Reference Manual on Air Transport Statistics Version 10 Introduction _____________________________________________________________________________ 7 PART I: METHODOLOGY, DEFINITIONS AND CLASSIFICATIONS __________________________ 9 1 Description of the datasets _________________________________________________________ 9 1.1 Description of the Statistical units and variables ________________________________________ 11 1.2 Definitions and variables of general interest ___________________________________________ 11 1.2.1 Air Passenger _______________________________________________________________ 11 1.2.2 Aircraft movement ___________________________________________________________ 11 1.2.3 Commercial aircraft movement _________________________________________________ 11 1.2.4 Passenger seats available ______________________________________________________ 11 1.2.5 Community airport ___________________________________________________________ 11 1.2.6 Community airport covered ____________________________________________________ 11 1.2.7 State Flight _________________________________________________________________ 12 1.2.8 Passenger unit _______________________________________________________________ 12 1.2.9 Commercial air service ________________________________________________________ 12 1.2.10 Scheduled air service _________________________________________________________ 12 1.2.11 Non-scheduled air service______________________________________________________ 13 1.2.12 Passenger air service __________________________________________________________ 13 1.2.13 All-freight and mail air service __________________________________________________ 13 1.2.14 Airline (Commercial air transport operator) ________________________________________ 13 1.3 Definitions and variables of interest for table A1 (flight stage) _____________________________ 13 1.3.1 Flight stage (Table A1) ________________________________________________________ 13 1.3.2 Passengers on board (Table A1) _________________________________________________ 13 1.3.3 Freight and mail on board (Table A1) ____________________________________________ 13 1.3.4 Commercial air flight (Table A1) ________________________________________________ 14 1.3.5 Passenger seats available (Table A1) _____________________________________________ 14 1.3.6 Aircraft ____________________________________________________________________ 14 1.4 Definitions and variables of interest for table B1 (on flight origin and destination) and table C1 (airports) _______________________________________________________________________ 14 1.4.1 On flight origin and destination (Table B1) ________________________________________ 14 1.4.2 Passengers carried (Tables B1 & C1) _____________________________________________ 15 1.4.3 Freight and mail loaded or unloaded (Tables B1 & C1) _______________________________ 15 1.4.4 Direct transit passengers (Table C1) ______________________________________________ 15 1.4.5 Transfer or indirect transit passengers ____________________________________________ 15 1.4.6 Total commercial aircraft movements (Table C1) ___________________________________ 15 1.4.7 Total aircraft movements (Table C1) _____________________________________________ 16 1.5 The difference between on flight origin/destination and flight stage data _____________________ 16 1.6 The reporting of airport data in table C1 ______________________________________________ 17 1.7 Codification of the type of flight ____________________________________________________ 18 2 Classifications _________________________________________________________________ 18 2.1 Country code ___________________________________________________________________ 18 2.2 Airport code ____________________________________________________________________ 18 2.3 Air transport operator code _________________________________________________________ 19 2.4 Aircraft code ____________________________________________________________________ 20 3 Data transmission Format: Standardisation and validation _______________________________ 20 3.1 Transmission of results ____________________________________________________________ 20 3.2 Description of the data files and transmission format ____________________________________ 20 3.3 Data Transmission _______________________________________________________________ 22 3.3.1 General recommendations _____________________________________________________ 22 3.3.2 eDamis presentation __________________________________________________________ 23 3.3.3 Standardization of message format for data exchange: Statistical Data and Metadata eXchange (SDMX) _________________________________________________________________ 25 4 Questionnaire on aviation statistics _________________________________________________ 26 5 Voluntary data transmission _______________________________________________________ 26 5.1 Background_____________________________________________________________________ 26 5.2 Definitions _____________________________________________________________________ 27 5.2.1 Type of operation ____________________________________________________________ 27 5.2.1.1 Commercial air transport ________________________________________________ 27 5.2.1.2 General aviation _______________________________________________________ 28 5.2.1.3 Aerial work ___________________________________________________________ 29 5.2.1.4 Other type of operations _________________________________________________ 29 5.3 Values to be collected _____________________________________________________________ 30 5.3.1 Registered aircraft____________________________________________________________ 30 5.3.2 Flights _____________________________________________________________________ 30 5.3.3 Hours flown ________________________________________________________________ 31 PART II: NATIONAL METHODOLOGIES _________________________________________________ 33 1 Information on Dataset A1: FS data _________________________________________________ 34 2 Information on Dataset B1 : OFOD data _____________________________________________ 45 3 Information on Datasets A1 and B1 _________________________________________________ 53 4 Information on Dataset C1 ________________________________________________________ 62 5 Information on data compilation, validation and delivery practices ________________________ 67 PART III: PROCEDURES FOR DATA TREATMENT AND DISSEMINATION __________________ 87 1 Description of the data integration process ___________________________________________ 87 2 Description of the quality checks ___________________________________________________ 90 2.1 Quality checks results communicated to the countries ____________________________________ 90 2.1.1 Compliance with the Regulation checks ___________________________________________ 90 2.1.2 Summary results _____________________________________________________________ 91 2.1.3 Consistency over time ________________________________________________________ 91 2.1.4 Consistency between arrivals and departures figures _________________________________ 92 2.1.5 Interdataset checks ___________________________________________________________ 92 2.1.5.1 Comparison between the flight stage declarations (A1) and the airport declarations (C1) ______________________________________________________________________91 2.1.5.2 Comparison between the on flight origin/destination declarations (B1) and the airport declarations (C1) _________________________________________________________ 93 2.1.6 Seats available ______________________________________________________________ 93 2.1.7 Mirror checking _____________________________________________________________ 94 2.1.8 Missing routes check _________________________________________________________ 94 2.2 Frequency of the checks ___________________________________________________________ 95 2.3 Internal quality checks ____________________________________________________________ 95 2.3.1 Comparison between the flight stage declarations (A1) and the on flight origin/destination declarations (B1) ___________________________________________________________________ 95 2.3.2 Comparison between the flight stage declarations (A1) and the airport declarations (C1)_____ 96 2.3.3 Comparison between the on flight origin/destination declarations (B1) and the airport declarations (C1) ___________________________________________________________________ 96 3 Method of exclusion of the double counting when compiling aggregates for air transport statistics ______________________________________________________________________ 96 3.1 Introduction to the “double counting” concept __________________________________________ 96 3.2 Principle of the exclusion of the double counting _______________________________________ 96 3.3 Application of the principle ________________________________________________________ 96 4 Dissemination __________________________________________________________________ 99 4.1 Description of the various supports __________________________________________________ 99 4.1.1 Eurobase ___________________________________________________________________ 99 4.1.2 Statistics in Focus ____________________________________________________________ 99 4.2 Procedures of calculations and aggregations used in the dissemination process ________________ 99 ANNEXES ____________________________________________________________________________ 101 Annex I : Regulation (EC) 437/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of passenger,