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Giving
over
control
It may be time for
governments to
shed the burden of
air traffic control
EMMA KELLY/LONDON
DAVID LEARMOUNT/LONDON
P
RIVATE PROVISION of air traffic services (ATS) may prove to be the way of die
future. Canada's ATS is already privatised
- but as a trust. The UK has just launched
a "public/private partnership" for its National
Air Traffic Services (NATS). New Zealand has
corporatised its air traffic control and Germany
is pondering privatising its already corporatised
system.
Despite an effective forum for ATS harmonisation - Eurocontrol - Europe's ATS efficiency is seriously impaired by dragging political
anchors. Every policy or equipment investment
decision needs clearance by the transport ministers of Eurocontrol's 28 member states, who
meet only twice a year. It is also saddled with an
airspace control structure dictated by "feudal"
borders which - in the European Union - have
no significance for any other form of transport.
A summer of air travel delay is forecast.
"Air traffic control efficiency is very difficult
in government systems," says Wolfgang
Philipp, Eurocontrol's senior director. "They
are always limited by government rules and a lot
of limitations." Private ATSs are also the answer
to border problems, he says. "Separation from
governmental control is the only way, in the
longer run, to give air navigation service
providers diefinancialand managerial freedom
to run their businesses. Nationalist thinking
disappears and business thinking arrives."
Philipp believes the privatisation of air
navigation service providers is right and
inevitable. As for the chairman of the UK's
30
Privatised air traffic control looks to the most efficient way forward in Europe
NATS, Sir Roy McNulty, "the status quo is not inefficiency of the old system, now structured
an option".
as a "not-for-profit" trust overseen by the interThrough Eurocontrol, Europe has defined ested parties, including regulator Transport
the ATC system tools to increase capacity and Canada. Surpluses go back into the system.
formalised them in an agreement known as
Last week, the UK Government cleared
ATM-2000+ Strategy. Looking forward as far NATS for sale under a public/private partneras 2015, it envisages pan-European air traffic ship, in which 51 % of the shares will be sold to a
management (ATM) and the abolition of "suitable" private sector bidder, and the govnational borders for ATC.
ernment will retain 49%, plus a golden share.
The desirability of a move to autonomous air McNulty, who was recruited to see NATS
navigation service providers was among the rec- through its transition to autonomy, sees not
ommendations agreed at the International Civil only the opportunity for providing the £1 bilAviation Organisation's May 1998 Worldwide lion ($ 1.6 billion) investment needed in the sysCNS/ATM Systems Implementation Conference tem
in over the next 10 years, but the chance to
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (CNS/ATM stands for expand if the market is allowed to liberalise.
communications, navigation and surveilPhilipp predicts: "I can see, infiveto 10 years'
lance/air traffic management). ICAO strongly time, air navigation service provision moving in
advocates co-operative airspace management. similar ways to the telecom industry. We will see
The main reason that ICAO pushes for fewer air navigation service providers and more
autonomy is that it providesfinancialfreedom co-operation among them. We cannot afford to
to invest in more efficient CNS/ATM and do otherwise in the future."
implement it more quickly. "Autonomous,"
The airlines, whether through the
does not necessarily mean "privatised", ICAO Association of European Airlines or Interemphasises: it defines an autonomous authority national Air Transport Association, have a comas an independent organisation established to mon agenda, and it harmonises with Philipp's
operate certain systems and provide specific ser- vision. IATA has just brought out a five-point
vices, with operational andfinancialfreedom to plan. Its director general, Pierre Jeanniot, plans
carry out its functions. Autonomy, says ICAO, to meet transport ministers of the main
also implies corporate or commercial-type Eurocontrol member states one by one to
management.
spread the gospel, which includes:
• ensuring rapid progress toward a common
airspace policy for the European Civil Aviation
UNION DISAPPROVAL
Controller unions, on the whole, do not object Conference (ECAC) states, common rulemakto trusts or to corporatisation, but do not ing and speedy implementation;
approve of privatisation. The Institution of • giving Eurocontrol regulatory powers:
Professionals, Managers and Specialists, which • privatising or corporatising all national ATS
represents UK controllers, does not approve of providers;
the public/private partnership, saying the profit • devising efficiency incentives for ATS
motive threatens safety because the company providers;
no longer has safety as its sole objective.
• implementing an ECAC-wide capacity
Tom Fudakowski, director of air navigation planning system.
The universal message to governments is that
services at Nav Canada, says the Canadian
organisation was born of a consensus by airlines, if they cannot provide efficient air traffic congovernment, private aircraft owners, pilots and trol, they should hand over its management to
•
unions. The motivation was frustration with the organisations which can.
FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 4 - 10 August 1999