Air Traffic Controller

Tens of thousands of planes take off, land and perform touch-and-goes at the Marana Regional Airport in southern Arizona every year. Without an air traffic control tower, it's a calculated dance that requires communication by pilots. Two small planes collided in midair over one of the runways on the outskirts of Tucson last week. One hit the ground and caught fire, sending up a plume of black smoke. The remains of two people were found in the charred wreckage. The other plane was able to land, with those occupants uninjured. The collision was the latest aviation mishap to draw attention in recent weeks. The circumstances vary widely with each case, however, and experts who study aviation accidents say they don't see any connection between them. Chatter over the airwaves has provided some clues about what happened in Arizona. A chief flight instructor who was in the air with a student that day heard the commotion over the radio: One plane was attempting a touch-and-go when another ..

President Donald Trump on Thursday blamed last week's deadly collision of a passenger jet and Army helicopter on what he called an obsolete computer system used by U.S. air traffic controllers, and he vowed to replace it. Trump said during an event that a lot of mistakes happened on Jan. 29 when an American Airlines flight out of Wichita, Kansas, collided with an Army helicopter as the plane was about to land at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, killing all 67 people on board the two aircraft. In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, Trump blamed it on diversity hiring programs. But on Thursday, he blamed the computer system used by the country's air traffic controllers. It's amazing that it happened, Trump said during a speech at the National Prayer Breakfast at the U.S. Capitol. And I think that's going to be used for good. I think what is going to happen is we're all going to sit down and do a great computerized system for our control towers. Brand new not pieced

The airport, which is currently under construction, will start international operations by July next year, said Arun Bansal, chief executive officer (CEO), AAHL

Aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is all set to issue licenses to Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) in electronic form as it looks to go paperless in its functioning and embrace the digital future. The introduction of electronic licenses is designed to significantly improve operational efficiency, enabling ATCOs to access and manage their licenses with ease on self-contained mobile electronic visual display devices, such as mobile phones or tablets, the DGCA said in an official statement. The move is not merely a regulatory update but represents a fundamental shift in the operational dynamics of air traffic management, it said. "In a transformative initiative, the DGCA is set to introduce the paperless Personnel License for Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs). This innovative move signifies a pivotal shift in the management of personnel licenses, ushering in an era of enhanced efficiency and modernisation within the Indian aviation landscape," the ...

ATC official de-rostered; DGCA, AAI probing the incident

DGCA derosters air traffic control officer involved in the incident; starts probe

AAI has started trials with remote digital towers, he added

Cites bad weather, air traffic congestion among reasons for flight cancellations

Aviation regulator issues circular after Jan 2 accident at Haneda Airport in Tokyo

The DGCA is currently investigating the incident on how the flight could take off without getting the ATC clearance, officials mentioned

Regulator DGCA carried out 5,745 surveillance activities with respect to airlines, airports and approved organisations in 2023 as part of its efforts to ensure compliance and enhance safety standards in the aviation space, The activities included 4,039 planned surveillance and 1,706 spot checks and night surveillance. Subsequently, the findings resulted in 542 enforcement actions, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a release on Wednesday. The number of surveillance activities rose 26 per cent last year compared to 2022. Also, the number of enforcement actions increased 77 per cent last year compared to 305 enforcement actions taken against non-compliant personnel, airlines, and other operators in 2022. These enforcement actions included financial penalties against airlines such as Air India, AirAsia (India), IndiGo and SpiceJet. Besides, the watchdog had temporarily suspended its approval to Air India's training facilities, as per the release. Enforcement acti

Air India officials said that alternate arrangements are being made for the passengers to reach their destinations

Aviation regulator DGCA has extended the deadline for the implementation of watch duty time limitations and rest requirement norms for air traffic controllers till June 9 amid a shortage of air traffic controllers, according to sources. The decision follows requests made by the Airport Authority of India (AAI), which had sought an extension to the exemption to CAR on 'Watch duty time limitations and rest requirements of Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs) engaged in air traffic services'. CAR refers to Civil Aviation Requirements. The deadline for the implementation of the norms has been extended to June 9, according to a communication. The CAR was to come into force this month. A senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that the deadline has been extended. While extending the deadline, the watchdog has also asked the AAI to submit the roadmap and action plan with respect to implementing the CAR at all ATS stations on or before June 9, the ..

The regulator is of the view that the pressures and stressors at workplace and personal life cannot be addressed through these professional skills, procedures or knowledge

To ensure mental wellbeing of flight crew and air traffic controllers, civil aviation watchdog DGCA has proposed various measures, including mental health assessment during the medical assessments and peer support programme. A circular will be issued to airlines and Airports Authority of India (AAI) to put in place the necessary provisions to implement the recommendations, a senior DGCA official said on Wednesday. Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) come under AAI. Amid concerns about the mental health of flight crew and ATCOs, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had set up an expert panel. The panel identified three major domains where measures can be taken. They are "mental health assessment during the medical assessments, Peer Support Programme (PSP), and pre-employment psychological assessment," the DGCA said in a release. The expert panel comprised experienced DGCA officers, air safety, clinical aerospace medicine and mental health experts (psychologists). The aim w

The civil aviation ministry on Friday said approval has been granted for the creation of 340 additional posts of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) this year amid their acute shortage. Also, 50 new routes commenced on regional connectivity routes in 2022. In a brief about the major activities taken up by the ministry this year, an official release said that more than 22,500 Indian nationals were safely rescued from Ukraine by operating 90 evacuation flights under Operation Ganga. "The country was facing acute shortage of ATCOs. The Ministry, with concurrence of DPE, approved creation of 340 more posts of ATCOs," it said. Details about the current number of ATCOs could not immediately ascertained. Meanwhile, 11 aircraft were leased by aircraft leasing entities registered from Gujarat International Finance Tec-City GIFT IFSC at the end of September. "International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) issued 'Framework for Aircraft Leases' on May 18, 2022 to enable the aircraft

Many domestic and some international flights were cancelled in France Friday as air traffic controllers went on a national strike over pay and recruitment issues. French civil aviation authority DGAC warned that domestic traffic would be severely disrupted with many flights cancelled and other experiencing long delays. Travellers have been advised to postpone their trip if possible. Air France said it has cancelled 55% of its short- and medium-haul flights and 10% of its long-haul flights. The company could not rule out further delays and last-minute cancellations, it said in a statement. Other companies operating in France, including Ryanair, Easyjet and Volotea, have also cancelled flights. France's main union of air traffic controllers, the SNCTA, called the one-day strike to demand higher pay amid soaring inflation and demanding more staff to be hired in the coming years.

Air traffic in France will be severely disrupted this Friday due to a strike over wages, the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) has warned

BJP MP from Godda Nishikant Dubey, who has been booked for allegedly forcefully taking clearance from the Air Traffic Control at Deoghar airport in Jharkhand said that there was no violation of rules

A pilot of a prominent airline has been removed from flight duty after he failed a drug test, a senior DGCA official said on Friday. He is the fourth pilot to fail the drug test since the procedure for examination of aviation personnel for consumption of psychoactive substances came into effect from January 31. The test is done for the flight crew and ATCs on a random basis. So far, four pilots and one Air Traffic Controller (ATC) have tested positive for psychoactive substances. According to the official, a pilot of a prominent airline was subjected to the drug test in the national capital. He was found positive in the confirmatory test report received on August 23 and has been removed from the flight duty, the official said. As per the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), in case the result of the confirmatory drug test is positive for the first time, then the personnel concerned will be referred to a de-addiction centre by the organisation concerned for de-addiction and ...