Effects on ATCO Training when Working in a Flight Centric ATC Environment

Air traffic management as we know it today is increasingly reaching its capacity limits as air traffic continues to grow. The airspace cannot accommodate an infinite number of aircraft, and air traffic controllers will also no longer be able to control an increased volume of air traffic in the conventional way in the future. Concepts such as Flight Centric Air Traffic Control (FCA) seek to increase airspace and controller capacity. Such concepts are based on the latest technologies, increasing the degree of automation in air traffic management. This development provokes that some tasks might be shifted partly or entirely to a machine. Along with this shift comes a change in the way air traffic controllers work and some of their tasks. This not only affects the day-to-day work of air traffic controllers, but already starts with training and licensing. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) conducted a workshop (WS) with five Swedish air traffic controllers to analyze and discuss air traffic control officer (ATCO) training and licensing under the constraints of FCA. This paper will present the main outcomes of the workshop and the conclusions drawn for ATCO training.