Air traffic, European the controllers and problems
Air traffic.
The controllers play a vital role in ensuring the safe and efficient operation of European air traffic. There is no doubt about it! At the end of the article there will be a more detailed presentation, the nature of the problems.
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Air traffic controllers play a vital role in ensuring the safe and efficient operation of European air traffic. They work in airport flight towers, also known as air traffic control towers, where they oversee the movement of aircraft in and around airports.
The importance of air traffic controllers stems from their responsibility to maintain the safety of aircraft and passengers. They use radar systems, communication equipment, and other tools to monitor the position and movement of aircraft.
By providing precise instructions and clearances, they ensure that aircraft maintain safe distances from each other and follow designated flight paths.
Air traffic controllers.
They also coordinate with pilots, ground personnel, and other controllers to manage the flow of air traffic. They provide pilots with takeoff and landing clearances, manage runway usage, and guide aircraft during taxiing.
Additionally, they communicate critical information about weather conditions, temporary flight restrictions, and other relevant updates to pilots.
In the European context, air traffic controllers play a crucial role due to the dense air traffic in the region.
Europe has a highly interconnected and busy airspace, with numerous airports serving both domestic and international flights.
Coordinating this complex network requires skilled controllers who can manage the traffic flow efficiently and respond effectively to any unexpected situations.
Furthermore, air traffic controllers contribute to the overall efficiency of the aviation system. By optimizing the use of airspace and reducing delays, they help minimize fuel consumption and emissions.
Their ability to manage air traffic flow during peak periods and adverse weather conditions is crucial for maintaining operational continuity and minimizing disruptions to travelers and airlines.
To become an air traffic controller, individuals must undergo rigorous training and certification programs. They need to possess strong situational awareness, decision-making skills, and the ability to work under pressure.
The role demands a high level of concentration, as controllers must remain vigilant and alert throughout their shifts to ensure the safety of all aircraft.
Well written and nice. Isn’t that right? But what is really happening in Europe with dispatchers? Nothing exciting. A real interview from those involved in this work.
Air traffic, WoW!
Europe’s air traffic controllers should be retiring — but no one is coming up to replace them. Gaps in training, inflexible hours and more lucrative alternative career tracks mean the industry is struggling to lure newcomers into control towers to relieve its aging workforce.
“We’re missing between — depending on who you ask — 700 and 1,000 air traffic controllers across Europe,” says Frederic Deleau, the executive vice president at the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations.
The European Union’s Year of Skills initiative identifies advanced sectors like aerospace and defense as targets for upskilling. Deleau, though, argues that in an area like air traffic control, it isn’t just new skills that are needed; it’s also basic training.
Unlike some links of the aviation chain that have also faced shortages in recent years — like baggage handlers or airport ground staff.
Air traffic controllers need two to three years of specialist training, which often amounts to a huge expense for air navigation service providers.
A typical program, such as the one run by air traffic control organization Eurocontrol, sees students attend theoretical classes at an aviation university before moving on to simulators and then taking on more training in a control center.
Applicants have to meet strict criteria, including minimum fitness, hearing and vision levels, as well as English language and maths proficiency. There’s also an upper age limit to undergo Eurocontrol’s training, you have to be younger than 27 when you start the program.
That exacerbates an existing “huge demographic issue,” he explained, with a “vast part” of Europe’s air traffic controllers due to retire shortly.
These shortages create a doom loop as the remaining controllers fill in the gaps with more shifts, and the increased workload in turn makes the job less appealing and makes it harder to attract talent.
“We cannot push people continuously, and relying on overtime has its limits as well because we are in a safety-critical environment,” Deleau said.
We cannot continuously ask people to come to work 12 hours or to work six out of seven days on a continuous basis without risking that at one stage they will overlook something or an incident will happen.”
The working hours are already antisocial, Deleau explained. “When I go for a morning shift, I get up at four o’clock in the morning. When I come back from an afternoon shift, I come back home at midnight.”
In the short term, the problem is only going to get worse!
Summer traffic this year will approach pre-pandemic levels, while large swaths of the Continent’s sky are off-limits because of the war in Ukraine.
As well as new kinds of planes that run on greener fuels, skies are more and more likely to be inhabited by nonpiloted planes, drones and air taxis.
“Not only will we need additional controllers but controllers with advanced competencies,” says Efthymiou. “Things are changing. Changing relatively fast… and that will complicate operations.
In summary, air traffic controllers in European airport flight towers play a vital role in ensuring the safe, efficient, and orderly operation of air traffic.
Their expertise and diligent work contribute to the smooth functioning of the aviation industry, benefiting both passengers and the overall economy.
Aair traffic, there’s also a brain-drain issue.
“We’re losing a lot of controllers to the Middle East,” said Marina Efthymiou, a professor of aviation management at Dublin City University.
“Europe is a relatively mature market — all the growth is going to the Middle East and Asia.
And in the Middle East, we’ve seen airports and governments advertising aggressively for trained controllers,” who are lured to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates thanks to tempting relocation packages.
Air traffic, outsourcing the issue.
One emerging option to tackle the shortage: centralizing activities and switching to remote-controlled towers.
Such remote control, though, is unpopular with unions skittish about skilled jobs being replaced or cut — and it brings other risks as well.
“Given the infancy of the technology, we find it difficult to assure these communities that that service can be provided in the event of bad weather, infrastructural damage or cyber-attack,” European Transport Workers’ Federation Secretary-General Livia Spera wrote to Scottish
Air traffic, authorities.
The EU is also funding research in this area. A prototype platform is already in the works, with 15 airports set to be controlled by staff based in Lithuania and Poland.
Air traffic, key to solving the problem, program.
The program invites students into control towers to get a sense of what the job is like. It’s not a common practice in Europe, where each program is organized nationally.
To recruit like to see some educational requirements scrapped; many programs require a university degree, this leads to competition with other sectors to recruit talent.
More people into the industry is also necessary, because of changes to the aviation industry that are around the corner.
As well as new kinds of planes that run on greener fuels, skies are more and more likely to be inhabited by nonpiloted planes, drones and air taxis.
Not only will we need additional controllers but controllers with advanced competencies.
Things are changing. Changing relatively fast… and that will complicate operations.
In summary, air traffic controllers in European airport flight towers play a vital role in ensuring the safe, efficient, and orderly operation of air traffic.
Their expertise and diligent work contribute to the smooth functioning of the aviation industry, benefiting both passengers and the overall economy.
All The Best!
