"Significant" European Air Traffic Delays Expected
Eurocontrol, which is responsible for air traffic management in Europe, has warned there may be "significant" air traffic delays at airports across the continent this summer.
The organisation said the growth in air traffic expected during 2008 would mean parts of Europe's air traffic control (ATC) system will reach capacity, leading to on-ground delays at airports at peak times of activity in the busy summer months.
David McMillan, Eurcontrol director-general, said: "Growth in air traffic will continue, and ATC is operating at capacity in some places, so there is a real risk of significant delays this summer, with disruption for airlines and their passengers."
Airport and ATC Capacity
Eurcontrol said the delays it expects to see in the summer will be caused by a combination of growing air traffic levels and a lack of capacity at airports and ATC systems.
The agency explained there is an imbalance between the amount of air traffic expected to take to the skies in Europe this year, and the capacity available on the ground at airports and within the ATC system to handle this traffic, meaning that delays are likely to occur.
According to their research, air traffic is expected to grow by 4.2% during 2008.
Eurocontrol expects this growth to mean average ATFM (Air Traffic Flow Management) delays of more than 3 minutes per flight. Last year, the average delay per flight was 2.1 minutes.
Looking ahead, McMillan said: "We will be working with our partners in air traffic control, in airports and airlines to get all the capacity we can out of the system."
Eurcontrol: European Air Traffic "Surged" During 2007
Announcing the expected delays, Eurocontrol revealed that during 2007 Europe's air traffic "surged" by over 5.3%.
Over 10 million flights took place across the continent last year - an average of 27, 676 each day.
Eurcontrol said the increase was mainly caused by the expansion of activity at airports in Eastern Europe, as well as the continuing growth of low-cost carriers.
Source - Airport International's Aviation Correspondent
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