Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
to users, providing them with distinct cost-benefit results and increased environ-
mental efficiency. The strategy stresses the necessity for consistent, high-quality man-
agement processes; it advocates systematic collaboration of all partners and focuses
on transparent decision-making.
The existing route structure sometimes imposes mileage penalties compared to
the most economic routes (generally great-circle routes), taking into account wind,
temperature and other factors, such as aircraft weight, charges and safety. Use of a
fixed-route network results in concentration of air traffic flows at major intersections,
which can lead to a reduction in a number of routes and available flight levels. Stud-
ies on penalties to air traffic associated with the European air traffic system (ATS) route
network suggest that ATM-related problems add an average of about 9 per cent to
the flight-track distance of all European flights en route and in the terminal area
(TMA). Insufficient international coordination in the development of ground ATC
systems and of maximizing airport and airspace capacity exacerbates these problems.
EUROCONTROL environmental policy and strategy
Article 1 of the revised EUROCONTROL convention gives the agency a clear man-
date to play a central role of ECAC ATM-related environmental issues. In order to
comply with the revised convention, environmental objectives have been fully inte-
grated within the EUROCONTROL ATM 2000+ Strategy. The strategy considers
that ATM-related environmental considerations are an essential part of the ATM
decision-making process and that, wherever possible, the most environmentally effi-
cient solutions should be adopted.
The EUROCONTROL ATM 2000+ Strategy was approved by the ECAC
ministers of transport in January 2000 at their sixth meeting on the air traffic system
in Europe (MATSE/6). It has a number of strategic objectives, covering safety, econ-
omy, capacity, national security and defence requirements, uniformity, quality and
human factors. The reduction of air traffic-related effects of aviation on the environ-
ment is also one of the major strategic objectives of ATM 2000+, as stated below:
…to work with ICAO and its Member States to obtain improvements in
ATM, in particular the accelerated implementation of CNS/ATM con-
cepts, procedures and systems which help to mitigate the impact of aviation
on the environment.
Furthermore, at that meeting, the ECAC ministers:
Reaffirmed [their] commitment to develop air traffic services so as to main-
tain safe, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable air transport,
which will benefit European economic development and, in particular,
airports, airlines, the travelling public and other users of Europe's airspace.
In response to this commitment, EUROCONTROL's member states unanimously
adopted a proposal for an Environmental Policy and Strategy (2001),
which aims to:
•
permit aircraft operations with a minimum environmental impact;
•
comply with international standards and regulations; and
