ISSUE 1569 Saturday 11 September 1999

Airlines 'failing to guarantee safety over New Year' By Robert Uhlig, Technology Correspondent

Travel firms face Millennium holidays slump

A REPORT on where it will be safe to fly at the start of 2000 has been delayed indefinitely by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, after two-thirds of airlines and 53 countries failed to guarantee that the Millennium bug would not affect their operations.

The ICAO, a United Nations group that sets international flight standards, had hoped that the report would enable other countries to gauge flight safety over the New Year, when older computers may malfunction. It was planned for release by July 31 after the ICAO's 185 members were given a deadline of 1 July, but 53 countries had still not responded to the survey by the end of last month.

Another survey, collated by the Federal Aviation Authority in America, indicated that only 33 per cent of the 146 airlines it contacted confirmed that their systems were ready for 2000. Another 35 per cent planned to complete their work by the end of this month, while the remaining 32 per cent planned to on a later date or did not provide information.

In Britain, British Airways said its systems were ready and that it was capable of flying during the New Year period, but that it was reliant on air traffic and airport systems in other countries functioning reliably. Virgin and Jersey European are giving their staff a 24-hour holiday during the Millennium.

Kenneth Mead, inspector general of the US Transportation Department, said 18 of the countries that did not respond to ICAO were in Asia, 12 were in South America, 10 in Africa, eight in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, four in the Middle East, and one in Europe. "Time is running out,"said Mr Mead. "In our opinion, these 'uncertainties' should be resolved by October 15."

Italy has long been regarded among experts as the European nation most behind in its preparations for the computer glitch. Compared with Britain, Germany and North America, it has done very little.

Denis Chagnon, an ICAO spokesman, downplayed the impact of some nations' tardiness in making preparations. "The ones who have not responded represent a small proportion of international traffic," he said. They include Fiji, the Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea, according to the FAA.

A spokesman for the International Air Transport Association, which represents international airlines, said: "We feel confident any airline that chooses to fly internationally can do so safely. There will be no safety and security issues that day." IATA has completed a #20 million survey of all airports and air traffic control authorities but, despite pressure from the Foreign Office and foreign governments, has refused to make its findings public.

The Millennium bug is a particular problem for the air travel industry as so many systems must operate faultlessly to ensure that flights are safe. Even if weather prediction, navigation, air traffic control, flight handling, catering, baggage routing and ticketing systems work, airports could be hampered if the local transport infrastructure, power supply or water and sewage systems fail.

The Civil Aviation Authority said it had completed its Millennium bug preparations and checked the preparedness of British airlines and airports. In July, all air traffic control systems and airports were graded "blue", meaning that they had been fixed and tested. Among British airlines, 87 per cent were graded blue and 13 per cent amber, meaning there was some risk of disruption but that contingency plans were in place.

Another concern within the industry is that airlines might be prevented by their insurance policies from flying during the New Year. Without full insurance aeroplanes are not allowed to take off.

Many personal travel insurance policies have exclusion policies exempting damage or loss caused by the bug.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), September 10, 1999