Air Traffic Management and Air Transport Business
Over the last five years, I have been writing numerous articles and speaking at multiple events, with regards to a few interrelated issues:
I am obviously aware that, quite often, I have respectfully questioned initiatives, which have been promoted and attempted at less “ATM educated” regions.
There is a reason for that, and I want to humbly express, why I have adopted such approach.
In my personal view, worldwide, Air Traffic Management has been treated as stand-alone science, owned and regulated by technical specialists, not directly involved in air transport business world.
As such, Air Traffic Management has become kind of a permanent obstacle for the development of air transport business, rather than one more aspect to be taken into account, in operational and business decisions.
I kindly offer as an evidence of that, the lack of Air Traffic Management experts, at top management level of companies, organizations and entities responsible for designing air transport activity. ?
Traditionally, Air Traffic Management only becomes relevant, when the Laws of Physics damage air transport business′ interests !
In addition to that, original Air Traffic Management concepts and recommendations, proposed by international organizations, such as ICAO and CANSO only reach less "ATM educated" regions (Latin America being a good example), after assessed, discussed, adapted and implemented, at more "ATM educated" regions, as Europe and United States.
As a result of that, Air Traffic Management solutions, proposed to Latin America (and similar regions) are not the original concepts – to be regionally learned and reflected upon, but rather "ready to use" solutions, developed to address requirements and possibilities of more financially attractive markets. ????
My personal approach, therefore, is justified by my own nature of Air Traffic Management specialist, trained and forged based on the needs and possibilities of Latin America.
With the aim of better serving the market where I worked for four decades, I dedicated myself to studying the original concepts proposed by international organizations and their different forms of adoption, in different centers.
I have always deemed that essential, to be able to identify if and how Air Traffic Management original concepts, could/should be adopted in Latin America.
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Exclusively driven by such spirit, I have consistently tried to warn air transport stakeholders in Latin America, about two main aspects, which I personally deem essential, for the region, to efficiently address future air transport challenges.
Airport Surface Operations
Airport Operators and Airlines are directly impacted, when airport surface infrastructure is not used to its maximum capacity. Therefore, they are the parties inherently invested with the responsibility of optimizing the efficiency of aircraft & vehicle movements, within the Apron and adopting cutting-edge technologies to that end. Inefficiency directly affects their business !
Network Demand x Capacity Balancing
Bearing in mind a flight is a seamless integrated operation, comprising multiple stages - ground based & airborne, the Collaborative Air Traffic Flow Management proposed by ICAO, back in 2012 (normally referred to as CDM operation) is a network-based discipline, which needs to be understood and dealt with, as such.
Furthermore, and unfortunately poorly understood and disseminated worldwide, CDM operation proposes a critical shift in air transport priority, without which no CDM-based initiative makes operational or commercial sense.
All air transport stakeholders (including passengers and regulators) need to understand and agree that, when air transport demand exceeds system capacity, fuel efficiency (and environmental protection) is the real objective to be achieved, to the detriment of on-time performance, if necessary.
Since 2012, numerous operational concepts based upon Collaborative Air Traffic Flow Management have been developed (ATFCM, TBFM, TFMS, A-CDM, S-CDM, TAM, and so forth).
Nevertheless, failing to understand and accept the priority shift proposed by ICAO, in its Document 9971 (Collaborative Air Traffic Flow Management), will only lead to operational chaos and frustration, when airlines are enforced CTOTs or TSATs (+/- 5 min).??