Brussels, 25/06/2008 (Agence Europe) -The European Commission has decided to take air traffic control in hand, in its adoption, on Wednesday 25 June, of the second legislative package on the European Single Sky II (see EUROPE 9689). The proposals which make up the package aim to integrate air traffic control at supranational level, harmonise the rules governing it, create conditions for the development of new European technologies on traffic control by increasing safety, reducing costs and shortening delays. The Commission believes that the amount of fuel saved would allow airlines to reduce their CO2 emissions by 16 million tonnes and their annual costs by between two and three billion euros.
As we have already announced, the proposed package will act in several fields at the same time (technology, safety, capacity), by bringing in to the legislation binding performance criteria, to be proposed by the Commission as and when required. The package brings in a cut-off date, in 2012, for functional airspace blocks (FAB) to be created, extend the competencies of the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA), confirms the strategy to the development of airport capacity (see EUROPE 9350) and calls upon the Council to activate the second phase of the SESAR (the technical plank of the Single Sky). "This is a good response on the part of the Commission to what is going on at the moment", the Commissioner with responsibility for transport, Antonio Tajani, told the press, referring to the increase in oil prices, the increase in air traffic, which is "set to double or even triple in certain regions by 2020" and the "parcelling up of airspace" in Europe. Despite the adoption of the first Single Sky package in 2004, "the sky is still parcelled up in Europe, making flights longer on average than necessary by 49 km", said the Commission. By way of example, between Amsterdam and Milan, a route on which some 3468 aircraft operate every year, the flight has been shortened by 155 km (22.6%) per flight, which represents 448 additional kilograms of fuel and an additional 1413 kg of carbon dioxide per flight, he explained. Because of this, he added, "we are spending 10 to 15 minutes too long in aircraft". "In the United States, there are around 20 control centres for twice as much traffic as in Europe, whereas in the EU, we have around 60 air traffic control centres in 27 Member States", which means that "controlling air traffic in Europe costs twice as much as it does in the United States", he continued. "Our proposal will reduce waiting time (from takeoff to landing), and passengers will have more chance of arriving on time. It will also allow us to offer safer and greener flights, whilst creating more capacity", said Mr Tajani. Once it is in place, the new system will help to save "40 billion euros" over the next few years, the Commissioner stated.
Nonetheless, we must "now act fast, several reasons", he explained. First of all, because "the States are reluctant to tackle the division" of airspace, because the fees paid for "the routes go to pay aviation service providers" and European traffic is continually on the increase. Calling for the support of the European Parliament and the Council, Mr Tajani hoped to see the package adopted very soon because it is, he stated, "good for the citizens, the environment and for the economy". Speaking to journalists, Mr Tajani admitted that "there were a few misgivings" to start with, because at the time, "certain Member States felt that airspace was the vertical continuation of their territory" and the "(armed) forces of certain countries" were reluctant to "share that airspace without corridors reserved for the military". This was the case with Germany in particular, which has now lifted all its reservations, he said, adding: "we are all in a slightly different situation".
Having been drawn up further to a broad consultation, the package is now set to receive the approval of the Member States, although the date for the FAB to be set in place (the end of 2012) has been described as "unrealistic" by representatives of the sector and the process of integration of these blocks, which would allow air traffic control independently of national boundaries, is currently facing a number of obstacles, both political and economic. Of the 8 FABs provided for by the first Single Sky package, only the United Kingdom and Ireland have recently signed an agreement setting in place their joint FABs; France, the Benelux countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands), Germany and Switzerland are getting ready to do the same this November (see EUROPE 9683). The time being, the Commission has already earmarked 700 million euros as part of the SESAR programme (an additional 700 million will be put in by Eurocontrol, and a further 700 million by the industry), 20 million euros to be made available to the Member States to create functional airspace blocks (as part of the trans-European transport networks). The additional funds will also be accessible under the TETN and Marco Polo programmes as regards any issues of intermodality. "I have stressed to the governments that they are to use under-used funds", said Mr Tajani. (A.By./trans.fl)