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Langen, 25 February 2005 Booming times for air traffic - High safety standards ensured Air traffic is on the rise again. The Chairman and CEO of DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, Dieter Kaden, presented the latest air traffic figures at a press conference on Friday. A new record was achieved in 2004 with 2.7 million flights controlled in German airspace. Never before has the volume of traffic been that high in Germany, which already has the busiest airspace in Europe. At 6.7 per cent, the growth rate in Germany in 2004 was higher than the European average of 4.8 per cent. The number of aircraft proximities, an indicator of the level of safety in air traffic, reached a new low. The independent Aircraft Proximity Evaluation Group (APEG) recorded six aircraft proximities, compared to eight aircraft proximities in 2003. Three of these incidents were assigned to category A (risk of collision) and three to category B (safety not assured). DFS was a causative factor in three cases. Mr Kaden also remarked that the punctuality rates were impressive. Despite the significant increase in air traffic, DFS was still able to improve punctuality. In 2004, 96 per cent of all flights reached their destination without any delays caused by air traffic control. According to Mr Kaden, DFS is top of the class in Europe. Both the number of overflights and the number of flights arriving in and departing from Germany increased again. The number of overflights totalled 900,000, constituting one third of all aircraft movements. Flights arriving in and departing from Germany also climbed to 1.4 million. However, the number of domestic flights has been constantly decreasing over the past few years. In 1999, domestic flights amounted to 478,000 and thus accounted for 19 per cent of the total traffic volume. Five years later, in 2004, this figure was only 426,000 – 16 per cent of all flights. Given that the overall number of passengers slightly increased to 21.1 million – just short of the 21.5 million mark reached in 2000 – one of the obvious reasons for the drop in domestic flights is the use of larger aircraft by airlines. All 17 international airports in Germany recorded almost two million aircraft movements in 2004, a rise of 4.5 per cent. While Frankfurt handled 488,000 take offs and landings – an increase of 3 per cent over 2003 – controllers in Munich handled 379,000 take offs and landings, an increase of eight per cent, making it the second busiest airport in Germany. Regional airports, on the other hand, were not as busy. They only recorded 165,000 aircraft movements – a 0.6 per cent increase over 2003. While most regional airports had to contend with a fall in air traffic, the traffic volume increased at the regional airports of Hahn and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden. This was due to the strong emergence of low-cost carriers, which have already conquered a 14 per cent share of the market. A sharp increase in the volume of air traffic can be an early sign of economic growth. Experience in the past has shown that growth in air traffic is usually accompanied by a boost to the economy in the following year. DFS anticipates an annual increase of 4.5 per cent in air traffic in the medium term. Due to the positive development of air traffic and successful cost-cutting measures adopted in the company, DFS was able to significantly lower its route charges by 20 per cent and terminal charges by 28 per cent. In this way, DFS is promoting further growth and is ready to face the challenges of a liberalised air transport market. 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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