The global air traffic management (ATM) landscape is becoming increasingly complex due to the rapid rise in air travel and the growing demands on Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs). As the aviation sector continues its recovery from the pandemic, more flights are crowding airspace, putting additional strain on ATM systems worldwide. In the ECAC* region alone, flight numbers are expected to reach 10.6 million in 2024, a 4.9% increase (±2.3 percentage points) compared to 2023, bringing air traffic back to 96% of 2019 levels. This trend is expected to continue, with flights projected to rise to 10.9 million (99% of 2019 levels) by 2025 and further to 11.2 million (101%) in 2026. By the summer of 2025, flight numbers are anticipated to fully align with pre-pandemic figures.
This surge in air traffic underscores the critical need for advanced technologies and more efficient strategies to maintain smooth, safe, and seamless operations across international airspaces. ANSPs must adapt to these rising demands to ensure the safety and efficiency of the global aviation network.
One of the biggest challenges facing Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) worldwide is the shortage of skilled personnel, especially Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) and other operational staff. This shortage is negatively affecting the efficiency and safety of air traffic management services, resulting in delays, reduced capacity, and increased stress for current employees. As many ATCOs approach retirement and recruitment struggles to meet demand, finding innovative workforce management solutions is becoming increasingly important.
Let’s explore some concrete examples from IFATCA regarding this significant challenge and how SkyRoster can help overcome it.
1. The Challenge: Staff Shortages in ANSPs
Across Europe, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) are grappling with significant staffing shortages, as highlighted by a recent survey conducted by IFATCA.
The results showed notable similarities among countries like Spain, Finland, and Italy, where operational staff shortages hinder service effectiveness. In these nations, overtime is frequently relied upon, often constituting up to 20% of operational requirements, while staff planning typically extends only one year into the future. This lack of foresight combined with high overtime reliance contributes to a strained work environment, affecting training opportunities and leave approvals. Furthermore, instances where staffing shortages have been linked to safety events underscore the urgency of addressing these workforce challenges.
Despite varying degrees of severity, the overarching theme remains clear: European ANSPs must confront staffing issues to ensure safe and efficient air traffic management. Countries such as Greece and Belgium illustrate how even with some operational areas functioning adequately, other critical sections are under severe strain. As ANSPs navigate unexpected demands and project requirements, finding innovative solutions to attract and retain skilled personnel will be crucial for improving service delivery across the continent.
In Germany, operational units are facing significant challenges in managing services, training, and leave, often relying on overtime to meet demands. This issue is also seen in the Netherlands and Poland, where staffing limitations hinder effectiveness, especially in tower and approach functions. While Poland has some resilience in its tower and area control operations, it still experiences substantial pressure in approach and support roles, reflecting a broader strain across the region. Austria, Switzerland, and Slovenia similarly report varying levels of staffing adequacy, with many operational units barely able to function without frequent overtime. Although most ANSPs indicate that staffing shortages have not led to safety incidents, the overall pressure on services raises concerns about the long-term integrity of operations.
In countries like Hungary, Croatia, and Latvia, the impact of staffing challenges is also clear. Hungary generally maintains effective staffing but faces limitations during unexpected demands. In Croatia, staffing shortages in area control frequently contribute to safety concerns, highlighting the risks of inadequate personnel. Latvia shows a divide, with tower functions performing adequately while approach and area control units struggle significantly. Across these nations, the need for proactive staff planning is evident, as many organizations implement long-term strategies ranging from 3 to 10 years. However, the ongoing strain from unexpected events emphasizes the urgent need to address staffing challenges to ensure the safety and efficiency of air traffic management across Europe.
2. SkyRoster: A Strategic Approach to Overcoming ANSP Staffing Shortages
SkyRoster's modules are specifically designed to address the staffing challenges faced by European Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), as highlighted by the recent IFATCA survey. The HR Management module streamlines administrative tasks by digitizing employee contracts and centralizing personal data, certifications, and licenses. This reduces the reliance on disparate HR tools and paper files, enabling quicker access to crucial information. By having an integrated organizational chart with top-down contract inheritance, ANSPs can efficiently manage staff assignments across multiple units and teams. This flexibility allows for better cross-team collaboration, which is essential when dealing with staff shortages and unexpected operational demands.
The Competency Management feature ensures compliance with ICAO and EU ATCO license regulations by automating the tracking of qualifications, licenses, and certifications. Dynamic rules for requirement validities and automated reminders for qualifications close to expiry help prevent situations where staff cannot be deployed due to expired credentials. This is particularly important in countries where staffing shortages have been linked to safety events. By managing license suspensions and prioritizing qualifications for staff with multiple licenses, SkyRoster ensures that the right employees are allocated to the right shifts, mitigating risks associated with underqualified personnel.
Leave Management is another critical module that helps balance operational needs with employee well-being. By customizing leave types and integrating non-shift duty work within the same platform, ANSPs can better plan for absences without compromising service effectiveness. Empowering employees to express their working preferences and manage leave requests through self-service reduces administrative overhead and improves staff satisfaction. This is vital in environments where high overtime reliance has strained work conditions, affecting training opportunities and leave approvals.
The Automated Rostering and Workforce Demand Planning modules leverage AI algorithms to optimize shift planning and staffing levels. By defining custom shift types, patterns, and manpower requirements, SkyRoster generates compliant rosters that fulfill legal regulations and fatigue management policies. The constraint-based rostering engine considers hard and soft rules, such as minimum rest times and fair distribution of shifts, reducing the dependency on overtime—a significant issue in countries like Spain, Finland, and Italy. The ability to create draft rosters, adjust manpower requirements dynamically, and handle on-call shifts allows ANSPs to respond proactively to fluctuating air traffic demands and unexpected events.
SkyRoster helps organizations develop realistic hiring plans by creating advanced rostering simulations tailored to varying air traffic demands. By incorporating current HR levels, SkyRoster enables decision-makers to model future staffing needs and explore detailed 'what-if' scenarios, highlighting the impact of different traffic volumes on workforce requirements. This allows organizations to anticipate potential staffing gaps and adjust hiring strategies to ensure safe and efficient operations, whether during routine periods or high-demand conditions.
Finally, features like AI-assisted Shift Swapping and OJT Management enhance operational flexibility. Shift swapping with smart suggestions enables employees to manage their schedules within regulatory constraints, reducing the administrative burden on planners and accommodating personal needs without impacting service delivery. OJT (On-the-Job Training) management ensures that trainees are automatically scheduled with their instructors, maintaining the pipeline of qualified personnel even amid staffing shortages. By addressing both the immediate and long-term staffing challenges, SkyRoster supports ANSPs in providing safe and efficient air traffic management across Europe.
3. Case Study: How SkyRoster Can Transform ANSP Operations
Let’s look at a short example of how SkyRoster can change the game for an ANSP. Let’s take Spain’s situation. Spain’s ANSP, facing severe staff shortages, implemented SkyRoster to optimize workforce management. SkyRoster’s AI-powered system automated rostering, reduced overtime, and improved leave management, allowing for real-time adjustments to staffing during peak periods like holidays. It ensured compliance with fatigue rules, balanced shift assignments, and minimized workload stress on Air Traffic Controllers.
Potential improvements:
17% reduction in overtime.
23% increase in approved leave.
Better distribution of shifts, reducing fatigue and improving staff well-being.
4. Conclusion
In conclusion, SkyRoster is a powerful solution to tackle staffing challenges for ANSPs, improving workforce management, reducing overtime, and enhancing compliance with fatigue regulations. Its AI-driven algorithms features boost efficiency, optimize shift scheduling, and create a better work environment for controllers, ensuring seamless operations even during peak times.
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