Criticism may be levelled against conditions disclosed in connection with almost all safety inspections of planes at European airports. But the list naming the worst companies in the air is being kept secret by the authorities.
The liberalization of the air traffic has given us consumers lower prices, more companies and new destinations to choose among. But the medal can have its reverse in the form of poorer safety. The authorities’ report concerning defects and flaws found in connection with unannounced inspections of planes, is not uplifting reading.
Inspection and supervision that the air companies attend to their obligations are ascribed to the authorities of the country where the planes are registered. But the authorities of the various countries have all the same admission to make random controls of foreign planes.
Only a few planes are inspected. In all about 22 000 foreign planes get under way from Norwegian airports every year.
- Last year 59 foreign planes were inspected at Norwegian airports, and 55 irregularities were disclosed, says Mr. Oddbjørn Jensen, who is chief inspector of the Civil Aviation Authority.
The civil aviation authorities in the rest of Europe also report of finds in connection with almost all inspections.
The inspections are superficial and not very thorough. They are normally carried out by three inspectors in less than a quarter of an hour. The inspections are not to retard or disturb the air traffic. Still the inspections disclose serious conditions.
The report pertaining to all of Europe for 2002 is not available until the month of May, but the report from the European Civil Aviation Conference for 2001 shows the following figures:
- The most serious things we find in Norway are flaws in connection with airworthy certificates (AOCs). A plane without this certificate, is per definition not airworthy. Last year we had seven instances. And several planes were held back. But the missing papers were in all instances faxed over from the air companies. Defects in connection with safety equipment were also disclosed, such as fire extinguishing equipment and oxygen supply, says Mr. Jensen. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to learn the names of the air companies in question.
The Consumer Report (Forbruker-rapporten) has asked for access to the reports from the inspections carried out at Norwegian airports. Our inquiry has been refused by the Civil Aviation Authorities. The same goes for the rest of Europe. Although part of the goal with gathering such information is exactly to be able to map companies or types of aircraft that distinguish themselves in a negative way.
And even if Norwegian aviation authorities have access to information about companies that distinguish themselves in a negative way both in Norway and the rest of Europe, they do not feel that you as a consumer are entitled to know the name of these companies.
The Consumer Council of Norway now demands that the passengers shall be entitled to know which companies that receive most black marks in the safety inspections, says Mr. Jan Schrøder, section leader in the Consumer Council. But for the time being the authorities are discrete.
As passengers we shall therefore have to rely 100 per cent on the air companies that they at all times give priority to safety before money and time saving. Employees of the trade are sceptical. They fear that keener competition and a new set of rules will increase the pressure of work to such an extent that safety will be affected.
The pilots warn against the fact that the turbulence of the trade may influence safety.
- A Norwegian pilot sits behind the control column 500-600 hours each year. As for Ryanair they comply with the Irish rules, which are more liberal. And the Ryanair-pilots fly about 900 hours each year, says pilot Petter Førde, who is the leader of the Norwegian Pilots Association. According to pilots the Consumer Report has talked with, the average with Ryanair is 809 flying hours yearly.
A new EU-directive could increase the pressure of work even further.
- Working-hours rules today vary from country to country within the EU. But work is now going on in order to make a common set of rules that will stipulate a maximum of 900 working hours yearly. If these rules are adopted, it means that a pilot can sit behind the control columns up to 14 hours on end. We are worried that this will affect safety, says Mr. Førde.
The ECA has had worked out an independent report which concludes that a pilot at worst is awake 21 hours on end if the new rules are adopted. The fatigue will according to the report be equivalent to a drink-drive limit of 0,84.
Increasing traffic in the air makes many aircrafts choose to fly outside of the air “mainroads”. Thereby they can fly straight towards destination in a continuous line in order to save time and fuel. The Norwegian airspace is still quite roomy, so such a practice is not usual here.
British flight control officers are critical to the practice. – The strong increase in low price companies has as a result that there are many pilots in the air who do not know the complicated routines which apply to flights in heavily crowded areas. Many low price companies also choose to fly direct in non-controlled airspace. In addition pilots in controlled airspace ask more and more for permission to fly the shortest way, even if this often is bothersome and creates extra work for the flight control officers. This applies to some of the low price companies in particular. Even if such flights are not illegal, one may wonder what the passengers would say if they came to know of this, says Mr. John Levesley, who is executive vice president of GATCO.
Translated by Aslaug Helle
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