Proposals for designing the airspace management of the ATM sectors of the Ho Chi Minh City Area Control Center to increase its capacity

Abstract

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Vietnam is among the countries with the rapid development of civil aviation (CA). This development is a positive sign to enhance the role and position of Vietnam civil aviation in the civil aviation community. But at the same time, the increase in flight operations poses challenges to flight safety, increases the load on airspace and airports, and pollutes the environment. The Ho Chi Minh City (HCM) airspace is one of the largest and busiest airspace in Southeast Asia. Every year, thousands of flights depart, arrive, and cross the HCM (VVTS) airspace. In addition, aviation operations in the HCM airspace are becoming increasingly complex (they include activity of state aviation, civil and general aviation), which requires the continuous improvement of airspace management. Airspace management, in turn, requires a certain flexibility and a quick response to difficulties arising in the airspace. One of the important components of the HCM airspace is the airspace of the HCM Area Control Centre (ACC1 airspace). At present, the structure of the HCM ACC airspace, which is divided into 6 sectors, shows signs of congestion, which leads to an increase in the workload of air traffic controllers (ATC). Therefore, the HCM ACC airspace redesign is imperative. In this regard, the authors of the article consider the issue of dividing the HCM ACC airspace into 8 sectors and the proposals which are necessary for its implementation. According to the authors, the HCM airspace redesign will contribute to improving air traffic management (ATM) quality, increasing airspace capacity, and reducing ATC workload.