2006 was one of the best years ever for air traffic management, EUROCONTROL, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, said. The number of flights reached an all-time high in…
2006 was one of the best years ever for air traffic management, EUROCONTROL, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, said. The number of flights reached an all-time high in 2006 – up 4.1% on 2005 at over 9.6 million.
Despite this increase, average air traffic flow management delay per flight remained the same as in 2005 at 1.9 minutes. This is particularly impressive given the unusually high proportion of special events in 2006. These included among others weather disruptions, the Football World Cup in Germany, the security threat in the United Kingdom and the war in the Lebanon.
“The fact that in 2006, 9.6 million flights were dealt with safely, and with no increase in average delay per flight emphasises once again the need for pan-European action to deal with pan-European issues – and the Central Flow Management Unit is crucial in this regard,” said Victor M. Aguado, Director General of EUROCONTROL.
The pan-European efforts that have been made to improve safety also delivered results in 2006. A study carried out by EUROCONTROL in 2006 found that air traffic safety management frameworks both among air navigation service providers and regulators have been considerably strengthened over the past 4 years – a conclusion backed up by the fact that there have been no ATM-related accidents since 2002.
Increased focus on the environment in 2006 was reflected in the work carried out by EUROCONTROL and its partners. The implementation of the flexible use of airspace in Europe is currently saving 400,000 tonnes of CO2 annually. By suggesting more direct routings whenever possible and by keeping aircraft delayed on the ground with engines switched off, EUROCONTROL’s Central Flow Management Unit also contributes significantly to reducing emissions on a daily basis.
“Together with the aviation industry, EUROCONTROL is taking all possible measures to improve the efficiency of the European air traffic management system while mitigating the environmental impact of aviation, to ensure the long-term sustainability of the air transport industry. The results in 2006 have been excellent. Our challenge is to improve on that record in 2007,” Mr Aguado added.
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