The Analysis of Occurrences Associated with Air Traffic Volume and Air Traffic Controllers’ Alertness for Fatigue Risk Management

Abstract

Fatigue is an inevitable hazard in the provision of air traffic services and it has the potential to degrade human performance leading to occurrences. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requires air navigation services which providers establish fatigue risk management systems (FRMS) based on scientific principles for the purpose of managing fatigue. To develop effective FRMSs, it is important to investigate the relationship between traffic volume, air traffic management occurrences, and fatigue. Fifty‐seven qualified ATCOs from a European Air Navigation Services provider participated in this research by providing data indicating their alertness levels over the course of a 24‐hour period. ATCOs’ fatigue data were compared against the total of 153 occurrences and 962,328 air traffic volumes from the Eurocontrol TOKAI incident database in 2019. The result demonstrated that ATCO fatigue levels are not the main contributory factor associated with air traffic management occurrences, although fatigue did impact ATCOs’ performance. High traffic volume increases ATCO cognitive task load that can surpass available attention resources leading to occurrences. Furthermore, human resilience drives ATCOs to maintain operational safety though they suffer from circadian fatigue. Consequently, FRMS appropriately implemented can be used to mitigate the effects of fatigue. First‐line countermeasure strategies should focus on enough rest breaks and roster schedule optimization; secondary strategies should focus on monitoring ATCOs’ task loads that may induce fatigue. It is vital to consider traffic volume and ATCOs’ alertness levels when implementing effective fatigue risk management protocols.

A Field Study of Work Type Influence on Air Traffic Controllers’ Fatigue Based on Data-Driven PERCLOS Detection

“…The results showed that the interaction effect appeared to be significant (F (3, 28) = 4.13; p = 0.015). This result was consistent with that of another study using a questionnaire [15]. For ATCOs at the ACU, a similar analysis showed that the interaction effect was not significant.…”

“…At the ACU, task demands were mainly continuous and monotonous monitoring and routine reporting work, and the average monitoring time for per flight reached 21.9 min (Table 7) [29]. Additionally, it was reported in previous works that the monotonous and continuous task demands resulted in ATCOs' fatigue [15,30]. However, the task demands at the TCU were diversified, and the average monitoring time for per flight was only 11.2, which resulted in reducing the monotonicity of the work.…”

“…Therefore, it is generally accepted that ATCOs experience a typical form of mental fatigue [6,10,11], given that their tasks are mentally demanding. Mental fatigue affects alertness, reactive ability, and decision-making power, reduces ATCOs' performance, and can even threaten traffic safety [12][13][14][15].…”

Integrating Ergonomics Into Safety Management: A Conceptual Risk Assessment Model for Tower Controllers at Multiple Altitudes

“…Effects like fatigue can lower the controllers' reaction speed [19] directly associated with airport safety. Despite that fatigue can impair operator performance, tower controllers' fatigue is not the paramount contributor to aviation occurrences [20]. Most literature [20] viewed fatigue as an operational risk element that neglects fatigue's effects on tower controllers' health.…”

“…Despite that fatigue can impair operator performance, tower controllers' fatigue is not the paramount contributor to aviation occurrences [20]. Most literature [20] viewed fatigue as an operational risk element that neglects fatigue's effects on tower controllers' health. Burnout has been a severe problem for air traffic controllers, wherein fatigue is a vital element for emotional exhaustion, a component of burnout.…”