down&out
19th Aug 2004, 02:22
Eurocontrol are proposing we are directly charged potentially for each flight we make for ATC, MET, AIS & SAR costs.
In particular they say:
The costs of en route air navigation services made available to flights performed under VFR shall be recovered from airspace users by means of a charge per flight or by means of an
annual charge.
We need to respond with our views on this – there is a real danger of inbalanced charging and that too much of any charges we pay will go to fund the unnecessary administration of charging.
The PPL/IR group have come up with this summary of the situation:
Consultation process
Eurocontrol has been empowered by the European Commission (EC) to undertake a consultation on "Implementing Rules on a Common Charging Scheme for Air Navigation Services" for all users. Responses to the consultation must reach Eurocontrol by 17th September. They then report to the EC in mid October and the regulations come into effect early next year.
With such an impossibly short time scale it is imperative that we make our views known quickly and clearly!
Planned charges
The plans are to charge all airspace users for their use of air navigation services throughout the EU! This includes all sectors of General Aviation (GA), both VFR and IFR, and regardless of aircraft size!
The charges will include not only air navigation services but also met services and search and rescue costs. There is provision for a complex calculation of direct and indirect costings.
It is clear there is going to be charging. Governments across Europe have accepted the principle of "the user pays" when passing legislation enabling the SES. At least the UK Department for Transport (DfT) is sympathetic to the plight of GA and wants to exclude us per the current airways charges exemptions but the regulations don't permit that unless the Government pays the costs thereof to the Air Navigation Service Providers - and it won't!
However, the devil is in the detail and the DfT is completely lost on all of that and appears not to have considered even the basic options of how the charges might apply to GA and its various sectors. There is mooted a basic annual charge on aircraft and/or pilots but they do not even know how many non-UK registered aircraft and pilots there are in the UK.
The DfT is keen that we make firm representations direct to Eurocontrol.
In addition to this, I ask you to make a personal response to Eurocontrol as much more notice will be taken if many individual responses are received.
Please make sure that you use the reply form provided by Eurocontrol as responses not using the form will be ignored and returned to the sender! The form, as well as detailed background documentation, can be downloaded from: http://www.eurocontrol.int/enprm/
(Edited, because I wrote it at 2am and my mind (and typing) wasn't clear:zzz: )
In particular they say:
The costs of en route air navigation services made available to flights performed under VFR shall be recovered from airspace users by means of a charge per flight or by means of an
annual charge.
We need to respond with our views on this – there is a real danger of inbalanced charging and that too much of any charges we pay will go to fund the unnecessary administration of charging.
The PPL/IR group have come up with this summary of the situation:
Consultation process
Eurocontrol has been empowered by the European Commission (EC) to undertake a consultation on "Implementing Rules on a Common Charging Scheme for Air Navigation Services" for all users. Responses to the consultation must reach Eurocontrol by 17th September. They then report to the EC in mid October and the regulations come into effect early next year.
With such an impossibly short time scale it is imperative that we make our views known quickly and clearly!
Planned charges
The plans are to charge all airspace users for their use of air navigation services throughout the EU! This includes all sectors of General Aviation (GA), both VFR and IFR, and regardless of aircraft size!
The charges will include not only air navigation services but also met services and search and rescue costs. There is provision for a complex calculation of direct and indirect costings.
It is clear there is going to be charging. Governments across Europe have accepted the principle of "the user pays" when passing legislation enabling the SES. At least the UK Department for Transport (DfT) is sympathetic to the plight of GA and wants to exclude us per the current airways charges exemptions but the regulations don't permit that unless the Government pays the costs thereof to the Air Navigation Service Providers - and it won't!
However, the devil is in the detail and the DfT is completely lost on all of that and appears not to have considered even the basic options of how the charges might apply to GA and its various sectors. There is mooted a basic annual charge on aircraft and/or pilots but they do not even know how many non-UK registered aircraft and pilots there are in the UK.
The DfT is keen that we make firm representations direct to Eurocontrol.
In addition to this, I ask you to make a personal response to Eurocontrol as much more notice will be taken if many individual responses are received.
Please make sure that you use the reply form provided by Eurocontrol as responses not using the form will be ignored and returned to the sender! The form, as well as detailed background documentation, can be downloaded from: http://www.eurocontrol.int/enprm/
(Edited, because I wrote it at 2am and my mind (and typing) wasn't clear:zzz: )