Ri-considerare le misure per il caso "VULCANO" Here is the translation, press agency released today by the President of IATA, Mr. Giovanni Bisignani
Governments must base decisions on facts not on theories Paris - International Air Transport Association (IATA) has criticized European governments for their lack of leadership in the management of airspace restrictions in light of the Icelandic volcano eruption and urged a reconsideration of the decision-making.
"We are already so deeply into this crisis to express our dissatisfaction with how governments have worked - without any risk assessment, no consultation, no coordination and no leadership. This crisis is costing the airlines to at least 200 million dollars a day in lost revenue and the European economy is suffering billions of dollars in trading losses. Faced with these dire economic consequences, it is amazing that of European transport ministers have taken five days to organize a conference, "said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's Director General and CEO.
" Governments should put more urgency and priority of how and when we can safely reopen the skies in Europe. This means decisions on the basis of risk management, using facts and operating procedures in order to maintain security, "said Bisignani.
IATA has criticized the methodology adopted in Europe in a unique way for the closure of airspace on the basis of theoretical models of the ash cloud. "This means that governments have not taken their responsibility to make clear decisions based on facts. Instead, it was the provider of air navigation services, which has announced that they would not provide the service. And these decisions were taken without proper consultation with the airlines. This system is not acceptable, particolare quando le conseguenze per la sicurezza e l'economia sono così grandi ", ha detto Bisignani.
"La sicurezza è la nostra priorità. Le compagnie aeree non voleranno se non sarà sicuro. Ho consultato le nostre compagnie aeree membri che normalmente operano nello spazio aereo interessato. Essi riferiscono occasioni mancate di volare in sicurezza. Il sistema europeo risulta in chiusure "a coperta" dello spazio aereo. Sfido ora i governi ad accordarsi su un modo flessibile di riaprire lo spazio aereo. Le valutazioni dei rischi dovrebbero essere in grado di aiutarci a riaprire alcuni corridoi, se non l'intero spazio aereo ", ha detto Bisignani.
To assist governments in assessing the risk, the airlines have made successful test flights in several European countries. The results showed no irregularities or security issues. The airlines are also considering various operational measures to maintain safe operations. These include daytime flights and restrictions on specific flight paths, special procedures for boarding and alighting, and more frequent borescope inspections of the detailed motor for damage.
The scale of the closure of airspace currently seen in Europe is unprecedented. "We have seen the volcanic activity in many parts of the world, but is rarely noted that the closure of airspace - and never on this scale. When Mount St. Helens exploded in the United States in 1980, we have not seen large-scale disruptions, because the decisions to open or close the air space were administered on the basis of the actual risks without compromising safety, "he Bisignani said, who invited Eurocontrol to set up an emergency center for volcanoes capable of making coordinated decisions.
Bisignani called for an urgent meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), specialized agency of the United Nations, to define the responsibilities governmental decision to open or close the air space in a coordinated and effective, based on real data and special operational procedures.
http://www.iata.org/pressroom/speeches/Pages/2010-04-19.aspx
