Year-end figures from the Association of European Airlines (AEA) confirm that last year broke all records, with over 30% of departures delayed by more than 15min. That figure has not been breached since the last crisis in June 1989. It marks a sixth straight year of deteriorating punctuality figures (see table). The AEA's accompanying report on airports shows those in Europe's southern capitals heading the list with about half of all flights delayed.
Europe's beleaguered air traffic service (ATS)providers, under intense pressure to avoid a repeat of the gridlock this summer, have set a target of bringing delays back to the level of mid-1997 while handling 5.3% more traffic this year. That has since been endorsed by transport ministers within the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) states, holding their sixth ministerial (MATSE/6) in Brussels on 28 January.
Airlines reacted with a mix of anger and disbelief at the modest nature of the target, pointing out that 1997 was itself a "crisis year" - the fifth worst on record - and that 5%growth in traffic is "unrealistic". Although MATSE/6 effectively hands Eurocontrol a mandate to force through short-term improvements, airlines in the AEA remain to be convinced whether even these "modest" goals can be met.
More fundamentally, the AEA airlines are incensed by what they see as a lack of commercial awareness on the part of the ATS community, which, they say, treats capacity constraints as the natural limit to market growth rather than passenger demand. The point was made in no uncertain terms by the AEA presidents at a stormy meeting with ECAC and Eurocontrol ahead of MATSE/6. Observers say that marked a new low in the relationship between the two sides, from which both are keen to recover.
Meanwhile, the EC is pressing on with its single-skies initiative for unified ATS provision in Europe. The day before MATSE/6 saw the first meeting of the high-level working group of civil and military aviation representatives. Chaired by Transport Commissioner Loyola de Palacio it is designed to move the initiative forward. The group promises to put forward hard proposals by the second half of the year, with the European Union transport ministers pledging to consider the initiative by mid-year.
ECAC, too, has asked its directors of civil aviation and Eurocontrol to recommend by year end "the way forward" in Europe. MATSE/6 also saw the launch of an ECAC Air Traffic Management Strategy 2000+, including use of new of satellite-based navigation technology.
| Intra-European delay rates | ||
| % of departures delayed by over 15min | ||
| Year | Full Year | Peak Month June |
| 1988 | 19.0% | 22.2% |
| 1989 | 23.8% | 30.8% |
| 1990 | 20.0% | 24.5% |
| 1991 | 18.8% | 25.9% |
| 1992 | 16.6% | 22.6% |
| 1993 | 12.7% | 13.1% |
| 1994 | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 1995 | 18.4% | 19.5% |
| 1996 | 18.5% | 18.4% |
| 1997 | 19.5% | 24.1% |
| 1998 | 22.8% | 29.2% |
| 1999 | 30.3% | 37.5% |
| Top 10 European airports by delays - '99 | ||
| Departure delays of over 15min | ||
| Airport | % of flights delayed | Ave delay (mins) |
| Milan Malpensa | 54% | 48.7 |
| Madrid | 48% | 48.4 |
| Barcelona | 48% | 49.4 |
| Rome | 37% | 43.3 |
| Munich | 37% | 42.3 |
| Athens | 37% | 46.0 |
| Paris CDG | 36% | 43.2 |
| Lisbon | 36% | 46.4 |
| Brussels | 35% | 38.8 |
| Geneva | 34% | 42.2 |
Source: Airline Business
