Come on Scotty, I know you're out there. CICADAJET@aol.com wrote: > Russia: Stricter Standards For World's Airliners Could Spell Trouble For > Soviet-Built Jets > > By Jeremy Bransten > > Stricter noise pollution standards for commercial aircraft, established > by the International Civil Aviation Organization, are due to come into > effect worldwide on 1 April. Most industrialized countries, including > all EU states, will enforce the new rules and the vast majority of > airliners flying in those states already meet the more stringent > requirements. But some Eastern European countries will face a problem, > especially Russia. Eighty percent of its civilian aircraft fall short of > the standards, meaning it will not be able to apply the new rules for > domestic flights. Even more worrisome for Moscow is the fact that Russia > could find many of its planes banned from foreign skies. > > Prague, 14 February 2002 (RFE/RL) -- Although stricter noise-level > standards for civilian aircraft -- which are due to come into effect on > 1 April -- are often believed to stem from EU legislation, the rules > were in fact originated by the International Civil Aviation Organization > (ICAO) and are meant to be applied globally. David Learmount, of "Flight > International" magazine, tells RFE/RL this is an important distinction > to make. > > "It's not EU-only, this is world. This is a ruling set by the > International Civil Aviation Organization, which is a branch of the > United Nations." > > The ICAO, established in 1944 by the Chicago Convention, is the > acknowledged arbiter of standards for international civil aviation. Most > of the world's countries with civil aviation fleets are members, > including Russia and other Soviet successor states. > > The stricter noise pollution standards -- known in the industry as > "stage 3 requirements" were discussed for many years before being agreed > by ICAO members. Their intended implementation was announced almost a > decade ago, meaning there is little sympathy -- especially in Western > Europe -- for laggards who now find their commercial fleets unprepared. > > "This ruling has been coming for 8 years. It's been in the making since > 1972. Russia has been fiercely lobbying to get an extension, but most > Western European countries are not inclined to let them have it." > > Indeed, Russian Transport Minister Sergei Frank traveled to Brussels at > the end of last month for talks with EU officials on obtaining such an > extension. Frank said enforcement of the new rules could force Russia to > cancel 11,000 flights in 2002, representing some 12 percent of the > country's passenger traffic. But he was rebuffed. > > Moscow-based aviation analyst Vladimir Kornozov tells RFE/RL that amid > all the political and economic upheaval of the past decade, Russia paid > little attention to the impending change in rules, hoping to finagle an > exemption at the last minute. > > "Quite simply, Russia has had many problems and the problems of new > noise requirements has not been the biggest one, let's say. So the > people in the corridors of power have spent their time solving other > problems."