Today, integrating new functions into air traffic controller working positions or developing completely new displays are time-consuming and expensive processes. The users are often only included during the concept phase and after the main development phase is completed. Therefore, they do not have the chance to influence the design and development process by giving structural feedback. Any subsequent changes to the system after completing the main development phase will be expensive and slow. This paper proposes a new approach to integrate designers and users more tightly in the development process for digital air traffic control systems. By creating and reviewing realistic mock-ups in small iterative steps, the look and feel of future support functions can be validated in advance of the actual implementation and easily adapted if changes are requested. We performed a series of steps to evaluate the new workflow as a case study, including idea development, design, validation, and implementation into the target system. In a validation campaign with air traffic controllers, the developed design and functionalities received very positive feedback and the new workflow was successfully applied and evaluated as a case study.

While traffic levels are predicted to rise, nearly all European air navigation service providers suffer from staff shortages. In most cases, two air traffic controllers are deployed to control one airspace sector. Enabling the deployment of one controller per sector could be a solution to staff shortage problems. For this Single-Controller Operation (SCO) concept, a demonstrator with integrated support tools based on advanced information technology was developed. These partially automate some controller tasks to allow one controller to work off the same traffic amount as a controller team. The system was tested in a human-in-the-loop real-time simulation under varying traffic loads using a 2 × 2 within-subjects design. The variables assessed include separation minima infringements, exit flight level deviations, instantaneous self-assessment, voice communication, flight distance, and fuel burn. The results show no negative influence on safety, workload, situational awareness, operational efficiency, and environment, with 80% of maximum allowed declared capacity. Thus, SCO has the potential to mitigate staff shortages and raise cost efficiency by 40%. These results showcase the feasibility of the SCO concept under nominal conditions. Assessments with different traffic levels, non-nominal conditions, and an interdependent multi-sector SCO layout are recommended for further investigations.

Increasing traffic density and airport surface complexity cause growing demands on air traffic control. Automation, that expands and matures, could help to manage this challenge and reduce air traffic controller workload. In this paper we focus on the automation of air traffic control for ground movements and validate prospects and acceptance of automation implemented by an automated ground movement management system. For this purpose, a prototype of a surface management system was enhanced with a module capable of controlling traffic. The aim of the validation trials was to assess the feasibility and acceptance of the automation concept. This includes the influence of automation on situation awareness, workload and the detection of safety-critical and operational disturbances. For this purpose, real-time human-in-the-loop simulations were conducted with ten ground and apron controllers in DLR’s apron and tower simulator. This paper describes and discusses the addressed research questions, the experimental set-up and the methods used for data collection and data analysis. It includes a comprehensive analysis and an overview of the simulation and debriefing results, providing valuable insights into the participants’ opinions on automation at the ground controller working position. More than half of the participants (56%) agreed that the automated system controlled the traffic safely and orderly. Furthermore, 85% of the intentionally induced disturbances were detected by participants while using the automation. Both concerns and recommendations for further improvement have been identified and analysed.