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Langen, 20 October 2004 Interim report of the German Air Transport Initiative On 20 October, the German Air Transport Initiative, represented by Dr Wilhelm Bender, Chairman of the Executive Board of Fraport AG and Dr Michael Kerkloh, CEO of Flughafen München GmbH, submitted a master plan for the future development of air transport to the Federal Minister of Transport, Manfred Stolpe, in Berlin. The master plan is a tool for the demand-oriented planning of airport infrastructure. It is one element of the new interim report of the Air Transport Initiative which was founded by Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Fraport AG, Flughafen München GmbH and DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH under the auspices of Minister Stolpe. The master plan is based on a Germany-wide forecast of air traffic, which predicts that German airports will have 256 million passengers in 2015 – an increase of 74% over 2003. In the opinion of the partners of the Air Transport Initiative, this window of opportunity can only be realised if the capacity of German airports is increased. The master plan mainly focuses on the two hubs Frankfurt and Munich and the airports in Hamburg, Hannover, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn and Stuttgart. At present, these eight airports have a share of 86% of the total passenger volume in Germany and, according to the forecasts, this figure will increase to 88% by 2015. In view of the increasing importance of global airline alliances and the resulting concentration of intercontinental flights at large hubs, bottlenecks at the German hubs Frankfurt and Munich have to be prevented. Only if the capacity at these hubs is enhanced in due time and in line with demand can Germany ensure its competitiveness in air transport on an international level, and airlines will not leave Germany for neighbouring hubs in Europe. Furthermore, the partners of the Air Transport Initiative see the need for further expansion at the airports in Berlin and Düsseldorf. The master plan does not deal with further airport expansion measures which may be considered necessary by the German Länder. Although expansion may be required from a regional point of view, the overall strategy for the location should always be borne in mind and proposed measures should be coordinated with all Länder in consultation with the federal government. According to the Air Transport Initiative, failure to act or a delay in enhancing air transport capacity would bear enormous economic risks. The master plan estimates a loss of up to 27 million passengers in Germany. In addition to the harmful impact on economic development, this would also have a disastrous effect on the job market. The direct, indirect and induced creation of up to 80,000 jobs as a result of the increase in traffic volume will be jeopardised without a systematic advancement of the infrastructure. And this does not include the domino effects on employment, i.e. the creation of new jobs due to the establishment of companies in the vicinity of airports. Increasing capacity at Frankfurt Airport alone is expected to generate 54,000 jobs due to catalytic effects. The uncoordinated creation of new capacities at smaller airports across Germany for low-cost airlines, however, is considered to be problematic by the members of the Air Transport Initiative. Germany's position in the air transport market should not be jeopardised by "conversion projects" during which former military airports are transformed into civil airports with great effort and mainly public financing. Airports which can only operate if propped up by ongoing subsidies weaken not only public budgets but also the other – cost-efficient – airports. In addition to the master plan for the development of airports, the new interim report of the German Air Transport Initiative contains specific recommendations on the reorganisation of the air navigation services in a European context, on increased representation of interests in favour of the German air transport industry at a European level, particularly with regard to aviation security, and on the improvement of legal and regulatory framework conditions regarding competition. In an effort to consolidate Germany's position on the air transport market, the "European Center of Aviation Development" was founded. This research institute is to deal with all issues relating to economic, strategic and aviation policies. The Technische Universität Darmstadt will support this project as a university partner. A decision about including further members has not yet been taken. DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH is a State-owned company under private law and has 5,200 employees. DFS ensures the safe and punctual handling of flights. Staff coordinate around 10,000 aircraft movements in German airspace every day, and more than three million movements every year. With this large number of flights, Germany has the highest traffic volume in Europe. DFS operates control centres in Langen, Bremen, Karlsruhe and Munich. In addition, DFS is represented in the Eurocontrol Centre in Maastricht, the Netherlands, and in the control towers of the 16 international German airports. DFS provides training and consultancy services around the world and develops and sells air traffic control, surveillance and navigation systems. The company's portfolio also comprises flight-relevant data, aeronautical publications and aeronautical information services. DFS has the following business units: Control Centre, Tower, Aeronautical Solutions and Aeronautical Information Management.
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