§ Lord Lyellasked Her Majesty's Government:
What strategy the Government have for tackling air traffic congestion in Europe.
§ Viscount DavidsonThe Government and the Civil Aviation Authority have reviewed the provision of air traffic control in Europe. We consider that in addition to initiatives taken in the past year, Western European states should now work urgently towards the integration of their air traffic control systems. In order to achieve this, states would need to enter into a specific commitment to integrate their system to an agreed timetable and to bring about the necessary changes to the institutional framework.
We envisage that the integrated system would be operated from a series of area control centres which would have compatible systems and equipment and would be connected by a common communications network. Some changes of airspace boundaries might be agreed but we would expect most control centres to continue to be operated by national authorities. The system would function irrespective of state boundaries, which would become transparent to airspace users. Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, would be given an enhanced role in developing a single integration plan and in helping national authorities to expedite its implementation.
In response to a UK proposal, the European Civil Aviation Conference recently established a task force to examine the scope for further integration of air traffic control systems in Europe. The UK will be playing a leading part in the work of the task force, and we will be putting forward proposals at the first meeting of the task force on 3rd November. The task force's report will be considered at a meeting of European Transport Ministers in the spring of 1990 at which we hope the governments of Western Europe will agree a timetable for the necessary technical and institutional changes.