Skyguide posts best-ever punctuality performance with over 93% of flights on time

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Geneva, 6 February 2009. With approximately 3 380 flights a day, the
volumes of air traffic managed and monitored by skyguide in 2008
remained nearly unchanged from its prior-year level. Skyguide also
improved its punctuality performance over the same period: more than
93% of all flights were handled without delays - a best-ever
performance.

Varying traffic trends
The nearly 1.24 million flights (or approx. 3 380 a day) which
skyguide handled in 2008 marked a new record high for the company,
even if the year-on-year increase of 0.3% was far smaller than it had
been in previous years. Traffic trends also varied in the course of
the year: while sizeable volume increases were posted for the first
two months, traffic for March to September remained largely at
prior-year levels; and as the world financial crisis began to bite,
the last three months saw a 9% traffic decline in the airspace
controlled by skyguide.

Movements up in all areas
Flight movement numbers are a key means of determining the workload
being handled by an air traffic management unit. For 2008, movement
volumes increased 0.3% at skyguide's area control centres, which
manage and monitor all en-route traffic and some of the traffic in
terminal control areas, and were also up 2.1% for Arrival and
Departure Control. The Geneva area control centre did, however, see a
0.7% decline in movements handled - the first it has experienced
since 2001. The Zurich area control centre reported a further 1.1%
increase in movement volumes handled.

Flight movements handled
Change
2008 2007 07/08
Area control centres
Geneva 686 941 691 666 - 0.7%
Zurich 812 149 803 302 + 1.1%

Total 1 499 090 1 494 968 + 0.3%

Arrival/Departure Control
Bern 12 343 13 593 - 9.2%
Donaueschingen 1 544 1 528 + 1.0%
Friedrichshafen 18 589 17 694 + 5.1%
Geneva 175 863 173 135 + 1.6%
Grenchen 4 867 4 363 + 11.6%
Les Eplatures 1 685 1 177 - 3.8%
Lugano 10 118 10 843 - 6.7%
Sion 5 147 5 120 + 0.5%
St. Gallen Altenrhein 9 598 9 587 + 0.1%
Zurich 262 629 255 146 + 2.9%

Total 502 383 492 186 + 2.1%

Best-ever punctuality
Skyguide handled over 93% of its daily traffic volume on time in 2008
- a substantial improvement of one-third fewer delayed flights than
the previous year. The impressive punctuality performance can be
ascribed to a number of factors. The company has taken various
actions to increase airspace capacity such as reappraising sector
capacity at its two operating locations, a move made possible by such
technical innovations as the adoption of the stripless[1] system in
Geneva. The capacity available was also used more flexibly, and the
company increased personnel numbers at its Zurich operation in the
course of the year, both of which helped further reduce delays. Last
but not least, the slower traffic growth and more favourable weather
conditions (compared to 2007) also contributed to this punctuality
result.

A factsheet with more detailed information, tables and charts is
available here:
http://www.skyguide.ch/en/MediaRelations/MediaReleases/ArchivedReleases/06_02_2009_performance_2008_factsheet_en.pdf

[1] "Strips" are slips of paper containing the key details
(identification, heading, flight level, etc.) of the aircraft flying
through an air traffic controller's control sector. Since the
adoption of the "stripless system" in 2006, these paper strips have
been replaced with an electronic solution. As a result, the
controller workstations in Geneva are now fully digitized.

skyguide
swiss air navigation services ltd
media relations
CH-1215 Geneva 15

contact:
phone: +41 22 417 4008
email: presse@skyguide.ch
internet: www.skyguide.ch

Skyguide is responsible for providing air navigation services within
Swiss airspace and in the airspace of certain adjoining regions in
neighbouring countries. The company guides the civil and military
aircraft entrusted to its care - some 3 400 flights a day or 1.24
million a year - through some of the busiest and most complex
airspace in Europe. Skyguide is a non-profit limited company which
has its head office in Geneva. The majority of its shares are held by
the Swiss Confederation. The company generates annual operating
revenue of over CHF 369 million and employs some 1 400 people at 14
locations in Switzerland.

The media release can be downloaded from the following link:

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skyguide
Postfach 1518 Zürich-Flughafen Switzerland

WKN: 1957462;
ISIN: CH0019574620;
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