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Air Traffic Control Newsletter #103

GAO on RNP's slow progress, How cost-effective are ATC providers? and More...

May 16, 2013

Robert Poole

In this issue:

• GAO on RNP's slow progress
• How cost-effective are ATC providers?
• Some progress on NextGen equipage
• More new ideas for the Single European Sky
• Wake vortex mitigation tested in Europe
• News Notes
• Quotable Quotes

 

Congress and the FAA Could Reduce Air Travel Delays and Save Real Money

Hundreds of outdated air traffic centers could be merged and replaced with newer, more efficient setups

April 25, 2013

Robert Poole

 

This week we’re reading a lot about air travel delays blamed on the budget sequester and furloughed air traffic controllers. As part of the cuts, the Federal Aviation Administration also plans to shut down 149 small air traffic control towers in June — seven in Southern California, including towers in Fullerton and Riverside.

Even if a federal court allows the currently stalled tower closures to happen, the five-month shutdown is projected to save only $25 million out of the Federal Aviation Administration’s $15 billion annual budget. That’s pocket change compared with larger savings that could come about if the FAA rationalized its 700-odd air traffic facilities

 The big money is in the larger facilities—the 20 Centers that manage high-altitude traffic across the country and 187 radar approach control facilities called TRACONs that hand off flights to airport control towers (of which there are 516).

 

Air Traffic Control Newsletter #102

Backlash over politicized air traffic control funding, user taxes vs. user fees—a big difference

April 23, 2013

Robert Poole

Air Traffic Control: How to Save Money Without Compromising Services

April 22, 2013, 10:52pm

Tom Clougherty

Air Traffic Control Newsletter #101

The benefits of air traffic control consolidation, Congress holds ATC hostage to budget cuts and lower aviation growth forecast by FAA

April 3, 2013

Robert Poole

In this issue:

• ATC facility consolidation savings
• Congress holds ATC hostage to budget cuts
• Lower aviation growth forecast by FAA
• CANSO offering ATC billing service
• Major challenges to Single European Sky
• News Notes
• Quotable Quotes

Air Traffic Control Consolidation Would Save Billions

April 3, 2013, 10:00am

Robert Poole

A new study, just released by the Reason Foundation, estimates that large-scale consolidation of Terminal Radar Approach Control Facilities (TRACONs) and Centers in the continental United States could yield one-time savings of $1.7 billion and ongoing savings of about a billion dollars per year. “Air Traffic Control from Anywhere to Anywhere: The Case for ATC Facility Consolidation,” was researched and written by Michael Harrison, Ira Gershkoff, and Gary Church of Aviation Management Associates. It is available online here.

The study relies on two underlying premises.The first is that the new paradigm of air traffic management, under way via NextGen, makes it possible to control air traffic anywhere in the country from any location, thus severing the link between air traffic control facility location and the geographical boundaries of airspace. Hence, instead of rebuilding the 187 mostly aging and obsolescing Centers and TRACONs, they could be replaced by a much smaller number of new, high-tech facilities in less-costly geographic locations.

The second underlying premise is economies of scale. The project team quantified this using FAA data to calculate the productivity of each of its Centers and TRACONs. New York Center is the most productive, averaging over 9,400 annual operations per controller; Denver Center is least productive, at just over 5,400 operations per controller. A similarly large variation in productivity was found among TRACONs.

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