WRITTEN QUESTION E-2041/99

by Helena Torres Marques (PSE) to the Commission

(3 November 1999)

Subject: Flight delays in the European Union

Air traffic control is said to be the cause of the delays which consistently affect intra-European flights, with serious personal and financial consequences for passengers and users of freight transport. This problem also affects the image of airlines, which also suffer considerably from the increasing number of charges they have to pay for the use of each section of airspace and the heavy costs arising from the amount of time during which aircraft and their crews are unable to fly.

Will the Commission state what body should be deemed responsible for these serious disruptions and what measures it can take to remedy or, at least, improve the situation?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(16 December 1999)

In application of the provisions of the Chicago Convention, the provision of air traffic services is a responsibility of States. In view of the difficulties mentioned by the Honourable Member the Commission has suggested in the past that the Community should act in this field and presented appropriate measures in two communications(1).

The ATM community and more generally Member States perceived the proposals of the Commission as unduly interfering with the established regional (Eurocontrol) and national frameworks where similar problems were addressed and, according to them, well in hand. In recent years, however, these organisations have shown their inability to respond adequately to the demand of airspace users in terms of providing increased capacity and flight efficiency.

The further deterioration of the situation convinced the Council to put the question on the agenda of its meeting last June 1999 and to invite the Commission to analyse the situation, identify possible new initiatives and report back in December 1999. In this context, the Commission has approved on 1 December 1999 a communication to the Council and the Parliament on the current situation of air traffic delays and on new initiatives to be taken to provide the Community with the air traffic management system it needs to remedy the existing chaotic situation.

In parallel, the Commission is negotiating the accession of the Community to Eurocontrol so that the Community may become a full member of this international organisation and develop its initiatives within the institutional framework established at European level.

(1) Communication from the Commission to the Council and the Parliament on congestion and crisis in air traffic (COM(95) 318 final) and the Air traffic management (ATM) white paper Freeing Europe's airspace (COM(96) 57 final).