Validating Technical and Procedural Enablers to Support a Flexible Endorsement System for Air Traffic Controllers

Kurzfassung

The endorsement process for air traffic controllers (ATCOs) is time-consuming and limits operational flexibility, as tower ATCOs must traditionally gain and maintain separate endorsements for each aerodrome. Remote tower centre (RTC) operations, where several aerodromes can be controlled centrally from one location, offer new opportunities by pooling ATCO resources. However, their potential is constrained if conventional endorsement requirements remain unchanged. This raises the central question of whether procedural and technical enablers can reduce on-the-job training (OJT) times and the effort required to maintain multiple endorsements, thereby enabling a more flexible deployment of ATCOs across several aerodromes. This paper presents two technical enablers: (i) Coordination Support System (including a new Relay Station and a Runway Change Assistance System) and (ii) Emergency Handling Support System; as well as two procedural enablers: (i) Standardised Roles and Callsigns and (ii) Standardised Coordination Procedures. They were validated in workshops with 17 tower ATCOs and experts in Braunschweig and Malmö, using mockups, questionnaires, and debrief sessions, to mature these enablers to technology readiness level 2. Five of the participants had prior remote tower experience. The questionnaire ratings on a five-point scale show consistently positive assessments. Standardised Coordination Procedures achieved the highest score (4.61), followed by the Relay Station (4.28), the Emergency Handling Support System (4.06), and the Runway Change Assistance System (3.8). According to participant assessments, OJT time could be reduced by around 20% (9–10 weeks) on average and endorsement maintenance effort by about 27%. These indications suggest that procedural and technical enablers can support more flexible ATCO deployment across several aerodromes. To validate and realise this potential, the enablers should be advanced to higher technology readiness levels and tested in human-in-the-loop simulations under conditions close to operational RTC environments.