§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if civil airlines flying into United Kingdom airports are required to have radar enabling their pilots to detect other planes or flying objects directly below them. [82849]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonMany passenger transport aeroplanes flying in UK airspace already have an airborne collision avoidance system installed and operating. This system is known as Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) II. It can provide advisory information including recommended avoidance manoeuvres to the pilot if another aircraft equipped with an operating transponder beacon is likely to pass too close. The intruder aircraft may be coming from any direction and may be above, below or at the same level as the aeroplane equipped with TCAS.
With effect from 1 January 2000, all aeroplanes with more than 30 passenger seats or with a maximum take off mass that exceeds 15,000 kilogrammes will need to be equipped with an improved version of TCAS II that offers enhanced operational performance. It is intended that by 1 January 2005 this requirement should be extended to all aeroplanes that have more than 19 passenger seats or a maximum take off mass of more than 5,700 kilogrammes.