Should Air Traffic Management Be More Visible?

Air Traffic Management (ATM) is a very quiet, discreet industry. People outside of aviation sometimes think that marshallers (the guys with batons helping pilots to park aircraft) are air traffic controllers (ATCOs). If flights are on time, as long as aircraft don’t have to go around and safety is ensured, nobody ever hears about air traffic control (ATC).

Media addressing a general audience usually report about ATC when there are flight delays, industrial actions, events that appear like close calls, and, unfortunately, when real accidents happen. Under those premises, there is no way ATM can build a positive image outside of the aviation industry. Unlike other industries where service can sometimes exceed expectations, no passenger will ever know that ATCOs did a great job or even saved the day— except in the rare cases of light aircraft on visual flights being lost or when the pilot of such an aircraft gets incapacitated and ATCOs talk whoever sits in the right seat down to a safe landing.

From a financial perspective, charges by Air Navigation Services Providers (ANSPs) account for 5 to 10% of a ticket price, and fluctuations (up or down) often go unnoticed. Most of the costs come from fuel, manpower, and aircraft ownership.

The first reason ANSPs are not visible from mainstream media is simple inertia. It has been this way forever, and there is no reason to change. ATC happens behind the closed doors of control centres or, almost literally, in ivory towers. It is invisible, inaccessible and out of reach of the average passenger. It is also complex and not easy to explain if you aren’t working directly in the industry on a day-to-day basis.

ANSPs have been invisible for a long time, and if their perceptions in this matter don’t change, the world around them does. Aviation used to be seen as a fun, attractive industry and even glamorous, enabling mass travel and supporting tourism growth. Nowadays, a significant part of the population perceives aviation as a source of pollution, an unsustainable industry creating nuisances for the sole benefit of privileged people.

One of the consequences of this image degradation is making ANSPs less attractive as employers. Relatively high salaries alone can’t compensate for the downsides anymore. Working as an ATCO has some negative aspects: it is not possible to work from home, there are strict working times, and it’s a high-stress career choice. Although there is also high satisfaction in ensuring the safety of the flying public.

Even if the number of work hours is less than in other careers, the work must be done around the clock and year, sometimes working on weekends and public holidays, and this is also making such jobs less attractive to the new generations.

Those factors justify calling for more public attention to be given to the ATM industry – and with this said comes the next question: how? 

There are many good reasons why ATCOs will never be able to work remotely, and ANSPs must try to explain it to candidates; be fair about what they can expect, what could change with time, and what will not, and discuss opportunities for operational support roles that could incorporate some level of remote work.

The same applies to sustainability, as the aviation industry is fully aware of the required changes and of how slow evolution cycles are. But this does not mean that nothing changes at all, and ANSPs are part of this change. Continuous climb and continuous descent operations help reduce emissions and noise; free route airspace allows for more direct and shorter routes. There are even trials aiming at reducing the impact of contrails on the environment.

Beyond the local efforts of some ANSPs, international organisations like CANSO promote and organise “green certifications,” looking at all possible aspects and certifying the results of those efforts. Educating those outside the industry (possible hiring candidates and the general public) on these activities will go a long way to enhancing understanding of how our industry works.

From the purely human perspective, diversity, equality, and inclusion programmes are still strong, and ANSPs are conscious of the challenges in this area too. 

Doing all this is important, but now the time has come to make it more visible. In today’s world of communication, ANSPs must learn to manage their image, not only in the fishbowl universe of aviation but also to the general public.

Over the last decade, the communication departments of ANSPs have flourished, and some are present on social media, and not only LinkedIn but also Instagram and even TikTok. The human resources departments are not left behind, and classical adverts are used too, from posters to ads in movie theatres. Some ANSPs learn and expand their visibility.

Beyond social media, press officers at ANSP have to liaise with journalists (aviation, business, and general audience press), educate them, and help to make ATC accessible and understandable for them and for their audience.

Raising awareness is important, even if passengers are not given a choice of which ANSP to use. When negative press happens, and it does often, companies are in a better position if they start from being perceived positively, rather than being unknown, mysterious and operating behind closed doors.

This can’t be valued in financial terms, but ANSPs are well advised to invest in their brands and to cultivate a good reputation. And because of their principles of always ensuring safety and organising a safe and orderly flow of traffic in a sustainable way, they have a good, positive starting point.

In a perfect world, nobody should think, “Ah, air traffic control is doing that thing again,” when their flights get delayed but rather be thankful that benevolent organisations are watching for their safety, ensuring that operations run smoothly and in the most sustainable way possible.

Getting there will be a long way, without any shortcuts, but the efforts will pay off well as no ANSP can benefit from hiding in the dark anymore.

Author: Global Airspace Radar

The single source of information for airspace management stakeholders, brought to you by our team with direct industry experience. Daily updates will keep you in sync with industry news, thought leadership, expert opinions and more. https://globalairspaceradar.com/ 

Looking for something else?