Brussels, 11/10/2000 (Agence Europe) - The air traffic controller represented by the European Transport Federation, the ETF, have launched a campaign to increase awareness for their position and "ensure that security remains at the heart of the European air traffic system". The air traffic controller trade unions met, on Tuesday, the European Commissioner for Transport, Loyola de Palacio, and promised to carry out an intensive lobby with European parliamentarians. The Commission announced that the supported this campaign and insisted on the fact that the problem of air delays is not only due to the work of the air traffic controllers, but due to the intensity of air traffic in Europe, the airports, the airlines and the passengers themselves.
The controller set four aims for their campaign: 1) persuade the airlines to conform with the existing rules instead of "cheating the system", 2) persuade user of air traffic control to invest in new equipment, 3) ensure better coordination between the civilian and military in order to guarantee a better use of air space, 4) persuade the Member States to recruit sufficient personnel and to sufficiently train them.
"We have seen unprecedented criticism of air traffic control over recent months particularly from airline association. This is a campaign of dis-information to cover the airlines shortcomings - we intend to try and explain the real problems facing European air traffic control", stated the President of the Joint Air Traffic Management Working Group, Johan Delauré. 'We acknowledge that delays are a problem, but Air Traffic Management staff are not to blame", added Brendan O'Brien from the ATM, when recalling that the organisation which co-ordinates European air traffic, Eurocontrol, identified 171 causes for delays.