Irish ATC Disruption 20 Jan 2010

[1985]

Quote:
Their job description is to keep aircraft apart not allow as many aircraft to fly as possible
Well, not quite, and certainly not in the UK ....

"An ATC service is provided according to the particular circumstances and class of
airspace, for the purpose of:
a) preventing collisions between aircraft in the air;
b) assisting in preventing collisions between aircraft moving on the apron and the
manoeuvring area;
c) assisting in preventing collisions between aircraft and obstructions on the
manoeuvring area;

d) expediting and maintaining an orderly flow of air traffic."

MATS Part 1, page 1

Expediting and maintaining an orderly flow of air traffic does not mean let as many flights as possible go.

The Mats 1 quote above mentions preventing collisions three times therefore thats what i see as the main crux of my job. Expediting and maintaining means making sure that the the traffic does what it has filed to do as quickly and as efficiently as possible. If that means delays, no directs, holding etc to achieve that then thats what any ATCO will do. That's how the system works. Expediting and maintaining is the fourth point for a reason.

If pay is performance based ie per aircraft worked, then people will be working upto the point of exhaustion, not splitting sectors when they should and cutting corners to work more. Thats the nature of people. Every ATCO works with safety as their first, second and third priorities, being expeditious comes later once everything is safe. As you progress through training and gain more experience then the two work together as you learn that you can be both expeditious and safe, but the default position is always safety, safety, safety.