A manifesto to cut air traffic delays by three quarters by 2013 and completely by 2020 has been launched by the European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA) in Brussels.
Reducing aviation emissions above EU airspace by 10% before 2013 is another goal of its Airspace Manifesto.
”European Air Traffic Management (ATM) inefficiency caused a scandalous 21m minutes of flight delays in 2007,” said Ryanair CEO Michael O”Leary, a founding member of ELFAA. ”Removing this inefficiency would equate to eliminating the emissions of 70 short-haul aircraft operating non-stop for a year and would deliver massive benefits to consumers and to the environment.
”Airlines and their passengers are being asked to pay more and more for this inefficient mess which costs ”7bn ( $11 bn) annually and is keeping the cost of European air travel artificially high. European ATM reform would eliminate this waste, enhance safety and deliver consumer savings of ”5bn per annum.”
He said the EU”s Single European Sky project, aimed at reforming the ATM, has been ”gathering dust” for more than a decade because those responsible for the ”gross inefficiency of the system” ” the national air navigation service providers (ANSPs) ” ”are dragging their heels.”
ELFAA secretary general John Hanlon added: ”We are calling on the European Commission, which is currently developing its legislative proposals for the Single European Sky II, to press for the full extent of the urgent radical reform required. We also urge EU Member States and ANSPs to actively support this.”
The Association said its reforms would halve unit costs for ATM in Europe by 2013 and by 75% before 2020. Currently, it said European unit rates vary from ”15 to almost ”80, and that these are ”nearly twice as high as in the US.”
ELFAA members include easyJet and Flybe.