Air traffic system ‘unfair’

By Véronique Vallières

Date: 28/10/04

THE European air traffic industry risks conflicts of interest and unfair competition if it does not reform air traffic management at a European level, air traffic controllers are warning.

The Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) is calling for changes to the way Eurocontrol works, accusing it of confusing the role of regulator and provider.

The group argues that while the structure of Eurocontrol might have been appropriate when air traffic management was implemented at a national level, it should now be re-shaped. Its recommendations drew an angry response from Eurocontrol, which described them as "meaningless and wrong".

CANSO accuses Eurocontrol of trying to hang on to its current responsibilities, as a provider of air traffic control, while assuming a more regulatory role. CANSO points out that in recent years national air traffic control organizations have deepened the separation between regulator and provider.

The danger, it argues, is that there will be a risk of conflicts of interest, that there will be a confusion caused by duplication of regulatory authorities (both the European Commission and Eurocontrol) and that there will be unfair competition because Eurocontrol's air safety activities are "effectively subsidized".

It argues that Eurocontrol is often perceived as "wishing to take the lead" in all aspects of delivery and regulation.

Jean-Jacques Sauvage, the director-general's chef de cabinet at Eurocontrol, said that CANSO case did "not take into consideration the judicial base on which Eurocontrol works and it does not represent the position of the providers, nor of the European Commission".

He said his organization would not implement the recommendations, which were "meaningless and wrong, a bit ridiculous, even". "If one implements all the recommendations as they are in this press release, Eurocontrol does not even exist anymore," he added.

CANSO, the world body for air traffic control organizations, argues there is a role for Eurocontrol, but that role has been changed by the EU's recently passed regulations to introduce a Single European Sky. It believes Eurocontrol should concentrate on using its expertise to support the EU as regulator. "The regulator, the European Commission, can't write laws and operate within those laws," CANSO Secretary-General Alexander ter Kuile said.

The Association of European Airlines (AEA) agreed with CANSO's call for changes, but said there should be a timeframe to implement changes. "In principle we support the recommendations, but what we'd like to see attached to that is a clear timeline of action," said AEA's general manager for technical and operations Günther Martis.

Following the major crisis for the airline industry after the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States, efforts were made in Europe to restructure and deregulate the European Union market to enable airlines to operate successfully again.

Air traffic controllers were warning that European air traffic industry risked conflicts of interest and unfair competition if it did not reform air traffic management at a European level. The Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) was calling for changes to the way Eurocontrol works, accusing it of confusing the role of regulator and provider.