Air tragedy over Germany may boost single sky case, says MEP

Date: 04/07/02

By Laurence Frost

THE tragic air disaster over southern Germany has strengthened the case for a single European air-traffic-control zone, according to MEP Marieke Sanders-Ten Holte.

The Dutch Liberal, who is drafting the European Parliament's contribution to proposals for a 'single European sky', was speaking after Swiss air traffic controllers admitted a crucial warning system had been switched off for maintenance at the time of the crash on Monday (1 July).

'The fragmentation of European air traffic control is not good any more,' Sanders-Ten Holte said.

'This accident could be an illustration.'

The two planes - a Russian passenger airliner and a DHL cargo plane - were both flying at 11,000 metres when they collided and plummeted to earth, killing all 71 people aboard, including 52 Russian children.

Early in the investigation, it emerged that the Russian jet had first been asked to change course just 50 seconds before disaster struck over the German town of Ueberlingen, near the border with Switzerland.

Swiss air traffic control company Skyguide admitted yesterday that an automatic warning system that should have raised the alarm much earlier had been out of action for repairs at the time.

Roger Gabarelle, a spokesman for the state-owned company, said the system shutdown was routine. 'That is always being done at night, because that's when there's the least traffic,' he said.

But aviation experts say other mistakes appear to have contributed to the tragedy, since the Russian plane should not normally have been allowed to remain at 11,000 metres as it entered Swiss airspace and was handed over to Zurich air-traffic controllers by their counterparts in Munich.

'Normally planes coming in from the east are expected to change altitude as soon as they enter Swiss airspace,' said one senior European air traffic control source, on condition of anonymity. 'They have ample time to make the altitude change - this is normal practice.'

Under the single sky proposals tabled by Loyola de Palacio, EU transport commissioner, existing national and regional airspace blocks would be merged to create larger areas supervised by fewer control centres - with more time to prepare for a reduced number of hand-overs.

The plan would establish uniform air traffic control procedures, equipment standards and safety monitoring across Europe. But the proposal prompted strikes last month by air traffic controllers unions, who say it will encourage privatisation and reduce safety - a claim refuted by its supporters.

'The single sky proposals will not make flying less safe, as air traffic controllers would have us believe,' said Sanders-Ten Holte. 'They will improve safety.'

Joel Cariou, spokesman for the ATCEUC umbrella group of air traffic controllers' unions, said it was too early to comment on the implications of the Lake Konstanz crash, but stated that the single sky package 'would not bring any safety benefits'.

MEPs are to hold their first vote on the de Palacio proposal when the Parliament's transport committee meets next Wednesday (10 July).

De Palacio's spokesman Gilles Gantelet declined to comment on the accident until more was known about its causes.

The air crash over southern Germany on 1 July 2002 has strengthened the case for a single European air-traffic-control zone, according to MEP Marieke Sanders-Ten Holte.