Air Transport: EC Council Meeting (Hansard, 15 June 1989)

§ Viscount Davidson
My Lords, I am pleased to inform the House, and in particular the noble Baroness, that the Council of Ministers adopted three aviation measures at its meetings on 5th June. These were: (a) a regulation governing the operation of computerised reservation systems; (b) an amendment to the Inter-Regional Air Services Directive; and (c) a resolution on air traffic system capacity problems. We believe that the Commission will be taking account of our paper in formulating. its proposals for further liberalisation in 1990.

§ Baroness Burton of Coventry
My Lords, I am delighted that at last the Minister has some good news to report. However, perhaps I may refer to one of the measures mentioned in his reply and one which I suggest is the most important. It concerns the resolution dealing with air traffic capacity and congestion. Can the Minister say whether the resolution is not as strongly worded as some Ministers had hoped? Further, can he say whether the Government agree that a unified air traffic control system in Europe is now of the utmost urgency? Can he also say what is being done to persuade other European governments to give their support to this measure?

§ Viscount Davidson
My Lords, so far as concerns the noble Baroness's first question, the Government are entirely content with the wording of the resolution, which was unanimously agreed by the Transport Council on 5th June. In answer to her suggestion as regards a unified air traffic control system, the Government feel that the establishment of such a system would divert energies away from the priority tasks and cause major disruption. It is not at all clear whether it would be practicable; it certainly could not be achieved in the short term.
However, we need to move rapidly in harmonising the European air traffic control systems and improving co-ordination among them. That will be the next best thing to a unified system. Central flow management will be a major step forward and I 1512 hope that we shall approve Eurocontrol's detailed implementation plan next month.

§ Lord Underhill
My Lords, does the noble Viscount recall that during a previous exchange of questions I referred to a consultation document issued by the CAA (CAP 548) in which the issue of air capacity congestion was stressed as being a most important item? I expressed the concern that many European countries seemed to lack a sense of urgency in dealing with the matter. I mention that fact because it has now been suggested that delays this year will be due to the lack of adequate aircraft through the grounding of the Boeing planes.
I wonder whether the noble Viscount has either heard or had brought to his attention a statement made in the holiday programme "Breakaway" which was screened last Saturday. It was suggested that delays are inevitable this year because of the failure of some European states to introduce flow management; the lack of adequate control staff in some European states; the lack of training; and also the lack of adequate salaries. They seem to me to be important matters which ought to be considered by the European Ministers.

§ Viscount Davidson
My Lords, that was rather a lengthy question and I hope that the House will forgive me if I give a rather lengthy answer because I think that this is a most important matter. In March, ICAO experts agreed on a new traffic orientation system which will spread traffic on the busiest European routes more evenly over the European ATC network. European states are co-operating to make certain weekend routes available, in agreement with military authorities, at peak traffic periods on weekdays.
Conference communications facilities came into operation in April among the air traffic co-management units of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK and have already made significant improvements to flow management in Europe. The problems referred to by the noble Lord, Lord Underhill, arose from shortages of air traffic controllers and industrial action outside the UK. All countries are actively engaged in training more controllers, but that cannot be done overnight. I cannot comment on industrial problems in other countries. However, I am satisfied that the authorities concerned are doing everything they can to tackle the causes.

§ Baroness Burton of Coventry
My Lords, perhaps I may refer to the answer which the Minister gave to my supplementary question. First, do I understand that the resolution dealing with air traffic capacity and so on was worded strongly enough for the British Government? Secondly, I do not know whether it is a matter of semantics, but am I correct in thinking that the Minister said that co-operation in air traffic control was the next best thing to a unified air traffic control system? Thirdly, as I understand that all the airlines are asking for a unified air traffic control system in Europe, can he enlarge upon the matter?

§ Viscount Davidson
My Lords, I said that a unified air traffic control system would take a long time to install and that it would create a lot of disruption in the meantime. Therefore, as the noble Baroness rightly understood, the next best thing is to harmonise and co-ordinate among all the countries involved. I also said in my reply that the Government are entirely content with the wording of the resolution.

§ Lord Tordoff
My Lords, will the noble Viscount accept that it would be better to be pressing in the long term for the best system rather than the second best?

§ Viscount Davidson
On balance, my Lords, no.

§ Lord Underhill
My Lords, I am sorry to intervene yet again in this matter, but do the noble Viscount's answers mean that the British Government have less faith in the development of Eurocontrol? I understood that that was the position from a recent answer which I was given. During that exchange I praised the noble Lord, Lord Brabazon of Tara, for the work that he has done on Eurocontrol.

§ Viscount Davidson
My Lords, I think that it is a matter of semantics; the Government are fully in favour of Eurocontrol and its expansion. However, that is not exactly the same as a unified system, which is what I understood the noble Baroness to be referring to.

§ Baroness Burton of Coventry
My Lords, is it not correct that the airlines have asked for a unified air traffic control system in Europe? Further, can the Minister clarify the matter with the airlines or perhaps by means of a Written Answer to the House?

§ Viscount Davidson
My Lords, yes; I shall write to the noble Baroness.