ATC
Paris 2011: Traffic rebound drives SES as nations drag their feet
The global economic recession gave pause to the relentless growth in air traffic over recent years, not least in Europe.

The global economic recession gave pause to the relentless growth in air traffic over recent years, not least in Europe. But according to Eurocontrol air transport activity, traffic is on the move again, with last summer’s 5-percent increase confirming the recovery of the industry.

Current predictions are for a doubling of 2009 levels by 2030, ­amounting to around 16.9 million movements per year. “Everyone knows that the current air traffic management system cannot cope with such an increase,” said Patrick Ky, executive director of the €2.1 billion ($2.9 billion) SESAR program, which is the research arm of the huge Single European Sky (SES) development effort.