The International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA) has raised an alarm over the dearth of air traffic controllers across the world, noting that as many as 10 per cent of the work force would retire in the next two years.
IFATCA warned of safety risks associated with increasing overtime and extending the retirement age at its 49th congress held penultimate week.

Australia will upgrade its air traffic management systems after civilian and military authorities agreed to jointly operate a national setup.
A statement from the Ministry of Defense said that by purchasing and developing compatible equipment and technology the Australian air force "and Airservices Australia will provide better value for money and potentially save taxpayers millions of dollars."
The strategy also is to "reduce overlaps, increase cooperation, improve communication between civil and military air traffic control and deliver better training of air traffic controllers."

The Atlantic City International Airport, located at the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) Technical Center, is the first in the national airspace system to deliver digital notices to airmen (NOTAM). NOTAMs provide computer-generated safety information to pilots and air traffic controllers about conditions at an airport such as construction and hazards.

Digital NOTAMs have safety and efficiency benefits over traditional NOTAMs. They can be transmitted to all air traffic management systems simultaneously -- so everyone gets the same information at the same time. The information is integrated into cockpits and air traffic control systems.

The pilot of an American Airlines plane and an air traffic controller had a disagreement that forced the pilot to make an emergency landing at JFK Airport.
"American 2 heavy, 22L. You're clear to land," the air traffic controller at the JFK tower said.
When the pilots of the passenger-filled 767 American Airlines plane got their landing instructions from the Kennedy Tower, they realized they'd be touching down into a 35-mile per hour cross wind.
"We can't land on 22," the pilot responded. "We're breaking off approach and if you don't give us to runway 31 right, we're going to declare an emergency."
"The winds again increased, exceeded the characteristics of the plane, and he was forced to have another option," said Steve Abraham, of the JFK Controller union. "He had no choice. He couldn't land 22L, it would have been illegal for him."
It would also be dangerous, agreed Abraham.

A 737 with 124 people on board came within feet of a Cessna that was practicing landings. An FAA spokesman says an air traffic controller misjudged the distance between

Federal safety regulators are investigating the near-collision of a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a small private plane that was practicing landings Monday at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank.

NTSB officials said a single-engine Cessna 172 was practicing "touch and go" techniques on nearby Runway 15 when it passed over the 737, which was on the ground by that time and headed to the terminal.

The planes, which were at the intersection of two active runways, came within 10 feet to the side and 200 feet vertically of each other, according to federal authorities. Neither plane took evasive action.
the two planes.

New computers crucial to modernizing the U.S. air traffic control system have run into serious problems and may not be fully operational by the end of this year when the current system is supposed to be replaced, a government watchdog said Wednesday.
The $2.1 billion computer system has misidentified aircraft and had trouble processing radar information, Calvin Scovel, the Transportation Department's inspector general, told a House panel. Air traffic controllers at a Federal Aviation Administration radar center in Salt Lake City, where the new computers are being tested, also have had difficulty transferring responsibility for planes to other controllers, he said.

Several major airlines safely flew test flights without passengers over Europe on Sunday despite official warnings about the dangers of a volcanic ash plume, fueling a corporate push to end an economically devastating ban on commercial air traffic.
The announcement prompted some airline officials to wonder whether authorities had overreacted to concerns that the tiny particles of volcanic ash could jam up the engines of passenger jets. The possibility that the ash had thinned or dispersed over parts of Europe heightened pressure from airline officials losing hundreds of millions of dollars a day to end a flight stoppage that has thrown global travel into chaos and left millions stranded far from home.

German air traffic controllers ended two days of talks saying they have reached a preliminary agreement not to strike, Germany's air traffic authority DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung said in a statement on Friday.
The DFS and trade union GdF clashed over disagreements on working hours and pay. Both parties have agreed to formalise the agreement by April 28, DFS said in a statement.

The overall passenger traffic at European airports continues to show signs of improvement, increasing by 4.0% in February 2010 compared with February 2009. The overall freight traffic among European airports increased 19.8% in February 2010 when compared with the corresponding month in 2009. Despite the fact that these traffic figures were affected by industrial action, particularly in France and Germany, they nevertheless confirm the improving trend registered since November 2009.
However, this latest return to growth still compares poorly with 2008 traffic levels – February 2010 passenger traffic registers a decrease of -10.1% when compared with February 2008, while the same comparison for freight shows a decrease of -13.7%.

Air traffic controllers directing planes flying over half of Russia's European territory and hundreds of other workers have gone on a hunger strike to demand the ouster of their boss over "totalitarian" working conditions, their union said Wednesday.

The union said flight safety would not be affected.

The federal agency that manages flights in Russian airspace, the State ATM Corporation, denied that any air traffic controllers had gone on a strike.

About 2,000 air traffic controllers and technical workers fr om 34 airports nationwide are taking part in the hunger strike during off-duty hours, said Sergei Kovalyov, president of the Federal Union of Air Traffic Controllers.

"They don't fast at work because flight safety has to be ensured," Kovalyov told The Moscow Times.