Doing nothing is not an option – laser Interference Seminar conclusions 

Malicious use of powerful laser pointers to dazzle pilots and controllers is rising. Prompted by stakeholders, EUROCONTROL hosted a seminar on this issue at which participants called on the EU for stringent regulation on the abuse of lasers.

The United Kingdom had 30 instances in 2007 and there have been around 1,600 up until September 2011. EUROCONTROL’s Voluntary ATM Incident Reporting (EVAIR) had 8 reports in 2008 and 500 in 2010.

According to FAA data, there were 1,049 reports in 2010 but this year has already seen 1,503 laser interference incidents in the United States. A safety report that is about to be published notes that in 2009, there were 1,048 reported incidents in ECAC states and in 2010, there were 4,266(1).

Laser interference is growing and presents a global safety and security threat; it is not just an aviation issue.

Previous discussions centred on the legitimate uses of laser and the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, developed standards to regulate on this. However, laser interference tactics have changed and a harmonised, multidisciplinary and pro-active approach is needed to counter this threat.

Prompted by stakeholders, EUROCONTROL hosted a seminar on laser interference in aviation on 10 – 11 October.

Some 160 representatives from a variety of sectors in the aviation field, regulatory, law enforcement and research institutions attended. The seminar was organised together with the European Commission, ICAO, the European Cockpit Association, IFALPA, IATA and the Association of European Airlines.

Participants at the seminar agreed that timely and effective in-flight and post-flight procedures for dealing with interference are needed – as well as training in these procedures for both pilots and air traffic controllers.

Alerting processes to the authorities have to be defined and awareness campaigns run. Guidance material for decision-making is also required. It was also felt that advances in nanotechnology filters might prove helpful in the future.

At present, only a handful of European states have state regulations on laser interference and the seminar felt that judicial measures should be taken further. The seminar concluded by calling on the European Union to develop stringent regulation on the production, distribution, purchase, carriage and use of lasers.

(Source: EUROCONTROL)

German air traffic controllers to stage walkout  this week

Germany's air traffic controllers' union reject employer's offer,and  decided Monday to stage a walkout this week which could severely disrupt flights across Europe.

The GdF union said its board has rejected the management's latest offer. However, it added that it is still prepared to comply with a request from the federal government and meet once again for talks with an arbiter.

The state-run DFS air traffic control agency had no immediate comment on the strike announcement.

The union said over the weekend that a strike could take place as early as Wednesday. A strike must be announced with 24 hours notice, and the union did not immediately elaborate whether it was planning short walkouts in a few regions, or a full-scale strike across Germany.

The DFS agency sent the dispute over pay and working conditions to arbitration in early August, but the union partly rejected the outcome a month later.

New negotiations based on the arbitration's result broke down late Friday. Both sides have accepted the arbiter's compromise of a general salary raise of 5.2 percent, but the union wants more people to be promoted faster.

The DFS agency has about 6,000 employees, coordinating about 10,000 flights a day, making Germany's skies Europe's busiest.

(VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS)

New conference and trade show is being organized jointly by the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (Canso) and Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA).

The two leading air traffic management (ATM) industry groups are planning to launch an annual conference that they expect will become the major ATM meeting on the industry calendar.

The new conference and trade show is being organized jointly by the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (Canso) and Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA). It will be called the Canso World ATM Congress and is set to debut Feb. 12-14, 2013, in Madrid. This will undoubtedly clash with the long-running ATC Global conference that is held every year in early March in Amsterdam, which promotes itself as the major global ATM event.

Graham Lake, group’s director general of Canso says, "Has not set out t compete with ATC Global, the focus is on Canso fulfilling its obligation to the ATM industry. This is not about competing with another trades show, this is about doing something that this industry needs.”

Lake says the impetus for the new conference came from Canso’s members, which are primarily air navigation service providers (ANSPs). “There has been a feeling among the members for some time that Canso should manage the big conferences and events for the industry,” he says.

A major aim in establishing the conference is to enable the industry to set the agenda and ensure that it generates the discussions it needs, says Lake. However, another factor is that conferences of this magnitude bring in a lot of revenue. “Our members feel that if they are to invest money in [a conference], it should go back into the industry.”

Lake points out that if Canso is to expand and do a better job of representing its members’ interests, it can either raise fees or look for other income sources.

Canso and ATCA say in a statement that they expect their conference to be “the definitive annual event for ATM.” Lake says the intention is for this to be the largest ATM conference, and “we would be disappointed if we didn’t achieve that.” However, he also notes that “it isn’t about size, it’s about doing the right thing for our industry.” 

As well as ANSP CEOs, nearly 20 companies and ATM organizations have expressed their support or “registered an interest in exhibiting,” says Canso. All of the big aerospace manufacturers in Europe and the U.S. are on this list. The International Air Transport Association and Airports Council International have also made statements in support of the Canso conference.