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Aviation History
1995
1995 - 3493.PDF
EDITORIAL UK Editorial Enquiries Editorial Fax Editor Allan Winn Editor's PA Lisa Jenkins Deputy Editor Forbes Mutch News Editor Andrew Chuter Operations/Safety Editor David Learmount Business Editor Kevin O'Toole Commercial Aviation Editor Kieran Daly Defence Aviation Editor Douglas Barrie Aviation Research Editor Jennifer Pite Technical Reporter Andrew Doyle Editorial Assistant Kale Sarsfield Production Editor Chris Thornton Art Editor Alexis Rendell Layout Sub-Editor Annabel Wells Technical Artist Tim Hall Technical Artist David Hatchard Technical Artist Giuseppe Picarella Spaceflight Correspondent Tim Furniss Photographer (Europe) Mark Wagner Picture Librarian: Kim Heam EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST European Editor Julian Moxon +44(181)652 3842 +44(181)652 3840 +44(181)652 3882 +44(181)652 3882 +44(181)6523852 +44(181)6523843 +44(181)6523845 +44(181)652 3835 +44(181)652 3837 +44(181)652 3834 +44(181)652 3847 +44(181)652 3838 +44(181)652 3842 +44(181)652 3850 +44(181)6523828 +44(181)6523848 +44(181)6528047 +44(181)6528047 +44(181)6528054 +44(1237)471960 +44(181)944 5225 +44(181)652 3427 aOMMZM'f +33(1)46 2947 61 (Fax+33 (1)46 29 47 49] Munich Correspondent Andrzej Jeziorski +49 (89) 6891041 [Fax+49 (89) 6891045] Paris Correspondent Gilbert Sedbon Israel Correspondent Arte Egozi Moscow Correspondent Alexander Velovich +33(1)4825 5261 +972(3)9671155 +7(095)3934717 (Fax+7 (095) 393 4717] AMERICAS American Editor Graham Warwick +1(770)587 2927 [Fax+1(770) 5941534] Washington Correspondent Ramon Lopez +1 (703) 836 7443 [Fax+1(703) 836 8344] West Coast Correspondent Guy Norris +1 (714) 252 8971 [Fax+1(714) 252 8972] ASM PACIFIC • Asian Editor (Singapore) Paul Lewis Australian Correspondent Paul Phelan +65 2263188 [Fax+65 2271769] +61(70)532 791 [Fax+61 (70) 533 003] DISPLAY ADVERTISEMENT SALES UK and EUROPE Display Advertising Enquiries +44 (181) 652 3315 Display Advertising Fax +44 (181) 652 8981 Group Advertisement Director Trevor Parker +44 (181) 652 3319 Secretary Lisa Devlin +44(181)652 3315 Advertisement Production Display/Classified Howard Mason +44(181)6523267 EAST EUROPE, GERMANY, SCANDINAVIA, UK Senior Area Manager Robin Gordon +44 (181) 652 4998 NETHERLANDS, PORTUGAL, SPAIN, UK Area Manager Janice Lowe +44 (181) 652 3316 FRANCE Sales Director France Pierre Mussard ITALY Representative Romano Ferrario NORTH AMERICA Vice-president US Sales John Tidy Sales Director East Coast Robert Hancock Sales Director Mid-West & Canada Gene Glendinning Traffic Manager Debbie Kolb MIDDLE EAST Robin Gordon ASM, AUSTRAUA +33(1)46 2946 29 [Fax +33 (1)40 93 03 37] +39(2)66034435 [Fax+39 (2) 6603 4367] +1(714)7561057 (Fax+1(714) 756 2514) +1(703)836 7444 [Fax+1(703) 836 7446] +1(708)304 5588 [Fax+1(708) 304 9559] +1(212)545 5376 (Fax+1(212) 679 9455] +44(181)6524998 Singapore Account Manager Karen Kwan +65 226 3188 [Fax+65 223 6960] CLASSIFIED & RECRUITMENT Group Advertisement Manager Gareth Pask International Sales Executives Mo Buttivant Judith Slann Classified Sales Executives Sarah Harvey Simon Lees Lucy Middelboe Enquiries Classified USA Gail Tavelman Classified Asia/Pacific Karen Kwan Publisher Gavin Howe +44(181)6524814 +44(181)7703032 +44(181)7703011 +44(181)770 3010 +44(181)770 3027 +44(181)7703030 +44(181)6616373 +1(212)545 5403 +65226 3188 +44(181)652 3675 AIR TRAFFIC MISMANAGEMENT THE WESTERN air-transport industry realised around 1989 that the most enor mous commercial opportunity in the entire transition to the Future Air Navigation System (FANS) was opening up before its very eyes: Russia needed a new navigation infrastruc ture. Since then it has deluged Moscow with advice — some of it wrong, most of it self- serving, much of it contradictory. The result is that, far from clearing Russia's skies for Western airlines, the industry has helped to create an almost impenetrable fog of confusion. There is nothing wrong with providing self-serving advice as long as it is the widest possible spread of interest which is ulti mately served. Some things, however, are done only once in a lifetime, and have to be done correctly or not at all: this awesome project is one of mem. The transition to the FANS in the Pacific region is proving, above all, that a clear state ment of needs from the airlines is crucial. Those carriers know what they want, and have given the air-traffic service-providers the con fidence to press ahead with the breath-taking move away from ground-based aids and proce dural control. The story in Russia is a less happy one and, paradoxically, it is the airlines which are sub stantially to blame. It would be absurd to criti cise the suppliers thrusting their wares on the Russians. Some of their products are, frankly, unsuitable for a country driving towards a FANS infrastructure, but that is the nature of capitalism. What is vital is that the user-com munity provides the service-provider with sound advice, and that is precisely what has not happened. Instead, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has got itself into a dread ful mess over the whole issue. It has committed two basic sins: it has allowed itself to be hijacked by a powerful minority interest in its membership; and it has strayed way outside its area of expertise. Russia's air-traffic management (ATM) authority, Rosaeronavigatsia, was faced with a : i J i IB • [MTWmL "The fear is that Russia will adopt a series of isolated, unco-ordinated, primarily vendor-driven ATM systems." from other airlines. fundamental choice over FANS: it could accept the European-funded, American-sup ported proposal to issue a single, over-arching tender for the modernisation of its system, or it could address the task piecemeal in a series of contracts with indi vidual suppliers. IATA, as the repre sentative of most of the West's airlines, seemed the logical source of advice on this choice. Alas (as some of its officials now admit) IATA does not have the expertise to judge this issue. Unfortunately, at the urging of one of its most powerful members with inter ests in Russia — United Airlines — it has already publicly backed the second alternative in the face of bitter opposition Worse still, because United actively supports a proposal from a particular supplier — ARINC — IATA is now identified with that specific solution. Belatedly, some within IATA are admitting that the organisation has got it wrong. There is nothing to say that there is anything wrong technically with the ARINC solution: it is merely rJiat die solution addresses just one part of the total Russian problem and — crucially — there is no agreed method of funding it. In contrast, the European solution encompasses the whole of Russia, has the backing of the USA, and a guarantee of funding from the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development. The fear is diat Russia will now follow other CIS states down the road of adopting a series of isolated, unco-ordinated, primarily vendor-driven ATM systems. Having painted itself into this particular corner, LATA is short on options, but two things should be done. The first is that, so far as is practicable, IATA should go no further in pro-actively supporting any particular vendor's proposal, but should throw all its efforts into ensuring that the best solution for the majority of its members is chosen. Perhaps more importandy, though, IATA needs to think hard about its role in contributing to technical debates. If it does not have the necessary expertise itself, it should do what its members do — buy it or hire it. • FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 6 - 12 December 1995
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