The tourism Boom is driving the deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) to the Limit. Your Chef Klaus-Dieter Scheurle wants more accurate forecasts of the European air traffic and a more flexible use of the air traffic controllers.
So far, only a few knew of the 64-year-olds in southern Germany. But since the publication of the preliminary report of the German Federal court of auditors Klaus-Dieter Scheurle is in the headlines, and thus also the Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS). Airline bankruptcies, consolidation processes in the aviation industry, as well as the current ban on flights of the Boeing 737-8 MAX’s airports has moved at once in the day-to-day focus of the German economy, the press, and thus the GmbH-run national air-traffic controllers forge DFS, the previously barely knew. Under the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA). Around 2000, the DFS pilots to ensure a safe Launch and Landing of the aircraft to pay a fee to in a Long established company. This business, despite the fact that in the past two years, the booming market in deficit, what the Federal court declared, among other things, with inefficient Management.
Scheurle, however, sees the enormous price pressure as the main reason for the difficult Situation of DFS, as well as of the entire sector, which must reckon with a very sticky summer: “The track fee, with a share of almost 80 percent of the most important source of revenue for the DFS. In addition, it specifies the terminal fee, what does the DFS of the 16 international airports where it is active, for your service. Both rates have fallen significantly in recent years,” says the former Managing Director of the Swiss investment Bank Credit Suisse First Boston to Deutsche Welle. To blame the passengers who want to fly cheaper and are not aware of what the cost and security of services associated with your flight.
Too many flights: Klaus-Dieter Scheurle expects, therefore, with great progress in the punctuality of
There is a lack of staff and coordination
“The Airlines, Airports, security services and the ANSPs in Europe will make it hardly to make great progress in punctuality, because the volume outstanding is flights to large,” Scheurle in an Interview. The airlines in the past year, according to data of the European airspace organization Eurocontrol for around 48 percent of the delays are the responsibility of DFS for 25 percent. Nevertheless, “in Order to improve the current Situation, we want to win our pilots to volunteer for more shifts and seek in addition to trained pilots from other countries,” says Scheurle. It is not easy to find, can not at-the-money: a pilot earn in Germany partly over 200.000 Euro gross in the year and enjoy from the age of 52 years, a generous transitional care.
That’s why you have never been on strike, unlike their French colleagues. However, this could change soon, if the pressure continues to rise. Germany has a share of only 3.5 per cent in the European air space, 30 percent of flights in Europe take place. The Land is dense with Belgium, the airspace with the greatest traffic. Scheurles team has handled in the past year, 3.35 million flights: “240.000 more flights in German air space as in the 2017, the EU Commission approved the performance plan forecast. This year it will probably be even 350,000 and more. This strong growth in traffic affects all EU member States and was in this Form are not predictable,” says the lawyer.
A lot of work for German air traffic controllers: 30% of flight movements in Europe will be held in German airspace
Bad forecasts and little flexibility
The strike-happy French, there is always Trouble in the industry: “in the past, has been glad in the case of strikes in other countries, because the traffic was then routed, for example, about Germany. Now the growth of the flights at us as a hub in Europe is so high that we can handle additional traffic difficult,” said Scheurle. Problem No. 1: The flight volume is calculated by the European Commission for five years. The Brussels bureaucrats are in order in view of the rapid economic and tourism development, mostly next to it. The legal framework also makes it difficult for pilots across Europe, flexible to use, because your license is only for an airport to be valid. For every other location must be in a one-year Training a new purchased, which at the same time the old is lost. This year alone, 90 missing in Germany pilots.
The bankruptcy of Air Berlin and Germania have exacerbated the Situation, because they have led to further price competition between the Airlines. A further consolidation is to be expected. There is already speculation about the sale of Condor is to Lufthansa, and Easyjet was recently brought up as a possible acquisition candidate of the largest German Airline into the game. All Scheurle, since June 2018 in addition, the head of the Federal Association of the German air traffic economy (BDL) must be taken into account in its pilot planning, but best in the long term. Because pilots don’t just fall from the sky, and the training lasts four years. Of 5000 Apply it to create approximately 122 through the selection process, of which, in turn, fall between 20 and 30 percent by the audit of financial statements. The requirements to state of health, concentration, load, and speed are enormous, and which of the pilots are similar.
Until summer there is still much to do
Scheurle also calls for more flexibility in the exchange of pilots and coordination between the German and European market participants: “At the air transport summit in Hamburg last year, all agreed that the structural problems can only be solved together”. All Parties must now do their homework, because they are all together for the delays in the past year. “We will meet again on may 28. March. Since we are, what has been done so far to look,” says Scheurle, who still needs to do a lot of educational work, not only to the Federal court of auditors. In the Interview, he advertises, especially for the female offspring in the difficult Lotsenjob, which accounts for only 30 per cent: “Every woman is welcome, because they are just that good.”