Date : Monday 4th July 2005

Whilst the Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers (GATCO) acknowledges and accepts that the concept of Functional Airspace Blocks (FAB) is an integral part of the European Single Sky initiative, we believe that the June 2005 Report commissioned jointly by NATS and the Irish Aviation Authority contains some fundamental errors in its rationale and conclusions, and raises issues that we would wish to see satisfactorily addressed before any decision is made. 

GATCO draws attention to the following. 

• Controlling Aircraft in another State’s Airspace. We have a concern about the legal and procedural implications about controllers in one Area Control Centre controlling aircraft in another State's airspace specifically in relation to the different national rules that may be applied and the matter of which States' legislation would be used in the event of an incident occurring in that airspace. We are also unsure as to which States' environmental policy would need to be adhered to when it comes to consultation for airspace design in any airspace operating as an FAB.
   
• Contingency. The UK Area Control Centres at Prestwick and Swanwick do not provide mutual contingency cover for each other.  The contingency for Swanwick, including both LACC (Area) and LTCC (Terminal) functions, will in due course be provided from the NATS Corporate & Technical Centre in Hampshire.
   
• The Introduction of RNAV will not Require an Increase in Navigational Aids.  RNAV will in fact, enable a rationalisation of existing ground-based navigational aids. The number of VORs in the UK are likely to be reduced significantly by 2015, in-line with the ECAC Navigation Strategy.  Discussions between the UK Regulator and NATS are already underway to determine which VORs can be removed, and which need to be retained.  It is also likely that there will be a slight reduction in the number of DMEs. 
   
• The Implementation of Mode-S Alone Will Not free-up SSR Codes.  GATCO is not aware of plans to accommodate Mode-S Flight Identification in NATS' current flight data processing system, NAS.  Aircraft flight identification (‘code/call-sign conversion’) predicated on Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) Mode-A will therefore continue to exist until the replacement flight data processing system is introduced at the UK's Area Control Centres.

For further information contact GATCO on 01425 673028 or 01949 876405, e-mail president@gatco.org