense situation. "In 1998 airlines have paid $4.2bn to Eurocontrol for using of the upper air space. However, additional costs amounting to $5.4bn have been incurred because of delays", complains Pierre Jeannoit. "This is how airlines pay twice, without receiving the service for which they have paid and to which their passengers are eligible", claims the IATA President. The international air traffic organisation of which 265 airlines are members, among them 82 from Europe, is now actively taking part in the discussion. Pierre Jeannoit explains, "the fundamental problem is the lack of foresight, co-ordinated, comprehensible and international capacity planning for European air traffic control".

As if to prove his point Eurocontrol Boss Yves Lambert stated in front of delegates at the ERA Main Assembly in Paris, "There has again been a marked increase in passenger traffic in Europe. In the first six month of this year it grew by 7.4 percent when compared with the same time span last year. Unfortunately the increased demand surpassed the available capacity. We had only expected a growth of 4.4 percent and had planned accordingly". However, the situation does not look as bad as it seems. After the Kososvo War, which was responsible for about 30 percent of all delays, the total of daily delays have fallen by almost half despite an increase in flights by 1,000 per day. The average delay of all flights in question is two minutes lower than in 1998. The gathered airline bosses were not prepared to take this rosy picture. Tyrolean Boss Fritz Feitl retorted the Eurocontrol Boss's claims as follows, "all we hear are excuses. The system needs fundamental changes"!

IATA wants to initiate these changes. In October it presented a five-point-plan, which should be ratified by the Ministers of Transport of two dozen states in the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) at their meeting on 28 January 2000. The basis of this plan is the ATM2000+ strategy, which was drawn up by various organisations like IATA and Eurocontrol. It demands a gradual increase in capacity by 60 percent until 2005 when compared with 1995. Another principle is the "One Airspace" policy, which intends to see European air space as one in the future. It should no longer be forced into national borders. IATA also envisages a strengthening of Eorocontrol. It will become a member of the European Union and the way the states deal with decisions from Brussels will be changed. Apart from this a permanent way to plan capacities for the whole of Europe is necessary. Governments should liberalise air traffic control authorities and run them commercially. "The organisations in question will have to publicise business plans, and one should be able to check whether they have been put into action", says Philip Hogge. Finally organisations offering air traffic control should be given an incentive to create more capacity, while they are currently paid no matter what their service is like. IATA Boss Jeannoit claims, "all this is not a question of cost, because it is minimal when compared with the cost of delays. It is more a question of political willingness. And if nothing is done now, we will have an even hotter summer in 2000.

From page 28 of FLUG REVUE 12/99