EUROPE is in for a long summer of airline delays due to mounting air traffic control problems in the region, Lufthansa chairman Jurgen Weber has warned.
Speaking at the second anniversary celebrations of the Star Alliance in Sydney, Weber accused European Union states of lacking the will to implement measures for easing delays.
Weber said the EU should implement a single air-traffic controls procedure rather than the individual centres dotted around Europe. Currently the systems differ from country to country, with some technology not being compatible and a wide range of rules and standards in use.
“The inability of the EU states to reach agreement on common air-traffic control standards is, in my view, outrageous,” said Weber.
“Our burning of a yearly 25,000 tonnes of kerosene on holding patterns does no good to the environment and is a senseless waste of resources.”
Weber added that airlines were paying for the delays twice. Once because passengers were held up and secondly because carriers have to contribute to air-traffic control costs. He has called on the German government to use its term as EU president to press for improvements.