Air traffic control
The primary purpose of ATC is to prevent collisions, organize and expedite the flow of traffic in the air, and provide information and other support for pilots.
[1] Personnel of air traffic control monitor aircraft location in their assigned airspace by radar and communicate with the pilots by radio.
[2] To prevent collisions, ATC enforces traffic separation rules, which ensure each aircraft maintains a minimum amount of 'empty space' around it at all times.
The first of several air mail radio stations (AMRS) was created in 1922, after World War I, when the U.S. Post Office began using techniques developed by the U.S. Army to direct and track the movements of reconnaissance aircraft.
They do relay control instructions from ATC in areas where flight service is the only facility with radio or phone coverage.
The first air route traffic control center (ARTCC), which directs the movement of aircraft between departure and destination, was opened in Newark in 1935, followed in 1936 by Chicago and Cleveland.
[9] After the 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision, killing all 128 on board, the FAA was given the air-traffic responsibility in the United States in 1958, and this was followed by other countries.
A controller must carry out the job using the precise and effective application of rules and procedures; however, they need flexible adjustments according to differing circumstances, often under time pressure.
[17] Some air navigation service providers (e.g., Airservices Australia, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Nav Canada, etc.)
Errors generally occur during periods following times of intense activity, when controllers tend to relax and overlook the presence of traffic and conditions that lead to loss of minimum separation.
Constrained control capacity and growing traffic lead to flight cancellation and delays:[citation needed] By then the market for air-traffic services was worth $14bn.
[23] Some tools are available in different domains to help the controller further: In the United States, some alterations to traffic control procedures are being examined: In Europe, the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR)[27] programme plans to develop new methods, technologies, procedures, and systems to accommodate future (2020 and beyond) air traffic needs.
In October 2018, European controller unions dismissed setting targets to improve ATC as "a waste of time and effort", as new technology could cut costs for users but threaten their jobs.
In April 2019, the EU called for a 'Digital European Sky', focusing on cutting costs by including a common digitisation standard, and allowing controllers to move to where they are needed instead of merging national ATCs, as it would not solve all problems.
Both proponents and opponents of privatisation recognise that stable funding is one of the major factors for successful upgrades of ATC infrastructure.
[37] Proponents argue that moving ATC services to a private corporation could stabilise funding over the long term which will result in more predictable planning and rollout of new technology as well as training of personnel.
This is the model used in the United Kingdom, but there have been several issues with the system there, including a large-scale failure in December 2014 which caused delays and cancellations and has been attributed to cost-cutting measures put in place by this corporation.
In fact, earlier that year, the corporation owned by the German government won the bid to provide ATC services for Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom.
Nav Canada is funded from fees that are collected from the airlines based on the weight of the aircraft and the distance flown.
[40] Air traffic control is operated by national governments with few exceptions: in the European Union, only Italy has private shareholders.
[10] Privatisation does not guarantee lower prices: the profit margin of MUAC was 70% in 2017, as there is no competition, but governments could offer fixed terms concessions.
