SPEECH BY THE HON EDDIE FENECH ADAMI, PRIME MINISTER, AT THE INAUGURATION OF THE NEW AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTRE AT THE MALTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. FRIDAY 27 APRIL 2001

It is a pleasure for me to be here today to inaugurate the new Air Traffic Control Centre. My Government has always been appreciative of the importance of such a service in ensuring that Malta became a central Mediterranean hub.

On assuming Office in1987, my Government was aware that if this vision for our country was to materialize, the services and facilities offered at the airport had to be of the highest calibre possible. Plans for a new terminal capable of handling greater flows of people were approved and the navigational aids and systems that had been in service well beyond their normal life span were replaced. The radar system, which dated back to the times of the Royal Air Force, was also replaced by a state of the art system.

Malta's commitment to the International Civil Aviation Organisation had been established ever since independence in 1964. In 1987 my Government felt that our responsibilities in ensuring the safe conduct of flights within our Flight Information Region, could only improve if Malta were to join Eurocontrol, which is committed in ensuring the safe and expeditious operation of flights within European airspace. Legislation was drawn up, enabling Malta to become the twelfth Member State of this great European institution in 1989.

The correctness of the decision to join Eurocontrol twelve years ago is borne out today by the fact that this organisation now encompasses twenty-nine European States. Joining Eurocontrol gave the required impetus to the Department of Civil Aviation to continue the change process. In our various discussions held with Eurocontrol it was immediately recognised that help was readily available. The assistance from Eurocontrol ensured that our tender to

replace our outdated navigational equipment met the exact standard set by the European Air Traffic Control Harmonisation and Integration Programme. I would like to thank Mr Keith Mack and Mr Yves Lambert, former Director General of Eurocontrol, for their expert help and assistance.

The final product produced by Alenia, the company that was awarded the tender, put Malta at the forefront of the European aviation scenario. I am proud to say that a number of Maltese controllers spent long hours with Alenia engineers and certainly provided a valuable contribution towards the end result.

The Malta International Airport became the Air Navigation Service Provider in 1998. The Board of Directors of the Malta International Airport aimed to create an environment that could become a driving force in the development of aviation related activities in the country, for the benefit of all airport users. The new automated air traffic control centre was considered an essential element. The operational trials of the new Air Traffic Control Centre were initiated in February 2000. By May the new Air Traffic Control Centre was ready to be brought into operation. Again the help of Eurocontrol was sought and a team from the Support to States Division provided the necessary input so that the Regulator could issue his clearance. The system was brought into operation last November.

The inauguration of the Air Traffic Control Centre makes us proud of being part of a European community, which is fully committed to the safe conduct of flights over its airspace. We would certainly not have achieved this without the help of Eurocontrol. Unfortunately, the Director General of Eurocontrol, Mr Victor Aquado, could not be with us today but I ask his representative to relay my thanks and appreciation for his help in making Malta a leading provider of Air Navigation Services in Europe.

I also would like to express my gratitude to the Italian Government for their assistance through the third Italo-Maltese Financial Protocol.

Malta Air Traffic Services plc has been set up, and will shortly be taking responsibility of the new Air Traffic Control Centre. The operational acceptance of the new flight data processing system and the experience that controllers will gain in the new system will serve as a catalyst for this new company, to face the challenges of Air Traffic Management with the confidence of reaching the highest standards of safety and efficiency. There is also ongoing modernisation of the equipment and infrastructure in communications and surveillance. Malta Air Traffic Services plans to achieve full radar coverage in the entire airspace of the Malta Flight Information Region as soon as possible. It will also seek to strengthen its co-operation with the Air Traffic Services providers in Italy and Greece, within the context of the European Convergence and Implementation Programme managed by Eurocontrol. There is also a strong commitment to work more closely with the appropriate regulatory authorities in Tunisia and Libya.

Ms Loyola de Palacio, the EU Commissioner responsible for transport policy has very recently stated that the reform of air traffic management in Europe is one of the Commission's top priority actions. Ladies and gentlemen, we are here today to make our contribution to this reform, through the inauguration of the Air Traffic Control Centre.