Reading the upbeat communication from the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) announcing the arrival of the airspace users on board the project, it may be worthwhile to take a look at the composition of the new arrivals and start worrying… just a tad mind you but still. There are individual airlines, both big and small and associations ranging from giant IATA to IAOPA (much smaller but with significant influence) and a consortium coordinated by EBAA. Diversity is nice but who exactly will be the conductor of this orchestra?
In the past one of the strengths of the airspace users was in their ability to speak with a common voice. This common voice in Europe came from IATA (mainly on technical matters) and from AEA (on the political level). Achieving the common voice was not easy and sometimes downright impossible but at least while there was disagreement, no cacophony of diverse tunes was allowed to fill the auditorium.
The group now boarding SESAR is different. Will Air France or KLM speak for IATA or will IATA speak for them? Will individual airline interests overrule the wider industry interests or vice versa? After the SESAR definition phase it became painfully apparent how diverging airspace user ideas were about several important issues, including the most appropriate technologies to use in the new ATM system.
Who will coordinate the airspace user effort and align the messages their experts pass? Will this vital role be left by the airspace users to the ANSP dominated SESAR Joint Undertaking? Is the SJU up to the task? Will things deteriorate to the point where major decisions will be made at the top ignoring the inevitable general cacophony on the floor?
Conspiracy theorists will surely see proof now that the uniform, single voice of the airspace users have finally been broken by the diabolically clever way they were brought on board SESAR… with their eyes wide open one might add.
Those who are more forgiving, ever ready to accord the benefit of the doubt will wait expectantly to see how the nebulous concept of the Performance Partnership (a mainstay of early SESAR thinking) is filled with content. A steak is a steak but there is a difference between cutting the pieces yourself or having someone else do it for you.
Even the best partnership needs leadership…
Who is looking after the low cost carriers? Were they missed from the list or are they really not represented?
Good question as LFA fly 35% of intra EU passengers with that forecast to become 50% in a few years. They have a technical expert looking after their interests in the short term – he attended the initial meeting at the S-JU. A further meeting with interested ELFAA members is scheduled with the aim of formalising LFA participation.