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Traffic flow and the leading numbers in SeptemberAs a premiere for 2014, the average en-route delay per flight was below the monthly guideline value of 0.59 min/flight, at0.52 min/flight. The overall average en-route delay per flight in 2014 to date is 0.70 min/flt, which is well above the guideline value of 0.53 min/flight.
Total traffic Compared to September 2013, September 2014saw an increase in traffic of 1.1%, remaining close to the baseline forecast.Although a slowdown in both April and September 2014 were registered, the slow recovery in traffic that dates back to April 2013 continues.
ATFM delaysRegarding ATFM delays per flight, the average increased from 0.85 min/flight in September 2013 to 1.03 min/flight in September 2014. The main factors influencing this increaseare airport weather (29.5%), en-route ATC capacity (27.3%) and airport capacity (13.4%).
In comparison with September 2013, September 2014 sawen-route ATFM delays increase by 7.4% and airport ATFM delays increase by 42.7%. The average daily traffic delay in September fell below the levels from 2011 for the first time since May 2014.
Compared to August 2014, the delays from Nicosia ACC and Tel Aviv/Ben Gurion airport reduced significantly in September. Main factors for ATFM delays were adverse weather conditions that have impacted the operations in various airports and some ACCs.
Delays – causes and locations
Karlsruhe
Langen
Zagreb
Barcelona
Marseille
Athens
Reims
Macedonia
En-route ATFM delays in 2014 are higher than the corresponding levels in2013:
High en-route capacity (ATC) and en-route staffing (ATC) delays:
Athens
Barcelona
Marseille
Reims
Warsaw
Zagreb
Brest
Bratislava
Karsruhe
Nicosia
Adverse weather which commenced in July continues to affect theen-route element of the network in:
Karlsruhe
Zagreb
Langen
Reims
Paris
Maastricht
En-route disruptions due to the French ATC industrial action:
Maastricht
Karlsruhe
Madrid
Langen
London
Barcelona
En-route event delays generated by Warsaw ACC (PEGASUS 21ATM system implementation) and Langen
Special issues:
The crisis in Ukraine still has an evident impact on the traditional traffic flow, increasing the traffic in the neighbouring ACCs up to 10%. Another similar situation took place as a consequence of the closure of the Libyan airspace, which was extended to 15October.
Industrial action by Air France and Lufthansa pilots led to significant cancellations of flights, while the industrial action at ENAV, the Italian ANSP impacted the local operations in Karlsruhe, Maastricht and Reims ACCs.
What the industrial actions and indeed the weather show is that aviation is an ecosystem. One part impacts another. The French controllers strike called for more work in neighbouring centres, a fact somewhat glossed over by the French controllers.