Workstation and Tool Usage of an Air Traffic Controller in the Upper Airspace

Kurzfassung

The primary function of air traffic control is to ensure the safe, orderly and efficient handling of air traffic to their respective destinations. To address this challenge, air traffic controllers (ATCOs) are equipped with a workstation and a range of tools to facilitate their operations in the context of increasing air traffic complexity. The state of the art is subject to constant change due to the emergence of novel concepts, tools, and technologies, as well as the presence of multiple air navigation service providers. Consequently, this paper presents a structured review and comparison of ATCO workstations and front-end support tools in the German upper airspace operations. A comprehensive literature review, two on-site visits, and interviews with six operational ATCOs were conducted. The analysis identified 14 front-end controller support tools currently deployed in upper area control operations, indicating a high degree of functional overlap in safety-critical systems. At the same time, substantial differences were observed in visualisation concepts, monitor configurations, Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) usage practices, and locally established best practices. These findings demonstrate that while the core safety architecture is largely harmonised, the human–machine interface and operational implementation remain centre-specific. The study therefore establishes a consolidated baseline of currently deployed controller support tools, providing a reference framework for future comparisons of ATCO workstation implementations.