Airways

Abstract

Although they are less visible than roads and railways, routes through controlled airspace between European airports are also a form of transport infrastructure. But they raise some policy issues which are uniquely their own. There are wide international disparities in standards and procedures, perhaps more marked than in any other mode. There is considerable uncertainty about how to respond to major changes in technology, such as satellite navigation. There is a high proportion of transit traffic, making international accounting procedures very important. And serious management problems arise from the airways’ dependence on international co-operation.