SESAR members and partners in Spain have successful tested a SESAR Solution (#19) capable of predicting air traffic control (ATC) overloads that would have been otherwise undetected with traditional workload prediction methods. The tests showed that the solution is an effective means to evaluate the complexity of traffic demand and make the most of airspace capacity.

Over a period of three weeks, controllers from Madrid area control centre (ACC) used the complexity assessment and resolution (CAR) tool to predict traffic complexity for airspace up to 40 minutes before the aircraft entered into the sectors in that airspace.

The controllers also used automated tools for solving predicted ATC overloads due to traffic complexity. The new automated tools take into account the availability of airspace (due to weather, reservation, etc), sector capacity, operator preferences and overall network operations. They found these tools enabled them to monitor the situation and to implement modifications to aircraft trajectories if the traffic looked set to become highly complex so as to overload a sector.

The solution was also evaluated when used in combination with SESAR-like extended arrival management solution for Madrid-Barajas airport, which extends the arrival management (AMAN) coordination beyond the airspace surrounding the airport (terminal manoeuvring area) to neighbouring en-route airspace. By combining the solutions, the exercise confirmed the need to include AMAN-derived tasks in the complexity calculation algorithm to facilitate a seamless integration.

For the first time, an innovative technique was used during the tests to compute the demands made on the controller when handling complex traffic. This technique used specific glasses to monitor the pupil dilation which is an indicator of stress, allowing assessments to be made of the impact of the traffic overload on controllers.

The SESAR Tests [1] were performed at CRIDA, the Spanish Reference Center for Research, Development and Innovation in ATM in collaboration with Enaire and Indra.

Offering advanced air traffic services

This solution (Solution 19 “Automated support for traffic complexity detection and resolution”) is part of a broader set of solutions (key feature) aimed at increasing the performance of advanced air traffic services, in line with the vision of the European ATM Master Plan.

View other solutions within this key feature

[1] ENAIRE, CRIDA & INDRA (EXE-04.07.01-VP-005 and EXE-05.03-VP-804)