World in Action is doing a TV report tonight on the state of UK ATC. They claim the number of airproxes is increasing because of extra traffic and pax lives are being put at risk.
WiA reckons there have been 60 airproxes in past year, of which 25 can be linked to ATCOs. They say there has been a "huge increase" in overload reports by ATCOs and more than 120 cases where "planes strayed within set safety limits" (level busts?)
Lot of the info has come from Aviation Study Group which says there was a serious risk in about 25 of the airproxes. CAA tells the programme skies are safer than they have ever been and that of 60 airprox reports last year only one involved actual risk of collision.
WiA has also interviewed an ATCO at LATCC who says system is close to breaking point and that computer crashes are "numerous". Lib Dem MP also tells the programme that he has been contacted anonymously by ATCOs worried that a "disaster is waiting to happen because of the increased workload" Not know how much they are doing on Swanwick delays and reason for Clacton resectorisation
[This message has been edited by Stan Sted (edited 30 November 1998).]