Brussels, Progress reports published today by the EU on the Single European
Sky – far-reaching proposals to put in place a pan-European air traffic
management system by 2030 – "set alarm bells ringing."
"There is a genuine risk that we will lag behind and find ourselves
unable to satisfy the rising demands of air travel, which is set to
nearly double by 2030", said European Commission Vice-President Siim
Kallas, responsible for transport. "2012 is a make or break year for the
Single European Sky and there is a lot at stake. Despite efforts that
have been made, the Commission’s "traffic light" assessment shows a
large majority of Member States in the orange or red zones and at risk
of not meeting critical targets for 2012" (see "traffic light" tables
attached).
2012 is a critical year for the Single European Sky – there are four key deliverables:
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the performance scheme, setting key air traffic management (ATM) targets (to start early in 2012);
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the nine "functional airspace blocks" (to be operational by end-2012);
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the ATM network manager (already designated as Eurocontrol);
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the
launch of the deployment phase of SESAR, the technological arm of the
Single European Sky (from 2014), moving from the R&D phase to the
rollout of new equipment and technology.
The "traffic
light" assessments published today by the Commission – based on two
progress reports – highlight serious cause for concern in relation to
two major elements which go to the heart of the Single European Sky
project: the performance scheme and the functional airspace blocks.
1. On the performance scheme:
The
result: Only 5 out of 27 Member States (Belgium, Denmark, Lithuania,
Luxembourg and the Netherlands) get a "green light" and are on track to
meet both targets (for cost and capacity/delays) for the period 2012–14.
The Commission has today issued recommendations asking Member States to
revise these targets. If necessary the Commission could adopt a binding
decision requesting the Member State(s) concerned to implement specific
corrective measures, although a short time remains available for the
targets to be met without recourse to this action.
Existing plans
by Member States would fail to meet the EU-wide capacity target of 0.5
minute delay per flight in 2014. If this target were achieved, some €920
million would be saved over 2012–14 due to fewer and shorter delays.
In
addition, national performance plans would miss the EU-wide target for
ATM cost efficiency by 2.4% in 2014. This would have a a major impact,
both on airspace users and on the credibility of the Single European
Sky. To meet the target, additional measures are needed to achieve a
€250 million saving over the entire three-year reference period
(2012–14).
2. On the functional airspace blocks (FABs)
The
result: All FAB blocks, except for one, the Danish/Swedish FAB, are in
the orange or red zone and give serious cause for concern. The
Commission is urging Member States to step up their actions. Failure to
take measures at national level could oblige the Commission to re-open
the SES legislative packages to introduce a more radical solution.
For detailed information on the two progress reports, performance targets and FABs see: MEMO/11/831.
Key Facts and figures: the Single European Sky
European
skies and airports risk saturation. Without substantial investment to
modernise Europe’s air traffic management system (the Single European
Sky), our skies and airports will be jam-packed.
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Already there are 1.4 billion passengers a year in 440 airports.
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That’s 26 000 flights a day criss-crossing the European sky.
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Each year there are 10 million flights; and that is growing by up to 5% each year.
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So
16.9 million flights per year in 20 years’ time – that means in 2030 as
many flights will cross Europe as there are inhabitants of Beijing. -
The challenge – flights that are smooth, safe and on time.
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Problem: the air traffic management system is archaic; some of the basic technologies used date from the 1950s.
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Solution:
modernisation of Europe’s airspace to create a pan-European air traffic
management (ATM) system, modernising a fragmented patchwork of 27
national airspaces,
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a) tripling the airspace capacity,
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b) improving safety tenfold,
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c) reducing environmental impact by 10%,
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d) reducing air traffic management costs by 50%.
Single European Sky implementation – the European Commission, Member States EUROCONTROL, SESAR and the aviation sector.
