EUROCONTROL - News

Company EUROCONTROL
Date 08.09.2010

An average air traffic growth of 4% in the airspace controlled by the Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC) in the last four months clearly shows that the aviation industry is starting to recover, says Karl-Heinz Kloos, Director MUAC. MUAC handles air traffic in the upper airspace of the Benelux and North-West Germany.

So far, the month of July recorded the highest traffic upturn of the year, with a growth of close to 5% on 2009. The year’s peak day was 9 July with 4,822 flights, which is close to the all-time high of 5,024 flights recorded on 4 July 2008.

Despite dramatic reductions in air traffic due to the Icelandic volcanic eruption in the spring and unfavourable weather conditions during the summer months, traffic levels from January to August 2010 remained at the level of the previous year. The ash cloud resulted in a reduction of more than 21,000 flights in MUAC airspace owing to the unprecedented total or partial airspace closures.

“Currently 99.7% of the aircraft using the MUAC airspace are enjoying a delay-free service. The forecast for 2010 is for a 2% growth and our objective is to keep this excellent level of performance which requires an ongoing focus on efficiency,” Karl- Heinz Kloos added.

For further information, please contact:

Mireille Roman, tel: +31 43 366 1352

Fred Könnemann, tel.: +31 43 366 1247

Masuac.info@eurocontrol.int

Note to Editors
The Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC), managed by EUROCONTROL on behalf of the four States, provides control for the upper airspace (above 24,500 feet, i.e. approximately 7,500 metres) of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and North-West Germany. The lower airspace is managed by the national providers, Belgocontrol, Luchtverkeersleiding Nederland (LVNL) and Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) respectively.

Since 1972, MUAC has provided a concrete example of the political commitment entered into by Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg to provide joint air traffic services. The international area of responsibility it covers is a perfect example of the simplification and harmonisation of airspace in Europe. The advantages of this kind of international cooperation are now undeniable. MUAC can be seen as a model for cross-border projects in the spirit of the Single European Sky.
For the seventh consecutive year, MUAC has been rated by independent assessors as the most productive of Europe’s 36 air navigation service providers and one of the most cost-effective. (Source: ATM Cost-Effectiveness (ACE) 2008 Benchmarking Report).

In order to respond to the needs and future challenges of the air transport industry, MUAC and its partners are currently working on the creation of a functional airspace block, "FAB Europe Central" (FABEC), which aims to implement multinational management of the airspace of six countries (Germany, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland).
Some 1.5 million flights pass through MUAC’s area of responsibility each year, making it the second busiest air traffic control centre in Europe, in terms of traffic volume, after London. During the summer, there can be as many as 5,000 flights per day. Over the past ten years, air traffic has increased by 29%, while costs have decreased by 44% and delays by 96%.
260 air traffic controllers work at MUAC.

Website : www.eurocontrol.int/muac

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