European skies heading for gridlock - experts

European air passengers face severe congestion problems by 2025 if air travel continues to expand at the current rate, according to a report released today.

It said demand for air travel is expected to more than double by 2025, meaning “a potential 3.7 million flights per year will not be accommodated, even if the capacity of the airport network increases by 60%.”

It said 75% of European airports cannot build new runways because of space and building restrictions, environmental concerns and other restraints.

“As a result, more than 60 airports will be congested and the top 20 European airports will be saturated at least eight to 10 hours a day,” said the Challenges to Growth study of Eurocontrol, the European air safety organisation and the European Civil Aviation Conference.

In the decades ahead, airlines will move to larger aircraft to handle more passengers while keeping the number of flights constant, said the report.

It said Europe’s 10 largest airports now account for 24% of air traffic in Europe, but this will decline because their ability to expand diminishes and medium-sized airports pick up the overflow.