European air traffic congestion problems bear likeness to those in America

Helsinki arrivals can expect baggage handling problems until 2009

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Congestion problems in the airspace and at the airports of Europe are similar to, and at times even worse than those in the world’s busiest air traffic market, the United States.
      The Association of European Airlines’ (AEA) airport-specific statistics make depressing reading. In the first quarter of this year, at London’s Heathrow airport 30 per cent of the arrivals were at least 15 minutes late. For Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Helsinki-Vantaa the corresponding percentages were 26, 25, and 21.
     
The average delay at Helsinki-Vantaa International was 40 minutes, in other words even worse than the much-maligned Heathrow’s 37 minutes. And yet, in air traffic terms the first quarter is still a relatively quiet time compared to the peak season in the summer, although weather-wise it can often be more problematic.
      Of the Nordic quality airlines, SAS’s punctuality rate sank to 78 percent, in other words, 22 out of a hundred flights were delayed. The carrier's 90% target for scheduling accuracy was last achieved in 2003.
     
According to the AEA statistics, the Finnish national carrier Finnair was the third most punctual airline in flights over short and mid-range distances, with an 85% on-time rating, and the sixth in the long-haul traffic with 75% punctuality.
      The corresponding placements for Scandinavian rivals SAS were tenth and ninth.
     
The fundamental reason for the delays is the same on both sides of the Atlantic. The development of the air traffic infrastructure, both in the sky and on the ground, has failed to keep up with the growing traffic volumes. In Europe, nevertheless, the growth has been more moderate than in the United States. And there are notably fewer private jets in the air over Europe as well.
      For example, in the New York City airspace private and company jets make up 20-30 per cent of the flights. And though they account for 16 per cent of the air traffic control costs, their payments only cover three per cent of air traffic control revenue, The New York Times reports.
     
The worst bottlenecks in both regions are the airports, which quite simply have reached their nether limits as to how many landings and take-offs they can handle in a certain time frame.
      In Europe, part of the problem is also the air traffic control system, which still for the most part adheres to national borders. Compared with the United States, Europe also has more military air traffic control zones, whish force civilian planes to perform expensive and time-consuming detours.
     
No immediate relief is in sight to solve the problem. Though the EU Commission has agreed to seek ways to harmonise the flight control system, the objective is far from being realised any time soon. New airports or even new runways are not being constructed, and investment plans are often wrecked by local opposition, something which seems to be happening with Heathrow as well.
     
And worse still, what does not show up in the accuracy statistics of the airlines is the time the passengers end up spending at the luggage reclaim carousels before being able to continue their journeys. This has been a major issue at Helsinki-Vantaa this summer in particular. In the period from April to June, for instance, 15 bags per 1000 passengers coming into Helsinki did not arrive with their owners.
      The situation is not expected to get better before 2009, when a terminal building with new baggage handling facilities will open.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Delays with luggage reclaim at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport look set to continue into August (31.7.2007)
  Third terminal planned for Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (27.11.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat