Mr. Robert HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice he received from the Civil Aviation Authority on the likelihood of flight delays during the summer months; what number of delayed flights and number of passenger hours' delay were predicted; and how those forecasts relate to actual delays so far.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe authority advised my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in March of the intention of the National Air Traffic Services to apply flow management restrictions during the summer months of 1988, with the overall effect of reducing peak hour rates by 10 per cent. compared to those applying in 1987. The delays to flights caused by flow management restrictions imposed in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe could not be quantified accurately in advance. NATS anticipated an increase compared to the average delay of 10 to 15 minutes experienced in 1987. Each summer season's activities are analysed by the CAA, in collaboration with other European air traffic services and representatives of both scheduled and charter airline operators, in order to identify bottlenecks and to seek the most beneficial traffic flows for the following season.