EUROCONTROL: Managing the impact of industrial action

The air traffic management network is vulnerable to disruption and industrial action is no exception. The Network Manager has special responsibility for helping the network run smoothly when social unrest impacts on air transport.

Preparation and coordination between all relevant partners are essential in minimising disruption caused by industrial action. The Network Manager, having a central view of all operations, tries to ensure that the network runs as smoothly as it can under any circumstance.
In the event of a strike, air navigation service providers notify the Network Manager up to 15 days before the strike will take place. NOTAMs, together with an early assessment of likely effects, are published on the NOP Portal. This advance warning is also published in the Headline News on the Network Operations Portal (NOP).
All partners in their areas of competence support the Network Manager Operations Centre - NMOC - in deciding on the best actions and measures to take. These could include:

• Minimum service regime description
• Expected levels of air traffic controllers’ availability
• Sector capacities and configurations
• Restrictions on arrivals, departures, domestic flights and overflights
• Expected specific routing measures
• Time buffers.
  

Teleconferences are held daily from D-3 (three days before the strike) and twice daily during the period of industrial action. The areas affected as well as adjacent ACCs (area control centres) are involved in the teleconferences, as are all the airlines operating at the airports concerned.
The detailed operational and contingency arrangements could include:

• detailed sector configurations and capacities
• the implementation of flight restrictions
• the cancellation of military activities
• delay-sharing measures.
  

Whatever the cause of disruption, EUROCONTROL, as the Network Manager, works closely with all its partners to minimise any knock-on effect on Europe’s air traffic management network as a whole.