Management of air traffic - Unpredictable weather conditions lead to difficulties for aircraft.
Air travel in Germany is facing difficulties due to an increasing number of disruptive weather events. Arndt Schoenemann, head of the German Air Traffic Control (DFS), mentioned this issue on Monday in Langen near Frankfurt, saying that May saw twice as many such events compared to the same month last year. These incidents were mainly caused by thunderstorms resulting in flight delays and airport closures. Schoenemann believes that climate change is making its presence felt.
The air traffic in Germany has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels and is expected to do so by 2027. Last year, the DFS controlled 2.83 million flights of larger aircraft as per instrument rules. This year, they are expecting around 3 million such flight movements, indicating a drop compared to 2019.
Civil freight and passenger jets, military aircraft, and other larger aircraft follow instrument rules for flight operations. DFS, a state-run organization, monitors and guides these flights through their control centers and airport towers. Schoenemann pointed out that air traffic patterns have become more variable, with Easter and summer witnessing increased activity due to increased tourist traffic. This necessitates a more flexible workforce, something the DFS is ready for. Their staff levels remained unchanged during the pandemic and continue to operate at a high level.
The air traffic is dealing with additional challenges despite a lower number of flights. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a significant portion of East European airspace has been closed, and military air traffic has increased by 15-20%. This has led to more flights being redirected to German airspace. Additionally, the German airspace, which covers just 3% of the European airspace, is home to around one-third of all European flights.
The upcoming NATO exercise "Tiger Meet" in Schleswig-Holstein and the European Football Championship add to the already crowded German airspace.
Schoenemann admitted that German air traffic is lagging behind European progress. He dismissed criticism over DFS' route fees for this, maintaining that route fees are uniform across all European countries. The flat fee for takeoffs and landings at all German airports also benefits smaller airports that would have to charge higher rates otherwise. However, the criticism targeted other factors such as air traffic tax, airport costs, and air security charges contributing to airline costs. The DFS costs form only a small part of the overall ticket price.
Read also:
- The coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the challenges for air traffic control (ATC) in Germany, particularly in managing air traffic during weather events, with Frankfurth-based DFS (Deutsche Flugsicherung) leading the efforts.
- Addressing the impact of the pandemic, Arndt Schoenemann, head of DFS, mentioned that they continued to operate at a high level, despite dealing with the additional challenge of air traffic control during the Coronavirus outbreak and a more variable air traffic pattern.
- Amidst ongoing difficulties, Schoenemann highlighted the growing importance of air traffic control, especially in Hesse and Frankfurt, as the region witnesses an increase in military aircraft due to the closure of East European airspace and the upcoming NATO exercise "Tiger Meet".
- In addition to weather events and the pandemic, DFS has to cope with the challenges of Coronavirus-related restrictions and the redirecting of flights to German airspace, leading to a crowding of air traffic and stressing the need for a flexible and well-equipped air traffic control system.
