Air traffic management
In the US, however, the FAA’s ATC System Command Center in Virginia is very much already operational, making strategic and tactical operational decisions that manage the daily flow of air traffic throughout the US and adjacent countries, balancing demands with an ever- changing system capacity. The ATC System Command Center also houses critical stakeholders, such as airline and military personnel who inform decisions in real time, along with input from traffic management specialists and air traffic controllers at facilities affected by Covid-19.
The FAA’s ATC facilities returned to normal schedules on 6 June 2021 to meet the rise in traffic.
“We are very focused on making sure that we give our controllers enough support so they’re ready for when the traffic comes back,” Kennedy says. In order to achieve that, NATS ran a simulation exercise from February to May 2021 for hundreds of its air traffic controllers. “It’s one compressed way to make sure that we can expose controllers to increased levels of traffic, so that when it does come back, they’re ready for it. Because above all else, what we’re here for is to deliver a safer air traffic service.” The FAA have also made strides to address this issue, making some of its ATC training available in a digital platform, allowing it to study these newer techniques over time. It is then using this data to help determine the sweet spot for training between virtual and in-person training activities.
A digital solution
If controller training has been made more easily available on a digital platform, digitalisation could be the solution to some of the issues ATC operators have had during the pandemic. Fully digitalised and remote-control towers could manage more air traffic while requiring fewer controllers, reducing the risk that an operator could become short-staffed as traffic begins to return to normal levels.
“As vaccinations become available, we are seeing an increase in demand for air traffic services, and have adjusted our hours and staffing to be ready to meet the demand.”
Teri L Bristol
“[Digitalisation has] always been a subject of discussion,” says Kennedy, noting that while Covid- 19 has drawn attention to some of the benefits offered by digitalising ATC operations, it also disrupted the revenue streams that could have led to investment in this area. “Once we get out of the crisis period and we get back into a more normal business planning cycle, then yes, I think it’s heading in that direction.”
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It is also the central hub for handling contingency situations, and ensuring continued safety and efficiency. On 11 March 2020, the Command Center activated a Joint Crisis Action Team (J-CAT), which worked around the clock to track and address Covid-19 cases at air traffic facilities. Centralising this activity in the ATC System Command Center’s J-CAT, which concluded at the end of May 2021, allowed affected facilities’ non-exposed employees to maintain their focus on the tactical operation.
Look to the future
So, what, then, does the future hold for airports and ATC operators? There is a general expectation that some recovery will be seen during the summer, but that will likely be hindered by ongoing Covid-19 checks and travel restrictions, particularly around those as yet unvaccinated against the virus. Traffic has already started moving in the right direction, however, allowing operators to begin scaling up their services once more.
“As vaccinations become available, we are seeing an increase in demand for air traffic services, and have adjusted our hours and staffing to be ready to meet the demand,” says Bristol, noting that the FAA’s ATC facilities resumed their normal schedules on 6 June 2021. “Traffic gradually increased over the [past few] months and we’ve recently seen more than 44,000 flights in one day.”
Kennedy is a little more cautious, but is also hopeful that ATC operators will see some form of recovery over the summer. “It’s not at all clear how [things are] going to play out for the second half of 2021,” she admits. “We are certainly hopeful that we will get some form of recovery over the summer, but we think it will be relatively limited.” The scale of Covid-19 may be unprecedented,
but ATC operators have come back from serious setbacks in the past and this time the rest of the aviation industry is all on the same page. While obstacles, risks and fears over the pandemic remain and threaten to hinder air travel for the foreseeable future, the industry has shown that it is ready and willing to overcome these challenges. And, with some luck, summer 2021 may just prove to be the light at the end of the tunnel. ●
Future Airport /
www.futureairport.com
FAA
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