Introduction
The European air travel industry is now in a state of rapid transition and development. It is documented that there are now more than 130 airlines in operation catering to nearly 450 airports and to service increasing demands in this sector. It is seen that this industry has witnessed a three-fold increase during the period 1980 – 2000 and is all set to double by the year 2020. (Fast Facts. The air transport industry in Europe has united to present its key facts and figures. 2003).
In 1978, the US Government passed the deregulation of airlines by which the Government monopoly over the airlines was significantly reduced and the airlines were exposed to competition both within and outside the country. The role of the CAB, the Civil Aviation Board, tried to bring about changes in the way industry handled airlines by reducing the fares on short-haul flights and at the same time increasing the fares on long-haul flights to offset losses.
Changes in Climatic conditions
It has been documented that air travel makes a gradually increasing contribution to climate, and in the UK alone, it contributes to nearly 6.3% of the total carbon dioxide (C02 emissions). In line with the goal, UK carbon emissions would reduce from 152.2 million tonnes in 2000 to 65.8 million tonnes in 2050. Within that total, domestic aviation emissions rise from 0.8 to 1.6 million. This means that in 2050 domestic aviation would represent 2.4 percent of UK carbon emissions. (Air transport white paper Progress report 2006). It is believed that one of the greatest sources of carbon emission is from the fuels burned during air flights. (Environment and Greener Living).
This alters the delicate mechanism of climate control and by the release of these greenhouse gases, the climate of the world becoming warmer.
Air travel makes a growing contribution to CO2 emissions and currently accounts for 6.3 percent of the UK total. The full climate impact of aviation goes beyond the effects of CO2 emissions alone, although there is still considerable scientific uncertainty about the scale of the impact of these effects. Director: Environment and Greener Living: The cause of climate change. (Environment and Greener Living: Air Travel and the Environment).
The situation has become so grim that it has become necessary to impose monetary penalties on the carbon dioxide emissions made by airlines of EU countries. EU airlines must join the emissions trading scheme in 2012, which could add up to £13 to the price of a return flight as carriers buy “carbon credits.” (Milmo 2008).
The noise pollution caused by aircraft in the wake of deregulation is that more and more aircraft are taxing in and out of major airports. This creates increased noise pollution not only to the employees in the airports but also to the residents living near airports.
“Containing noise has become a major challenge for air traffic.” (Air Travel and the Environment: Finding a Balance: Reducing noise. Environmental impacts and technical solutions. P.4).
It has been acknowledged even by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
That the movements of a large number of aircraft along international skies are directly responsible for climate changes. This is due to the release of greenhouse gases, which are emitted by flying aircraft, which adds to global warming. The smoke trails left behind flying aircraft contain oxides of nitrogen, water vapor that could cause condensation trails (contrails), and cirrus clouds. (.Air transport white paper Progress report 2006).
The main problem regarding nitrogen oxides emission which is seen as a major contributor to emissions could be controlled on a national basis, but this may not be possible on a global basis, since it could not be possible to allocate emissions from international flights on a local basis, due to the large number of flights that take place in the newly deregulated environment. (Royal Commission study on the environmental effects of air transport. 2002).
Heathrow airport
In the context of international air transport facilities, it is seen that Heathrow airport at London is one of the busiest airports in the world and “currently 478,000 flights land and take off from Heathrow every year,… and the number of transfer passengers has actually risen from 10.6 Million to 22.9 million. (Appendix A: London Assembly’s Environment Committee response to the expansion of Heathrow. 2008).
It is widely believed that the current standards provided by Heathrow Airport in London are far below the infrastructural facilities provided by other international airports in other European countries. Thus, it had been mooted to open a new Terminal 5 at Heathrow at a total cost of£4.3 Billion, which is expected to become operational by 2008. The ‘Fit for 5 ‘ has become a major issue in terms of a total change of logistical activities to this new terminal which would pose challenging and facilitative, and once operational, is expected to resolve imbalances in London’s air travel permanently.
British Airways would also be fully utilizing the services of Terminal 5 and therefore, necessary facilities have to be initiated in order to provide a smooth transition of flights into Terminal 5 to ease air traffic and relieve congestion at Heathrow Airport >However, considering the costs involved without concomitant benefits, the proposal has not yet been operationalized.
Aspects of Noise Pollution
It has been discerned that since the increase of airlines traffic, both in terms of passenger and cargo aircraft following deregulation, the noise levels of airlines during takeoffs and touchdowns have increased significantly. This, mercifully, has been localized within the local areas surrounding the airports. However, with regulatory measures being put into place by international conventions, mandatory alterations in the design of jet aircraft, and other ensuring engine technology to make it less noise-prone has been established. However, it is believed that certain other factors have also contributed to lowered noise pollution emanating from aircraft.
Firstly, induction of twin-engine aircraft, which takes lesser time for climb-outs and thus reduces the noise impact. Secondly, the phasing out of Chapter 2 aircraft under recommendations of the ICAO has been a stabilizing factor in achieving a lower level of noise pollution in and around airports. (Banister & Button p.162).
Traffic congestion
The fallout of de-regulation has been increased aircraft traffic, both in the ground and in the air. It is believed that congestion is a product of unconducive ground road conditions leading to the airports, customs formalities, security controls, and higher pressures on certain routes. Although congestion may be caused by a plethora of reasons, its results are certain- losses and lowered cash flows for the operators. It is believed that “direct costs of congestion in the air- £ 42.5 million/year in the UK.” (Banister & Button P. 164).
Deregulation could be a major cause for congestion since the number of flights operators vying for aerial supremacy has increased over the years- they are competing with each other for providing the maximum possible number of flight options to a larger clientele base, both on familiar and uncharted routes. This has led to tougher competitive conditions in the airlines since now private operators woo clientele through lower price fares with enhanced travel facilities. Thus a large number of small engine planes contributes to reduced fuel efficiencies and a higher degree of congestion in the skies.
Table 1: Showing the liberalisation of EU Aviation laws. (Schipper & Rietveld).
Safety and environmental factors
Another important factor that has emerged from the deregulation has been the safety of air travel. Deregulation bought in its wake, reduced pricing for air tickets, and also the advent of more players, big and small into the airline’s arena. Since the private players were able to offer better services and cheaper costs, the air-traveler began to exercise choice and discretion over his choice of airlines to travel. ‘No-frills airlines’ began to operate more successfully at lowered costs and catering to a larger segment of customers. The bigger established companies with heavy fixed overheads could not offer the attractive pricing and service offered by the start-up operators and either had to close down or seek other strategies like mergers or downsizing to remain competitive.
Although the advent of deregularisation, especially in the developed countries, set the note for exponential growth, the levels and scope of risk in air travel also increased. This is more pronounced in countries that do not have international airports that offer consistent security and safety orders in conformity with ICAO. Moreover, with the entry of smaller players, and start-ups, the pressures on the airport infrastructure also increased immensely.
The priorities seem to clearly shift from protection of lives and properties of the fliers to optimum profit maximization for the airline operators. This is substantiated by the spate of air accidents and collusions that took place post deregulation and culminated on 9/11 and for some time since this tragedy, the worldwide airlines were in a slump, and worldwide air services did not give takers, even for domestic travels.
In the present context of high risks and insecurity associated with air operations, both in the defense and civilian sectors, it has become significant that the safety and welfare of air travelers, leave nothing to chance, and these vital aspects of air travel are not compromised, at any costs or efforts. The price of security in the de-regularised environment could pale in significance with the cost that could occur in terms of loss of lives and properties.
It is the prime responsibility of the carriers, including the flight crew, to ensure the welfare and safe passage of the travelers from the point of boarding the aircraft, to the point of touch down at the destination. An effective Communication system is necessary in order to ensure compliance with the strict ICAO’s Standards and Recommendations Practices. “The increase of air traffic volume will require additional measures in order to maintain an adequate line of safety.” (Session of the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)).
The threat of reducing in air quality resulting from air pollution
The effects of deregulation have been that a large number of private players and entrepreneurs have come into this field, taking advantage of the liberalized settings and a non-interfering stance taken by the various Governments of the EU nations. During the early times, it was seen that a few major players had established monopolistic control over pricing and flight routes in the European travel areas, but now it was seen that their monopoly had been compromised by the opening of the economy and liberalization through open sky policy. The main benefit of the open skies policy is that it would allow more players to interact with major airports of the world and establish clientele in the free environment so that the monopolies of major players could be reduced. (The Queen’s award-winning travel agent: Travel News. 2007).
It would also offer scope for smaller airlines operators to come into the race. But the flip side of more and more operators entering restricted air space would be in terms of compromising the breathing air space in these areas. It is well documented that the quality of air in areas near major airports is highly reduced and this may be a cause for health problems for the surrounding habitats.
Unless the airliners are able to control emissions of Co2 (carbon dioxide) emanating during the flights, the health hazard would only multiply in the years to come. Moreover, with air passage becoming common in even developing countries due to its perceived advantages over other forms of travel, rail, and other surface transport, the pressures on airports are also increasing. This is one of the primary reasons why it has become necessary to bring about major modifications and improvements in major airports of the world in order to accommodate more flights and also to reduce air traffic congestion in airports and adjoining areas.
It is seen that all airlines have a primary responsibility to ensure that their operations are free of health hazards, not only on the ground but also, in the skies. For achieving this end, it would therefore become necessary for Companies to constantly uphold the strictest International Conventions on Air Management and also the regulatory measures prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. (ICAO).
This is because the regulatory bodies not only have to interact with their own governments and other relevant agencies but also have to consider the legal frameworks of the countries in which the aircraft are flying; therefore, airliners have to conform to all international regulatory measures and the laws and regulations of individual countries. “The growing trend towards deregulation is forcing managers and policymakers to question or even abandon traditional practices and to search for new responses and new management tools” and this is applicable for both established and new players in the airline industry. (Journal of Air Transport Management. 2000).
Constructions of new airports and other aerial travel development schemes
It has been seen that a lot of new development activities are being carried out, not only at national levels, but also at international levels, to modernize existing airports, or build new infrastructure to facilitate air travel either nationally or globally.
It could be said that although these developments need to be done in order to upgrade the quality of development, how best it could be done by maintaining the protection of the environment is a matter of great concern for environmentalists and nature protectionist agencies. The building of an airport or even the clearing of space for building or rebuilding a runway would entail the destruction of local ecology and the felling of trees and natural vegetation. This could be detrimental to the flora and fauna of the region and could pose serious future environmental and health hazards to the local inhabitants. Therefore, any new project for development should be in conformity with the natural settings and this needs to be carefully researched before being implemented.
It is necessary to protect the interests of the local communities and inhabitants of areas that need to be used for future planning. In case, the planning and development are not in conformity with the local and natural settings, either alternative plans have to be evolved for the airport building, or the human residents have to be shifted to environmentally safer zones, so as to render minimum health and other hazards to them. In this connection, it also needs to be said that the environmental concerns of the nation need to be evaluated with the costs and benefits of the proposed project. It also needs to be seen in the larger interests of the future planning of the area in which such development activities need to be considered.
Conclusion
It is thus seen that while the aspect of deregulation of the airline industry has considered the growth and development of this sector, it has also to be seen that the aspect of its effects and implications on the environment cannot be ignored, or denied. It has to be considered in the larger context of whether the factors impinging on the environment are of a controllable nature and could be solved or alleviated with robust measures aimed at seeking environmental harmony and equanimity.
It is seen that the factors relating to the rapid development of the airline industry, fuelled by commercialization and value addition to the respective economies, especially with regard to the highly profitable tourism and trade industry. While every country wishes to engage in activities that could earn precious foreign exchange to them, and thus, at a macro level, augment its balance of payment situation, it also needs to consider nitrogenous factors like the state of the local economy of the country and the effect such developments would have on the long term conditions of the country.
The various international bodies have laid down regulatory measures in the airline trade in order to secure parity among European member nations and to ensure that the prosperity derived by one should not be at the detriment of the other. The insurance of this parity and the robust enforcement of laws and regulations binding international air trade and commerce seeks to establish a just and equitable world order in this sector, that aims at bringing about all-around growth and development to its member’s countries and to the world at large.
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