ABSTRACT
The predicted growth of civil aviation in the next 15 years is likely to double the number of aircraft movements on a global scale. Passenger traffic is expected to increase annually by 7-8% in East Asia and the South West Pacific area alone. Such growth would cause unacceptable delays in the current Air Traffic' Management (ATM) system due to its limited capacity, while the necessary reduction in separation standards would increase the risks significantly. In densely populated areas the increasing number of takeoffs and landings would increase noise pollution, which may impair the political acceptability of aviation growth.
