04 novembre 2009
Questions Budgétaires
Alors qu'à l'Assemblée Nationale on débat de la Loi de Finances 2010 et donc du Budget Annexe en évoquant des changements de structure vers un Établissement Public, l'AEA continue sa charge contre le mécanisme de recouvrement des coûts.
Il faut dire que l'actualité lui donne du grain à moudre. En Belgique, elle en appelle à la Commission pour que Belgocontrol cesse d'abonder au budget général de l'État faisant ainsi indirectement payer aux compagnies et aux passagers les dépenses publiques. En Irlande, elle accuse le gouvernement de vouloir faire de son territoire une "No-Flying Zone" en ajoutant une taxe supplémentaire de 10€ par pax qui vient conjoncturellement s'ajouter à l'augmentation des redevances annoncée par IANS : +17%.
Ne serait-il pas temps d'avoir une réflexion au niveau européen sur la nature du service que l'on rend et en particulier sa part d'intérêt général afin d'en déduire un mode de financement qui pourrait combiner des fonds publics et des redevances ?
20 octobre 2008
Le Datalink opérationel à Reims dès 2013
Après un avis favorable du Comité Ciel Unique, la Commission va pouvoir adopter le déploiement du datalink comme mesure d'application.
La règlementation permettra d'utiliser le data link pour les changements de fréquence, la transmission de clairances standards et à titre de secours en cas de blocage de fréquences audio.
Le plan de déploiement est le suivant :
- 1 January 2011 – Equipement obligatoire pour les nouveaux avions;
- 7 February 2013 – Services Data link rendus par les ANSP dans la core area;
- 5 February 2015 – Equipement obligatoire pour tous les avions (avec quelques exemptions);
- 5 February 2015 – Services Data Link rendus par les ANSP dans toute l'Europe.
09 octobre 2008
L'AEA met la pression sur le SES II
Peter Hartman, CEO of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and current Chairman of the Association of European Airlines, delivered a clear message to a high-level audience of policy-makers and aviation industry leaders in Brussels today: deliver a Single European Sky, or perpetuate an archaic ATM system which wastes passengers time, wastes airlines money and stands in the way of huge environmental benefits.
Consumers, airlines and the environment will all benefit Why delay? asks Peter Hartman
The Seminar, organised by the European Commission and chaired by Commission
Vice-President responsible for Transport, Antonio Tajani, comes at a
time when a package of measures on the Single Sky is being prepared for
legislative action at Council of Ministers level.
Mr Hartman
reminded his audience that this was the second such package of
measures. The first, dating from 2004, had created a basic legislative
framework but had failed to deliver any results due to a lack of
political will. EU Member States, he said, must commit to this latest
package and avoid watering-down its components or SES II will collapse
like a house of cards.
The stakes, he said, could scarcely be
higher. European ATM inefficiency was estimated to cost the airline
industry €5 billion a year an unaffordable figure at the best of times
and a crippling burden during the ongoing industry crisis. The amount
of CO2 emissions which could be avoided by an efficient system was a
staggering 16 million tonnes annually a huge step towards the industrys
environmental objective of carbon-neutral growth.
Mr Hartman
reiterated the airlines vision of ATM regions defined by traffic flows
and demand patterns rather than national borders, within which civil
and military authorities should cooperate effectively. The system
should have performance targets monitored by an independent review
body, and should incorporate effective industry consultation.
Peter
Hartman contrasted the lukewarm political response to the Single
European Sky, bringing demonstrable benefits for the environment, with
the much more questionable impact of the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Without the Single Sky, he said, We would be required to buy permits
for the fuel we waste flying zigzag routings and holding patterns
caused by airspace inefficiencies.
The Single Sky, he said, was
a prime example of a trans-European initiative of cohesion and
cooperation, benefiting European competitiveness and mobility, adding
value for citizens and for the environment. I defy any EU national
government to justify why it should not fully commit itself to this
project
19 septembre 2008
Communiqué ATCEUC sur le SES II
Air Traffic Controllers ignored again!
ATCEUC is revolted by the attitude of the European Commission (EC). After a good start, and what looked like a useful preliminary meeting, the majority of European controllers who are represented by ATCEUC, to whom the EC did not even find useful to send its communication, have been completely excluded from any official consultation to the SES II.
Intolerable!
This communication is so far from what we expected after the coordination meeting held in April that we have to comment on some unacceptable statements of this document.
Performance at all costs
The introduction of a performance regulation as envisaged by the regulation will be detrimental to safety. The HLG recommended incentives to drive performance, deliberately omitting penalties. A system setting incentives and penalties to drive performance and to stick to the optimal trajectory will lead to a race for results rather than for safety. Economic incentives in ATM are dangerous. If considered at all they must be global, and cover safety issues as well.
Flexible Management of resource? Politicians' language for Social Dumping
The "more flexible management of resources" in this communication tends to promote a social dumping that cannot be accepted. We will not accept decisions based on dubious justification just to serve political interests or other lobbies connected with the airline industry. Therefore, any reallocation or flexibility of resources that might be envisaged for the future will only come true if all social aspects are fully considered.
Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs): the key players, disliked and side-lined!
ATCEUC is disgusted by the tone employed in this communication to describe what is presented as shortcomings in their professional activity: ATCOs do not keep aircraft on their tracks for pleasure; much to the contrary, every day, all over Europe, controllers do their best to safely shorten the routes of the traffic they control. It is part of their job. In the foreseeable future, this might be enhanced by new route structures through the real implementation of Functional Airspace Blocks (FAB) developed in cooperation with operational staff, but also by a strong will from the military side to cooperate and really increase the flexible use of airspace. Procedural harmonization and system interoperability will be among the key words to reach a less fragmented sky.
Ignorance and despise
During the last five years, ATCOs have dramatically increased their efficiency, productivity and reduced their cost. They stayed well in line with the requirements set by the first package of SES while, at the same time, maintaining the highest level of safety. According to the PRR 2007 figures, since 2002 all the states have fulfilled the requested cost decrease of 2% per year, achieving 2.6% in 2006, while safety levels (when measured) increased in every field. In parallel ATCEUC has worked to ensure that a large number of ATCOs get involved in the work towards a more efficient system through the different FAB initiatives. The current Commission communication comes as a cruel reminder that no matter our efforts, the EC is neither prone to recognising them nor to encourage them. Much to the contrary: the more we give, the more the EC will try to squeeze out of us.
Central Flow Management Unit: Independence at all cost
The independence of the CFMU must be protected and guaranteed, as it will also be the insurance for a just and efficient system. To turn it into a part of a profit-generating system will jeopardise its role as a safety-critical balancing tool.
Delays? ANSPs are not the biggest contributors
Most of the capacity problems and delays highlighted in this communication are not attributable to ATC. Runway capacity is totally independent from ATC performance and again, we have to remind that the delays caused by the inefficiencies of airlines in operations, boarding and scheduling are generating around 80% of the total amount of delays. Figures that the EC should consider as well, although those figures are usually publicised by lobbyists.
ATCOs: they have done their homework
ATCOs have managed to reduce delays by 2.8 % while traffic grew in the same time (2002-2007) by nearly 23% thanks to a strong personal involvement and the capability to adapt to new situations, thanks to systems assisting them in their routing tasks, and hardly as suggested by opening new sectors.
ATM Master Plan as a performance driver
The trajectory concept at the heart of the ATM master plan is extremely ambitious. Some would even say unrealistic. Yet, it is supposed to help us increase our performance. ATCEUC would like to stress that performance targets can only be met with operational tools, not with sweet dreams.
Price capping as the ultimate solution
Simple and pure promotion of price capping will not enhance cost-effectiveness. The reasons why this is constantly presented as the miracle solution is unclear to ATCEUC. But our members are probably too operations-minded to understand. Looking at the costs of the only provider under theses rules (NATS), one can easily see that they are higher than elsewhere when productivity is not (PRR 2007). But maybe airspace users prefer a structure that generates profits from the charges they pay.
The American Dream?
Once again the comparison with the US system is used to give weight to arguments even if it has been proved in the past that in many areas of high-density traffic (core area of Europe) this comparison was not valid and that the US figures were approaching the EU ones or at times higher...
Back to reality
ATCEUC is very disappointed by the outcome of this second package so far, and we urge the commission to get back on the optimum trajectory of real and comprehensive consultation to avoid any back-firing from its over 12.000 controllers running this "ever so inefficient" system.
11 septembre 2008
Le contrôle aérien expliqué sur Euronews
Le reportage a quelques mois déjà mais c'est toujours intéressant ...
