The Federal Aviation Administration’s Approach for Determining Future Air Traffic Controller Staffing Needs (2014) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 11-28
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.1 This chapter describes the job of an air traffic controller and notes how the demands on a controller vary across types of ATC facility and types of traffic. The challenges facing FAA as it seeks to establish safe and cost-effective staffing levels are discussed, and a high-level overview of the current staffing process is provided.
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. ATC Facilities Air traffic controller positions and tasks vary significantly among ATC facility types.
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of FY 2012, FAA reported to the committee that, of the 15,063 total air traffic controllers in 315 FAA facilities, 6,278 (i.e., just over 40 percent) worked in the ARTCCs.
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(ATCT) FIGURE 1-1 ATC facility overview.
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controller. The R-side controller is responsible for communicating with and maintaining safe separation of aircraft and for coordinating other air traffic controllers.
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For busy airports, TRACON controllers play a vital role in establishing efficient traffic flows that position aircraft for maximized landing rates and allow for efficient flight profiles during arrival and departure. 2 A number of terminal facilities combine tower and TRACON components and are categorized by FAA as "up–down" facilities.
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Air carriers operating under Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 121 and air taxis and commuters operating under FAR Part 135 dominate operations at large airports and their TRACONs and through en route centers.
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. Center aircraft handled is the number of ARTCC en route IFR departures mul tiplied by two, plus the number of en route IFR overflights.
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80,000,000 70,000,000 60,000,000 Annual ATC Operations 50,000,000 Tower 40,000,000 TRACON 30,000,000 ARTCC 20,000,000 10,000,000 – 06 08 10 12 94 96 98 00 02 04 20 20 20 20 19 19 19 20 20 20 FIGURE 1-4 Total ATC operations by facility type, 1994–2012. [Source: FAA Air Traffic Activity Data System (http://aspm.faa.gov/opsnet/ sys/Main.asp?
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Data from the National Transportation Safety Board show that ATC errors, including omissions, have not been a major cause of aviation accidents in the past, which indicates that current controller staffing levels are safe, at least in the aggregate. (Chapter 2 notes potential areas for safety improvements, particularly for general aviation.)
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. The 1981 Professional Air Traffic Controller Organization strike and subsequent firings created a situation in which retirement eligibility peaked as a large proportion 5 The 148 trainee controllers at the FAA Academy are not included in this head count.
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, FAA faces several challenges in determining the appropriate controller staffing needs to ensure the safe operation of the NAS in a cost-effective manner. A report from the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO)
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to estimate staffing needs for FAA air traffic controllers to ensure the safe operation of the national airspace system in the most cost effective manner." The project "shall consult with the exclusive bargaining representative of employees of the FAA certified under section 7111 of title 5, United States Code, and other interested parties, including Government and industry representatives." The study shall include (1) An examination of representative information on productivity, human factors, traffic activity, and improved technology and equipment used in air traffic control; (2)
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Consistent with this focus on budgetary concerns, congressional staff also asked the committee to investigate FAA's controller staffing process from planning through execution, rather than focus exclusively on the staffing standards (models) .7 As discussed earlier, controller staffing affects not only safety but also the performance of the air traffic services provided in the NAS.
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In identifying these lessons, the committee was mindful of differences in labor laws and in the type and volume of air traffic services provided that raise questions about the transferability of ATC staffing practices from one nation to another. Different ANSPs operate in different settings and serve diverse constituencies, which complicates efforts to compare performance indicators, such as controller productivity (CANSO 2012)
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ORGANIZATION OF REPORT Chapter 2 examines the role of ATC in aviation accidents and incidents and identifies opportunities for developing a better understanding of the relationships between ATC staffing and aviation safety. It compares the safety of low-activity FAA towers and contract towers and discusses concerns about the adverse impacts of fatigue on controller performance and possible fatigue mitigation strategies.
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REFERENCES Abbreviations CANSO Civil Air Navigation Services Organization FAA Federal Aviation Administration OIG Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Transportation TRB Transportation Research Board Button, K., and R
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2010. Special Report 301: Air Traffic Controller Staffing in the En Route Domain: A Review of the Federal Aviation Administration's Task Load Model.
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