Air Traffic

More than 300 employees working at FAA air traffic control (ATC) facilities have contracted COVID-19 since the first positive cases were detected at Chicago Midway International Airport in March, the agency’s top ATC executive said Nov. 17.

Transport sector trade unionists have expressed concern at the growth of air traffic control remote tower operations (RTO), urging a global set of regulations governing their use.

Data link and ADS-B will be instrumental for improved European air traffic management, but key countries are late in implementation.

Eurocontrol may have to further revise its traffic forecasts downwards—after already cutting them once—as tightening COVID-19 restrictions and rising infection numbers in many European countries lead to a deteriorating situation for the region’s airlines.

Beyond the glow of the flares sent up by desperate airlines during the COVID-19 pandemic, air navigation service providers (ANSPs) that generate revenue from the fees they charge are struggling too.

Air traffic controllers (ATC) and electronic security engineers in Greece have announced four-hour work stoppages for Oct. 7 and Oct. 8.

As it moves to offset losses caused by the pandemic, the UK air navigation services provider makes upgrades to its radar infrastructure.

The FAA has extended slot rule waivers at three congested U.S. east coast airports through the end of March, in an effort to relieve airlines hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With air traffic activity suppressed by the coronavirus pandemic, the ATM community is forward-focused on future scenarios.

Eurocontrol and chief executives of European air navigation service providers (ANSPs) met virtually to discuss options for the deepening financial crisis caused by a “huge and ongoing decrease” in flight activity because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the participants announced Sept. 24.

Air traffic in Europe is continuing to drop after the summer recovery, according to Eurocontrol’s latest statistics.

Aviation training specialist CAE on Sept. 21 announced the launch of a new “Airside” online portal with career and training resources for pilots.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has accomplished what it described as the world’s first successful landing of a UAV at a major airport while integrating the vehicle into commercial traffic.

Eurocontrol has cut its traffic forecast, blaming the uncoordinated response to COVID-19 travel restrictions among European countries.

Aviation training specialist CAE on Sept. 10 announced an initiative with banks in Canada, Mexico and Spain to help aspiring pilots finance their ab-initio training.

The chief executive of the top U.S. airline lobby called on federal lawmakers to promptly approve more industry aid, telling reporters the situation facing carriers remains “dire” as the summer leisure travel season draws to a close.

Raytheon Intelligence & Space has a new alliance of innovation leaders poised to efficiently update, expand and secure an aging airspace network

A new initiative to increase the amount of time US air traffic controllers spend in on-the-job training (OJT) is off to a promising start, a top FAA air traffic official said.

The FAA and several stakeholders are progressing toward the next major step in the U.S.’s remote air traffic control (ATC) tower evaluation effort, readying Northern Colorado Regional Airport (FNL) to join the program this fall.