Heathrow Air Traffic Control System (Hansard, 21 May 1992)

The Minister of State, Department of Transport (The Earl of Caithness)
My Lords, a new computer system for air traffic control operations was installed at the London Air Traffic Control Centre in April 1990 at a cost of £22 million. This system has a complete back-up and the National Air Traffic Services has recently extended its power supply system to provide further stand-by support.

Lord Campbell of Croy
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for his reply which indicates that the forecasts given to me at Question Time in the past by my noble friend Lord Brabazon have been fulfilled. However, is he aware that as recently as 8th May announcements were made over the loudspeakers at the airport that the computer system had broken down which caused exasperating delays at one of the busiest hub airports in the world? Can my noble friend say whether that was a freak incident which is unlikely to occur again?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, I am sorry that my noble friend was caught up in the delay on 8th May when some flights were delayed for up to 54 minutes. Since the new computer was installed there have been eight failures and five of them had no effect at all on air traffic services. The total outage, as it is called, which is the downtime of the computer since it was installed, is only four and a half hours. The availability of the system has been 99.98 per cent.

§ Lord Ezra
My Lords, what impact might a possible fifth terminal have on air traffic delays?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, there are lots of reasons for air traffic delays, not all of which are in the hands of the air traffic controllers. For example, there is congestion in parts of Europe at the moment and other air traffic problems over Europe affect people who are travelling into and out of this country. The issue of a fifth terminal at Heathrow and of further extensions is a different question.

§ Lord Boyd-Carpenter
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that in the light of the enormous volume of traffic coming into Heathrow the air traffic control system there is one of the best in the world?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, it has certainly been substantially improved as a result of the installation of the new computers. I read in the newspapers this morning that there was a delay of one and a half hours at Frankfurt yesterday.

§ Lord Clinton-Davis
My Lords, bearing in mind that as a result of our debates and a report it is widely acknowledged in this House that, if we are to have a much more competitive air transport system in Europe, it is critically important that we have a much better and more co-ordinated system of air traffic control, what progress has been made on achieving the objectives of the action programme that was initiated by the European civil aviation conference managed by Eurocontrol?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, the noble Lord has made a good point. What we need is harmonisation and integration of the various air traffic controls throughout Europe. That is what we are pressing for. That is subsidiarity. The European Commission must set the standards that we have to meet, not impose a uniform standard on all of us.

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, what improvements have taken place in the reliability of the new computer system since it was installed in 1988? Should not the House congratulate the staff and controllers of National Air Traffic Services on producing what is probably the most reliable system in Europe?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, I am sure that the whole House would like to endorse the remarks of my noble friend in congratulating this country's air traffic controllers, and especially those in London, who deal regularly with more than 1 million air traffic movements a year and cover an area of 100,000 square miles. In 1988, there were 25 hours of outage with the London computer, whereas, as I have said, there were four and a half hours in 1990–92. That figure does not take into account the vast increase in air traffic.

§ Lord John-Mackie
My Lords, is the Minister aware that a straight-through rail system from the centre of London to Stansted would relieve London airport tremendously? If the Minister were to hump his luggage over the staircases at Liverpool Street Station, he would know why I am asking this question.

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, Stansted is, of course, a London airport.

§ Lord Glenarthur
My Lords, part of the purpose of the computer is to cope with the numbers of aircraft using United Kingdom airspace and with aircraft entering Europe and elsewhere. One related aspect is the sheer amount of the congestion that inevitably arises in congested airspace. Will the route up the east coast of the country, which is used by military airspace 684 and which has greatly improved access to Edinburgh and Aberdeen, continue to be used and put on a more permanent basis?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, we are always looking at ways of trying to improve the air traffic systems over this country. Considerable work is being undertaken, with investment in a new en route centre at Southampton. There are proposals for another in Scotland. I am sure that that will increase capacity and safety enormously.

§ Lord Parry
My Lords, without being in the least complacent about the individual difficulty that inspired the original Question, does the Minister accept that many of us underwrite the words of the noble Lord, Lord Boyd-Carpenter, and pay tribute both to the British Airports Authority and to the individual controllers at the other airports in Britain who are contributing enormously to the economy of this country?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Lord for his remarks.

Lord Bruce of Donington
My Lords, at some time convenient to themselves, will the Government publish a statement giving in greater detail their attitude towards the future of Eurocontrol?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, if the noble Lord would like to table a Question on that, I should be delighted to try to answer it for him.

§ Lord Clinton-Davis
My Lords, with respect, the Minister simply did not answer my question. Largely at the initiative of his own Government, the European civil aviation conference initiated an action programme to integrate air traffic systems to optimise the air traffic route network in Europe. As this is a matter closely associated with the Question, will the Minister tell the House what progress is being made with regard to that action programme?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, the noble Lord is absolutely right that it was at our initiative that that happened. As I updated him in an earlier answer, the Commission has put forward a proposal. That will be discussed and will be taken forward under our Presidency. The key thing is that we must have an integrated system rather than having a system forced upon us.

§ Lord Harmar-Nicholls
My Lords, before my noble friend takes too much into account the great contribution that will be made from Europe, may I remind him that those of us who served on the transport committee during the last parliamentary Session and who had to interrogate the people concerned very soon discovered that Europe had very little to offer over and above the experience that is available in our own country, namely at London airport?

The Earl of Caithness
My Lords, there is no doubt that in the field of aviation Britain leads the world.