Explanatory Note
(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations revoke and replace the Civil Aviation (Route Charges for Navigation Services) Regulations 1995 (S.I. 1995/3160), as amended.
New unit rates are introduced, reflecting forecasts of costs and traffic for 1998, and taking into account the balance of over and under recoveries of revenue as compared with costs experienced by the countries participating in the Eurocontrol charges system in 1996. Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania will become participating States in the Eurocontrol charges system on 1st January 1998 (regulation 6 and Schedule 2).
If the amount of the charge is not paid in cleared funds by the operator of the aircraft within 30 days of the date payment is demanded by Eurocontrol the rate of interest payable is increased to 7.73% from 7.27% (regulation 5(4)).
A new method of calculating the distance factor for flight in specified airspace is introduced. The points between which the distance is measured are between the aerodrome of departure and the aerodrome of first destination if both aerodromes are within the specified airspace or between the point of entry into the specified airspace and the point of exit from that airspace being points at which the lateral limits of the airspace are crossed by the route described in the flight plan for the flight with any subsequent modifications thereto made or approved by or on behalf of the operator (regulation 6(5)).
There are no longer any standard points of entry into and exit from specified airspace nor is there any provision for transatlantic charges.
The unit rates in ECUs set out in Schedule 2 are calculated by reference to the costs of provision of en-route navigation services in the participating countries in the Eurocontrol charges system, the amount of traffic using each country’s airspace and the relationship of each country’s currency to the ECU over a period agreed by Ministers of the participating countries. The interaction of these elements varies in each country. In calculating the revised charges the average of the exchange rates between the ECU and the currencies of the participating countries obtaining in the month of July 1997 have been used. In the case of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey the unit rate is established in ECUs (regulation 6 and Schedule 2).
The unit rates for Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal, Spain (Madrid and Barcelona FIRs) and Turkey have increased on average by 25.1% and Portugal (Santa Maria FIR) by 58.9%. The unit rate for Italy has increased by 0.046%. The unit rates for Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia and Spain (Canaries FIR) have decreased on average by 9.3%. The unit rate for the United Kingdom has increased by 5.9%.
The United Kingdom Air Pilot and the Foreign Aeronautical Information publications referred to in the Regulations can be purchased from Westward Digital Limited, 37 Windsor Street, Cheltenham, Glos GL52 1DG and can be inspected at major aerodromes in the United Kingdom. The office of Eurocontrol is at Rue de la Fusée 96 B-1130, Brussels.