Flight Centric ATC - How ATCO Productivity can be Increased in En-Route Airspaces

Abstract

This paper examines the advantages of the Flight Centric ATC concept with regard to the cost-saving potential for air navigation service providers. Using the example of 5 July 2019, one of the busiest days in European aviation history, the paper demonstrates the reduction in controllers required to control air traffic in a uniform Flight Centric ATC airspace across Europe compared to a conventional sectorized airspace. For this purpose, the demand of controllers in Flight Centric ATC airspace is determined based on a workload-based allocation strategy and compared with the actual demand for controllers on 5 July 2019. Finally, the reduction of required controllers is converted into a monetary advantage for the air navigation service providers.