8 March 2022
The UK’s withdrawal from the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) is continuing to be questioned by peers in the House of Lords citing a ‘Safety of Life’ argument.
Questions submitted by the peers have also revealed that the cost of staying a member of EGNOS was €30-35m per year. The figure was announced by Lord Callanan, of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in answer to a question from Lord (Tony) Berkeley.
Tony Berkeley’s interest is said to have been sparked after being stranded in the Scilly Isles over Christmas “because it was a bit cloudy”.
He submitted a written question, “to ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultation they undertook on the economic and safety impact of the cancellation of EGNOS; how they assessed these impacts; and whether they will place in the Library of the House any reports and conclusions relating to this cancellation.”
Baroness Vere of Norbiton, from the Department for Transport, gave this written answer:
“During the negotiations leading to the 24 December 2020 EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the Government’s policy on the UK’s future membership of the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) was informed by discussions with the UK’s independent airspace and safety regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority.
“These discussions included considering the likely impacts on the UK’s aviation sector if the UK withdrew from the EGNOS programme set against the costs to the taxpayer of remaining within it. The Government concluded that on balance, continued UK membership of EGNOS represented poor value for the taxpayer.
“There are no relevant reports and the Government’s conclusion on participation in EGNOS was set out in the “Guidance on UK involvement in the EU Space Programme” which was published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on 31 December 2020.”
Previously, the CAA had said it played no part in the decision.
Tony Berkeley, referring to the comment that EGNOS subscription was not a good use of taxpayers’ money, said, “The Isles of Scilly and many of the Scottish islands rely on air help for medical emergencies‚ either a helicopter or a fixed-wing plane, depending on the circumstances.
“If people cannot fly due to bad navigation, usually fog, their health is at risk. I am not sure how the Minister for Aviation can say that that is not good value for money. I do not know how much he puts on a life that is lost because you cannot fly, when there is an alternative.
Read UK project to replace EGNOS signal underway
Two other peers, Baroness Foster of Oxton and Lord Davies of Gower (Byron Davies the GA Champion), are also questioning the decision.
Baroness (Jackie) Foster is ex-British Airways and a former MEP who was involved in helping define the Single European Sky and Galileo. She pointed out, “Since EGNOS was stopped last year, a number of our peripheral, small airports have been put in huge difficulty.
“We have flights either being cancelled or their safety jeopardised, for both passengers and crew. They are hugely reliant on life-saving services coming in, whether to take people to the hospitals on the mainland or for other reasons.”
Byron Davies, an owner-pilot, said, “Above all, it is the safety access which the EGNOS service provides and which has now been lost due to the Government putting value for money before the Safety of Life service.”
Paul Fraser-Bennison, Director of Merlin Aerospace Consulting and a FLYER Club member, commented, “I’ve been very impressed by the House of Lords. Tony and his Noble Colleagues have really got the bit between their teeth and won’t let Govt of the hook.
“The problem is that someone in UK Space convinced the Cabinet Office around the time of these negotiations that their nascent Position Navigation and Timing (PNT) project could also deliver a UK version of EGNOS.
“No one disputes this and it would be great to see it fly. The problem is they forgot to mention it could take 10 – 15 years, cost millions and might need a different box onboard [the satellite].
“My suggestion is they should carry on but as an interim solution rejoin EGNOS and pay the £30m annual subscription out of that development budget.”
3 comments
Or in other words political dogma trumped common sense.
Any bets that the PNT project will be over-budget and several years late?
“…was informed by… ”
That’s a lingustic way of implying the CAA said it was OK. What it actually means is “we had a chat with them, but only listened to the bits we wanted to hear in order to pursue our totally beyond-remit Brexit policy”.
Another Brexit benefit…