Sir, The Government forecasts a doubling or trebling of the number of air passengers over the next 30 years (reports and leading article, December 17). Some of that increase may be accommodated in larger aircraft, but most will require more aircraft movements and therefore more runway space.

But UK airspace is also nearing capacity limits in terms of air traffic control. Individual controllers can only handle a small number of aircraft on their radio frequency at one time. Current safety standards rely on the ability of controllers to clear the skies safely using radio alone if their computer systems fail and their radar picture is unavailable. Some capacity gains can be achieved by adding new airspace sectors, but most of these gains have already been used up.

To accommodate forecast traffic growth, it will be necessary to move to a system where routine air traffic control is managed by computer systems, and the controllers’ role becomes one of monitoring the computers. This has largely happened in the aircraft cockpit, where pilots rely on computer systems more and more. The difference is that cockpit computer systems are built to standards that require that they fail no more often than once in 100,000 years, whereas air traffic control systems are not built to these demanding standards.

If the UK and Europe are to accommodate the growth in air traffic that will require new runways, we shall also need new air traffic control systems, built to standards that allow much higher traffic densities, and which almost never fail. These systems do not exist anywhere in the world and, although there is no reason why they could not be developed, it will take at least ten years.

If the Government’s forecasts for traffic growth are correct, this work must start almost immediately. If it does not, the new runways will not be needed because the growth in air traffic would not be safe.

Regards,
MARTYN THOMAS,
(Consultant software engineer),
Holly Lawn,
Prospect Place, Bath BA2 4QP.
martyn@thomas-associates.co.uk
December 17.

From Mr Peter Cuming

Sir, The Transport Secretary’s call for a clear airport strategy is all very well but it appears to overlook the biggest part of the challenge of how to transport on land millions of travellers and their friends to and from any new runways.

The public sector, not the airport owners, has to devise the transport means and then pick up the tab for all land-based airport access costs. These will exceed the mere cost of any big private airport itself many times over and may, arguably, prove to be far more polluting and intrusive than additional aeroplanes.

Ministerial calls for clarity are unconvincing when barely half the script is made available.

Yours faithfully,
PETER CUMING,
58 Talacre Road, NW5 4LX.
December 17.

From Mr Anthony Green

Sir, Do all these airport expansion plans mean we’ll have to sit through even more of those excruciating TV documentaries in which passengers spend most of the time shouting abuse at ground staff because their planes are late?

Yours faithfully,
ANTHONY GREEN,
9 Sandhill Crescent,
Leeds LS17 8DY.
December 17.

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