Budget airlines want shake-up of EU air traffic control
27.03.08
The European Low Fares Airline Association, a group representing European budget airlines, has called for a shake-up of the way that air traffic is managed in Europe's crowded skies, citing big gains for the environment and consumers if their plans were adopted.
Europe's airspace is currently managed by a patchwork of national authorities. This means that air routes are often determined by national boundaries rather than the most direct route from one point to another.
The ELFAA has called for the creation by 2010 of a single European aviation authority that would handle both traffic management and safety issues. Under the plan, the new authority would incorporate existing national authorities as its regional offices.
Ryanair chief executive and founding member of the ELFAA, Michael O'Leary, accused national and EU authorities of stalling on plans to reform Europe's air traffic management. He said: ‘The EU's Single European Sky project has been gathering dust for over 10 years because those responsible for the inefficiency of the system are dragging their heels.'
‘European air traffic management inefficiency caused a scandalous 21 million minutes of flight delays in 2007. Removing this inefficiency equates to eliminating the emissions of 70 short-haul aircraft operating non-stop for a year. This would deliver massive benefits to consumers and to the environment.'
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