Focused on Performance

AJC

2008

06-0

06

2007 Annual Performance ReportFocused on Excellence

Mission:

•Ourmissionistoprovidethesafest,mostefficientaerospacesystemintheworld. Vision: •Wecontinuetoimprovethesafetyandefficiencyofflight. •Weareresponsivetoourcustomers. •Weareaccountabletothepublic. About the Air Traffic Organization:

TheprimaryserviceoftheAirTrafficOrganizationistomoveaircraftsafelyandefficiently.Ourcustomersarecommercialandprivateaviationandthemilitary.Ouremployeesaretheserviceproviders—theairtrafficcontrollers,technicians,engineersandsupportpersonnelwhoseunflaggingdailyeffortskeeptheairplanesmoving.

Nine service units make up the Air Traffic Organization:

•AcquisitionandBusinessServices •CommunicationsServices •EnRouteandOceanicServices •FinanceServices •OperationsPlanning •SafetyServices •SystemOperationsServices •TechnicalOperations •TerminalServices

ATO by the numbersAmerica’sNationalAirspaceSystem(NAS)isanetworkofpeople,procedures,andequipment,allcontributingtothesafestairspaceintheworld.Pilots,controllers,technicians,engineers,inspectors,andsupervisorsworktogethertomakesuremillionsofpassengersmovethroughitsafelyeveryday.TheFAAoperates314airtrafficcontrolfacilitiesandtheAirTrafficControlSystemCommandCenter.

TowerWithoutRadar 1

TerminalApproachControl(TRACON) 22

137CombinationTRACONandTowerwithRadar

CombinationNonRadarApproachControl&TowerwithoutRadar 2

CombinedControlFacility 4

TowerwithRadar 123

AirRouteTrafficControlCenter(ARTCC) 21

CombinedTRACONFacility 4

AirTrafficControlSystemCommandCenter 1

Number of FacilitiesFacility Type

Coverphoto:JonRoss,ATO

Contents

LetterFromActingFAAAdministrator 01LetterFromtheChiefOperatingOfficer 03FocusedonSafety:DeliveringQualityOperations 05FocusedonCredibility:EnhancingFinancialDiscipline 11FocusedonGrowth:IncreasingCapacity 15FocusedontheNextGeneration:BuildingfortheFutureNow 21Governance 25

Coverphoto:JonRoss,ATO

2007 Annual Performance ReportFocused on Excellence

We are currently living in the safest period in aviation history. There was not a single passenger fatality or major accident in the year 2007. This past fiscal year, we also succeeded in reducing the most serious types of runway incursions and operational errors.”

Air Traffic Organization 2007 Annual Performance Report — Focused on Excellence

“

1

Whetherweflyornot,civilaviationtouchesourlivesinunseenways.Itcontributes$1.2trillionineconomicactivity,11millionjobs,andrepresents5.6percentofthegrossdomesticproduct.Aviationcanalsobealifesaverduringtimesofemergency.

Forthesereasons,theFederalAviationAdministration’sAirTrafficOrganization(ATO)ismorecommittedthanevertoprovidingsafety,serviceandvaluetoallofourstakeholders.

Wearecurrentlylivinginthesafestperiodinaviationhistory.Therewasnotasinglepassengerfatalityormajoraccidentintheyear2007.Thispastfiscalyear,wealsosucceededinreducingthemostserioustypesofrunwayincursionsandoperationalerrors.

Ensuringsafety,however,isanevervigilantprocess.Asthefiscalyearcametoaclose,weputthespotlightonrunwayincursionsbyconveningameetingwithairportandindustryofficials.Throughthiseffort,weidentifiedmorethan100short-terminitiatives,andseveralmoremid-andlong-terminitiatives.Nearlyalloftheshort-terminitiativesarecompleteandwe’reworkingcloselywiththeairportscommunitiestoimplementtherest. TheATOhascomealongwaytowardoperatingmorelikeabusiness.Weconductrigorousinvestmentanalysesofourcapitalprogramsandscrutinizethefinancialperformanceofeachlineofbusiness.Betterfinancialmanagementhasallowedustodeliverprogramsonscheduleandwithinbudget.

Thispastfiscalyear,theATOhasmovedforwardinbuildingtheNextGenerationAirTransportationSystem(NextGen).WereleasedaNextGenimplementationplanandawardeda$1.8billioncontracttobuildtheAutomaticDependentSurveillance-Broadcastgroundinfrastructure.WealsorecentlycompletedthetransitiontotheFAATelecommunicationsInfrastructure,aprojectthatwillprovidethebasisforairtrafficcontrolcommunicationsinthefuture.Aswemoveforward,weneedtohaveastablefundingstreamtoensurethatNextGen’sbenefitscometofruition.

Thisreportdetailsourprogressthispastfiscalyearinsafety,improvingefficiency,expandingairtrafficcapacity,performingmorelikeabusinessandourplansforNextGen. Sincerely,

RobertA.Sturgell ActingFAAAdministrator

Letter From Acting FAA AdministrAtor

RobertA.Sturgell.Photo:JeffBruzdzinski,ATO

Our plan is to build the Next Generation Air Transportation System. NextGen will rely on 21st century technologies in-cluding global positioning sys-tem, digital communications and net-centric operations. NextGen will also be a system that maximizes the value of ev-ery drop of fuel burned. And we’re already putting NextGen in place.”


“

3

ThefundamentalmissionoftheAirTrafficOrganization(ATO)istomaximizethesafetyandefficiencyofournation’sairtrafficsystem.Towardthiseffort,our34,000employeeshavemadegreatstridesin2007.

Aviationsafetyisbeenpersonalforme.Aschiefoperatingofficer,Iampromotingastrongsafetyculture.Amajorsteptowardcreatingthiscultureistofocusourattentionproactivelytomitigateunsafeconditions.Thatiswhyisfiscal2007wemovedforwardwiththeATO’sSafetyManagementSystem,acomprehensive,integratedapproachtosafety.

We’realsocommittedtominimizingairlinedelaysandexpandingairtrafficcapacity.In2007,weemployedtheuseofinnovativedelay-reducingtoolssuchastheAirspaceFlowProgramsandAdaptiveCompression.Inaddition,webegantoimplementtheNewYork/NewJersey/Philadelphiaairspaceredesign,aprojectthatwillhelpreduceairlinedelays,fuelusageandemissions.

Asafe,efficientsystemcanonlybeassuredbyhavingadedicated,qualifiedworkforce.Thispastfiscalyear,ATOhastakenstepstoaddresstheretirementbubblebyhiringmorethan1,800airtrafficcontrollersandintroducingnewtechnologytoreducecontrollertrainingtime.

Intermsoforganizationalprogress,I’mproudtosaythatin2007,97percentofourmajoracquisitionprogramsweredeliveredonscheduleand100percentwerewithinbudget. Nowaswelooktothefuture,weseeseveraltrendsthatwillaffectairtrafficsystemoperations:oilprices,airlinemergers,hubredistribution,growthinpassengertraffic,andtheemergenceofverylightjets,unmannedaircraftsystemsandcommercialspacevessels.

Inordertomeetthechangingneedsanddemandsoftheaviationmarketplace,wemusthaveanorganizationthatisflexible.

OurplanistobuildtheNextGenerationAirTransportationSystem.NextGenwillrelyon21stcenturytechnologiesincludingglobalpositioningsystem,digitalcommunicationsandnet-centricoperations.NextGenwillalsobeasystemthatmaximizesthevalueofeverydropoffuelburned.Andwe’realreadyputtingNextGeninplace.

Manychallengesstillremain.Wemustcontinuetoimproveouracquisitionmanagement.WemustclearlyarticulatethechangesthatNextGenwillbringtotheaviationcommunity.WemustalsocultivatethecommunityandpoliticalsupportnecessarytobuildNextGen.

However,asthisreportshows,weareingoodshapetomeetthesechallenges. Sincerely,

HankP.Krakowski ATOChiefOperatingOfficer

Letter From chieF operAting oFFicer

HankP.Krakowski.Photo:JeffBruzdzinski,ATO

DeliveringQuality

Runway Status Lights are helping curb runway incursions:Thenumberofseriousrunwayincursionshasbeenreducedby55percentsince2001.Infiscal2007,therewere24seriousincursionsduring61millionaircraftoperations—asignificantreductionfromthe31incursionsin2006andthe53infiscal2001.Photo:ATO

Operations

Focused on saFety:


5

Operating Safely

Thebestwaytomeasuretheeffectivenessofanysafetysystemistoexaminetheavailabledata.Andthedatawehavetodaytellsusthatcommercialaviationissaferthaneverbefore.AccordingtotheNationalTransportationSafetyBoard,in2007U.S.carriershadonly0.1seriousaccidentsforeverymillionhoursflown.

TheATO’spriorityistomakeasafesystemevensafer,especiallyasaviationisforecasttocontinuetogrowoverthelong-term,evenwithcurrentrecordoilprices.

Increasing Predictability of Flight Operations

Adverseweather,suchasthunderstorms,lowcloudceilingsandsnow,hasasignificantimpactonflightoperations.In2007,66percentofalldelayswereduetoweather-relatedevents.TheATOaimstoimprovehowtrafficismanagedduringbadweatherandminimizetheimpactofweatheronon-timeperformance.

Safeguarding National Aviation Security

Thesecurityofthenationalairspacesystem(NAS)goeshand-in-handwiththesafetyofthesystem.TheATOworksincollaborationwiththeDepartmentsofDefenseandHomelandSecurity,aswellaslawenforcementagencies,toprotecttheNASfromsecuritythreats.Atthesametime,theATOishelpingtooptimallybalancethesesecurityactionswiththeefficiencyneedsofthesystem’susers.

The Air TrAffic OrgAnizATiOn wAs esTAblished in 2003 TO prOvide The mOsT efficienT Air TrAffic cOnTrOl service And The highesT level Of sysTem sAfeTy. This sysTem is One ThAT mOves AircrAfT sAfely, hAndles The vOlume Of Air TrAffic OperATiOns wiTh minimAl delAys And is prOTecTed frOm securiTy ThreATs. cOmmerciAl, privATe And miliTAry AviATiOn OperATOrs wAnT predicTAbiliTy Of flighT OperATiOns wiTh An emphAsis On mAximum ThrOughpuT – The rATe AircrAfT pAss ThrOugh The AirspAce – And On-Time ArrivAls.

Thewholepurposeof

thesafetyeffortisto

makesurethatyouhave

operationalexcellence.

It’snotjustsafety

compliance,it’soperating

thebestyoucan,safely,

allthetime.”

—HankKrakowski,ATOChiefOperatingOfficer

“

6 Air Traffic Organization 2007 Annual Performance Report — Focused on Excellence

Figure 1.1 Operational Errors

Fiscal Year

Tota

l Num

ber o

f Ope

ratio

nal E

rror

s

0

300

600

900

1200

1500

1800

FY07FY06FY05FY04FY03FY02

0.39

Number of Operational ErrorsNumber of Category A & B Operational Errors

Rate Per Million Operations - Category A & B

4.20 4.434.07 4.28 4.12 4.06

Fiscal 2007 Accomplishments that Improve Operations

Operational Errors Reduced

Airtrafficcontrollersensurethesafetyofairtravelbykeepingaircraftsafelyseparatedfromotheraircraft,vehiclesandterrain.Anoperationalerroroccurswhenanaircraftcomescloserthantheestablishedstandardsforseparation.

Identifyingthevariousfactorsassociatedwiththoseincidents,ensuringthaterrorsarecorrectlyreportedandconductingtargetedpreventivetrainingensurestheATOcontinuestoreducetheriskofoperationalerrors.

Eachyear,theATOsetsamoreaggressivegoaltoreduceoperationalerrorstomakethesystemsafer.Theagencymetitsoperationalerrorreductiontargetin2007forthesecondyearinarow.TheATOachievedasafetymilestonewiththereductionofthemostseriousCategoryAandBoperationalerrors.Theperformancelimitwastoreducetheratetonomorethan4.27operationalerrorspermillionactivities.Fiscalyear2007endedwitharateof4.06AandBoperationalerrorspermillionactivities(figure1.1).

Additionally,infiscal2007,theATOlaunchedasoftware-basedoperationalerrordetectionsystem.TheATObeganinstallingTrafficAnalysisandReviewProgram(TARP)softwareatfiveATOapproachcontrolfacilitiesacrossthecountry.Theprogramautomaticallydetectslossesofaircraftseparation,allowingbetteranalysisofthefactorsthatleadtooperationalerrors,andhelpingfindwaystoeliminatethemandreducerisk.

WhiletheATO’s

aggressiverunwaysafety

programhasreduced

thenumberofserious

runwayincursionsby

55percentsince2001,

wecontinuetofocus

onreducingthenumber

ofincursionsthrough

outreach,awareness,

improvedinfrastructure

andtechnology.”

—BobbySturgell,ActingFAAAdministrator

“

7

Runway Incursions Reduced

In200761millionaircraftoperationsoccurredonthenation’srunwaysmanagedbytheATO.OneoftheATO’skeysafetygoalsispreventingtheoccurrenceofincursionsontheserunways.Runwayincursionsaredefinedastheincorrectpresenceofanaircraft,vehicleorpersonontheprotectedareaofasurfacedesignatedforthelandingandtake-off ofaircraft.

Implementingrunwaymanagementstrategies,theATOachieveditssafetyperformancelimitforrunwayincursionsforthesixthconsecutiveyear.ThegoalwastoreducetherateofCategoryAandBrunwayincursions,themostserious,to0.530incursionspermillionoperations.Infiscal2007thefinalratewas0.393seriousincursionspermillionoperations(figure1.2).

Anumberoffactorscontributetorunwayincursions(figure1.3).Inanefforttoaddressthecausesofrunwayincursions,theFAAissueda“CalltoAction”inAugust2007fortheaviationcommunitytorefocusonwaystoimproverunwaysafety.TheFAAandindustryagreedtoanambitiousplanfocusingonimprovingairportsignageandmarkings,airtrafficprocedures,cockpitproceduresandintroducingnewtechnologytoreducerunwayincursionsandwrongrunwaydepartures.

AsaresultoftheCalltoAction,specificrunwaysafetyimprovementshavealreadybeenimplementedathundredsofairports.Theseincludeimprovedairportmarkings,additionalpilotandcontrollertraining,andtheinstallationofnewlow-costtechnologiestoimproveairport surfaceoperations.

Figure 1.2 Runway Incursions

Fiscal Year

Tota

l Num

ber o

f Run

way

Incu

rsio

ns

0

100

200

300

400

500

FY07FY06FY05FY04FY03FY02FY01

0.390.460.44

0.510.57

0.81

0.51

Number of Runway IncursionsNumber of Category A & B Runway IncursionsRate Per Million Operations - Category A & B


Safety Management System Order Approved

TheATOintroducedanewSafetyManagementSystemtomanagesafetyriskwhilereinforcingandimprovingtheATO’sexistingsafetyculture.Bygainingabetterunderstandingofproblems,thepotentialforincidentsisreduced.Millionsofrecordsofrunwaysafetydatahavebeenreviewedtodevelopandimplementrunwaysafetyimprovements.

TheATO’sSMSorderwaspublishedonMarch19,2007,andconformstoanInternationalCivilAviationOrganization(ICAO)agreementandaviationindustrysafetypractices.

Use of Adaptive Compression Maximizes Available Airport Slots

InMarch2007,theATOintroducedanewautomatedtoolthatconstantlyscansforopenairportslotsduetodelayed,cancelledorreroutedflightswhichhassaved1.1milliondelayminutesandmorethan$27million.It’spartofaportfoliooftrafficmanagementsystemenhancements.

Airspace Flow Programs Respond to Severe Weather

Infiscal2007,theATOmorethandoubledtheairspaceflowprogramstohelpmanagetrafficacrossmuchofthecountryfromtheMississippiRivereastward.

Airlineschoosetheoptionofeitheracceptingdelaysforflightsscheduledtoflythroughthunderstormsorflyinglongerroutestomaneuveraroundstorms.

ThenumberofAFPlocations—chosenfortheircombinationofheavytrafficandfrequentbadweather—hasbeenexpandedfromseven to18.

Dynamicairspaceflowprogramsareusedinotherareastotargetstormswithsurgicalprecisionasstormsdevelopandmove.

FromMaythroughAugust2007,atotalof58AFPswereused,saving$68millionfortheairlines.

Completed Expansion of LPV/WAAS Approach Procedures

Withnewon-boardtechnology,pilotscanusesatellite-positionreportstonavigatethroughbadweathertodayusingtheFAA’sWideAreaAugmentationSystem(WAAS),asystemofgroundstationsthatprovidenecessaryaugmentationstotheGlobalPositioningSystemnavigationsignal.UsingaprecisionmaneuverknownasLocalizerPerformancewithVerticalGuidance(LPV),pilotscanusetheironboardinstrumentstogetascloseas200feetabovetherunwayduringperiodsoflowvisibilityduetobadweather.Precisionapproacheshelpmaintainthesamenumberofarrivalsduringpoorweatherasduringoptimalweather.

Exceeded Operational Availability

Infiscal2007,theagencyexceededitsgoal(99.70percent)foradjustedoperationalavailabilityofequipment,whichisthepercentageoftimeequipmentsystemsareavailable,witha99.82percentavailabilityrate(figure1.4).

Photo:ATO

TechnicalOperationsemployeeskeep

equipmentworkingeverydayoftheyearand

inallkindsofweather.Intheremotefour-mile

stretchoftundraknownasMiddletonIsland

intheGulfofAlaska,techniciansworkshifts

thatsometimelastseveralweekstomake

suretheradarisoperational.

icy Upkeep

9

Air Defense Identification Zones Modified

Infiscal2007,theFAAmodifiedtherestrictedairspaceaboveWashington,D.C.,tomakeitsafer,moresecureandeasierforgeneralaviationandotherpilotstonavigate(figure1.5).Pilotsnowuseasinglenavigationalaidinsteadoffour;and33airportsandhelipads,inapproximately1,800squaremilesofairspace,arenowoutsidetheAirDefenseIdentificationZones.

Asaresultoftheredesign,therehasbeenasignificantdropinthenumberofairdefensezoneviolations;analysisindicatesthataboutonethirdofallviolationsoccurredinthe“mouseear”portionoftheformerADIZ.

Figure1.5:TheWashingtonD.C.,MetropolitanADIZpriortoAug.31,2007(left),andtheredesignedADIZ(right).Diagram:FAA

Figure 1.4 Adjusted Operational Availability at the 35 Busiest U.S. Airports

Perc

ent A

vaila

bilit

y

98.9

99.0

99.1

99.2

99.3

99.4

99.5

99.6

99.7

99.8

99.9

100.0

TargYTDSepAugJulJunMayAprMarFebJanDecNovOct

FY07

FY06

YTD

Target

EnhancingFinancial

TheFAAhasmadesignificantprogressinaddressingairtrafficmodernizationprogramweaknessessinceitwasdesignatedashighriskin1995.—TheGovernmentAccountabilityOffice.Photo:JeffBruzdzinski,ATO

Discipline

Focused on credibility:


11

The ATO hAs mAde significAnT imprOvemenTs in finAnciAl discipline. since esTAblished by cOngress, The ATO hAs cOme A lOng wAy TOwArd invesTing in The righT cApiTAl prOgrAms by Adhering TO An esTAblished seT Of business cOnTrOls. reducing OverheAd cOsTs is A mOTivATing fOrce ThAT hAs reAped subsTAnTiAl benefiTs. mAnAging OperATiOns nOw cleArly meAns mAnAging sAfeTy, delivery Of service And cOsT.

Lowering Operating Costs

CongressexpectstheATOtowiselyusethefundsandresourcesitentruststotheorganization.Ifitinvestswiselyinfacilitiesandequipment,increasesproductivity,eliminateswaste,andadherestoprovenbusinesspracticestoprioritizeinvestments,theATOwillincreaseoperatingefficiencyoftheNationalAirspaceSystem(NAS),reducingtheoperatingcostsanddelays.

Improving Credibility

Improvedprogrammanagementandreducingcostshashadadirectimpactinearningthepublic’strustandinboostingtheorganization’sfinancialcredibility.

Investing In the Future

Soundinvestmentdecisionsareessential.Thebestinvestmentssupporttheevolutionoftheairtrafficcontrolsystem,keepingtoday’sairtrafficsystemrunningwhilebuildingaplatformforthefuture.ATOleadersrevieweachcapitalinvestmenttodetermineiftheprogramwillsupportthedevelopmentoftheNextGenerationAirTransportationSystem.

Wecontinuetomanage

themoneythatwe’re

appropriatedinavery

tightmanner.Weknow

whereweare,weknow

howmuchmoneywe

havetospend.Weknow

thisearlyonandcanplan

anddoabetterjobof

implementingthings.”

—GeneJuba,ATOSeniorVicePresidentforFinanceServices

“


Fiscal 2007 Accomplishments that Enhance Financial Discipline

The ATO Met Its Two Acquisition Targets in Fiscal 2007.

Cost: The target demands that at least 87.5 percent of major »baseline Capital Investment programs are within 10 percent of budget. 100 percent of the programs met this standard.

Schedule: The target sought to have 87.5 percent of major »Capital Investment programs meet established activity mile-stones schedule dates – 97 percent (65 of 67) met the standard.

Controller Hiring

Infiscal2007,theagencyhired1,815newcontrollers,boostingthetotalcontrollerworkforceto14,874employees,whichis0.5percenthigherthanthefiscalyearperformancegoal(Figure2.1).

Increasing Productivity

Bytakingadvantageofimprovedtechnologies,insightsfromindustry,andtraining,theATOisbecomingmoreproductive.Notableaccomplishmentsforfiscal2007:

A Staffing-to-Traffic Tool has been created to help facility plan- »ners determine the most effective way to schedule controllers for each shift. By using historic controller staffing data and merging it with peaks and valleys in air traffic operations, the tool helps managers build optimal staffing schedules. By using the tool, planners at the Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center were able to improve the average controller time-on-position per eight-hour shift from 3.75 hours to 4.58 hours in just one month in April 2007 – a productivity gain of more than 20 percent.

Implemented an effective and efficient training process that »takes a newly hired controller from learning the fundamentals of air traffic control to earning the Certified Professional Controller designation and maintaining that proficiency. The use of simula-tors is a proven and effective training aid and mirrors what pilots have been doing for years. By introducing high-fidelity simulators to academy curriculum and field facilities, the training process is now more efficient. Depending on the complexity of the facility, controllers are now being trained in 2-3 years, down from 3-5 years, and are able to be fully productive where it counts – the air traffic facilities in the field – in nearly two-thirds of the time it used to take.

Wise Investment Decisions

Bytrackingcostandschedulemilestones,theATOensuresthattaxpayerdollarsspentthroughacquisitionprogramsachievedesiredperformanceoutcomes.TheATOmetitstargetsregardinghigh-interestprogramssuchasAirportSurfaceDetectionEquipment–ModelX,RunwayIncursionReductionProgram,AutomaticDependentSurveillance–Broadcast,IntegratedTerminalWeatherSystem,DistanceMeasuringEquipmentandFAATelecommunicationsInfrastructure.Somenotableaccomplishmentsduringfiscal2007:

Installed 931 new Ultra High Frequency and 1,180 multi-mode »digital radios under separate communications upgrade projects.

Installed 54 Precision Approach Path Indicators and 21 Runway »End Identifier Lights systems.

FAAcontinuestomake

progressinimplementing

acomprehensiveand

complexstaffingplan.”

—DepartmentofTransportationInspectorGeneral

“

13

Integrated five international reference stations into the Wide Area »Augmentation System and a new geostationary satellite signal into the system three months ahead of the target.

Decommissioning and Disposal of Real Property

In fiscal 2007, the ATO removed 488 outdated navigational aids »from the federal network. Disposing of obsolete technology has saved the agency $8.6 million. The ATO also disposed real prop-erty and restored land assets at 45 locations, saving $3.2 million over a 10-year period. Additional cost savings from this program are expected in 2008.

Sound Business Practices

The ATO implemented strong program control procedures to »institutionalize processes and ensure efficient program and project management. Executive oversight focuses not only on delivering solutions to meet growing demand, but also on cost, schedule and performance. More detail and agency scrutiny have created budgets that provide transparency.

Figure 2.1 Air Traffic Controller Hiring

Fiscal 2007

Tota

l Con

trolle

rs o

n Bo

ard

Target

Actual

14200

14300

14400

14500

14600

14700

14800

14900

15000

SepAugJulJunMayAprMarFebJanDecNovOct

IncreasingCapacity

The FAAestimatesthatthevolumeofairtrafficmaydoubleby2025.Photo:JonRoss,ATO

Focused on Growth:


15

TO meeT AmericA’s AviATiOn needs, increAsing sysTem cApAciTy is An AbsOluTe necessiTy. The ATO wOrks TO ensure ThAT plAnes Arrive And depArT Their desTinATiOns On Time. wiTh An exTensive dATA cOllecTiOn neTwOrk, The ATO TrAcks AirpOrT cApAciTy AT The busiesT And mOsT cOngesTed AirpOrTs in The sysTem. An exAminATiOn Of This dATA AllOws The ATO TO idenTify Trends And risks TO be Addressed.

Safely Increase System Capacity Where and When Needed

AviationisabigdriverofU.S.economicgrowth.ItisimportantthattheNationalAirspaceSystem(NAS)keepsupwithgrowingdemandformoreflightsandaccommodatesnewtypesofaircraft.TheATOrecognizesthattheairlinecompanieswilladapttheirownbusinessplanstorespondtothetravelingpublic’sneedsandtomaximizeprofitability.Suchchangescanhappenquickly,andtheATOmustpositionitselftorespondeffectively.

Collaborate Effectively With Stakeholders

Effectivecollaborationisthesolutiontounderstandinginadvancethefutureneedsofstakeholdersandcustomers.TheATOworkscloselywiththeaviationindustrytoreducedelays.Forexample,CollaborativeDecisionMakinginvolvesairlinessharingscheduleinformationwiththeATO’sAirTrafficControlSystemCommandCenter,includingflightdelays,cancellationsandnewlycreatedflights.TheCommandCenterusesthisinformationtomonitorairportarrivaldemand,andtakesstepstoreducedelayscausedbyheavytrafficandsevereweather,andactstominimizechokepoints.TheCommandCenterhoststelephoneconferencecallseverytwohoursthroughoutthedaytodiscussproblemsaffectingcapacityinthesystemanddecidethemosteffectivewaytohandlethem.Duringthecalls,trafficflowmanagersseekinputfromfrontlineairtrafficfacilities,weatherprofessionalsandrepresentativesfromtheaviationcommunity,includingthecommercialairlinesandgeneralaviation. Prioritize Capacity Initiatives Based on Outcomes and Costs

Tomeettheemergingdemandsforqualityandsafeservicesatlowercosts,theATOisapproachingeverythingitdoeswithaneyetowardinnovation.Theorganizationiscarefullyprioritizingtheseimprovementsbypreparingandanalyzingoperationalbusinesscasesbeforedecisionsaremadetoensurethatithascompletepertinentinformationtomaketherightchoicesinhowtodrivecapacityimprovement.

By2025,weexpect

revenuepassengersmiles

tomorethandouble,

increasingbyanaverage

of50billionayear.”

—MaryPeters,DepartmentofTransportationSecretary

“


Fiscal 2007 Accomplishments that Increase Capacity

Increasing Daily Capacity

Theaveragedailycapacityatthe35busiestU.S.commercialairportswas102,545arrivalsanddepartures,exceedingthefiscal2007targetof101,562arrivalsanddepartures(figure3.1).

Dealing With Weather

Bycloselyexaminingdata,theATOisabletoproposeprogramsandproceduresthatmitigateweatherdelays.Overallweatheratthe35busiestU.S.commercialairportsforfiscal2007improvedwhencomparedwithfiscal2006;however,dataindicatesthatlessfrequentpatternsofmoresevereweatherattheverybusiestairportshavethesameeffectincausingcongestionanddelaysinthesystem.Severeweatherincludingthunderstorms,snowstorms,icestorms,highwinds,windsheerandblizzards.TheATOimplementsacombinationofincreasedspacing,GroundDelayProgramsandGroundStopstomanageweather-relateddelays.

Mostairtrafficdelaysareduetopoorweather.Infact,66percentofalldelaysinfiscal2007wereduetoweather-relatedevents.Asvisibilityisreducedwhentheweatherdeteriorates,themaximumnumberofoperationsperhouratagivenairportdecreases,whichresultsindelaysandcancellations.Figure3.2depictshowmuchweatherimpactedthe busiestairports.

Infiscal2007,86.96percentofflightsarrivedontimeatthe35busiestairportsintheUnitedStates,notmeetingthegoalof87.67percent. Performance-Based Navigation

Throughtheuseofenhancedtechnologyandprocedures,theATOisincreasingthecapacityoftheairspacesystem.

Forexample,aircraftproperlyequippedcanuseperformance-basednavigation—aframeworkfordefiningnavigationperformancerequirementsthatcanbeappliedtoanairtrafficroute,instrumentprocedureordefinedairspace.ThisincludesbothAreaNavigation(RNAV)andRequiredNavigationPerformance(RNP).

TheATOhasimplemented155RNAVarrivalsanddeparturesat38airports,with42morepublishedinfiscal2007.MoreefficientRNAVroutessaveoperatorsmillionsofdollarsayearinfuelcostsandreducesaircraftemissions.

WithReducedVerticalSeparationMinima,theATOeffectivelydoubledthenumberofflightlevelscontrollerscanassigninhigh-altitudeairspace,providingmoreoptionsforpilotsthatcansave$1billionannuallyinfuelcostsattoday’sprices.

TheATOisbeginningtorealizecapacitybenefitsatDallas/FortWorthInternationalAirport,whereRNAVinitiativesenable20additionaldeparturesperhour,andatHartsfield-JacksonAtlantaInternationalAirport,whereRNAVtechnologyallowsfor10additionaldepartures perhour.

TheATOimplemented

42newRNAVarrivals

anddeparturesinfiscal

2007.MoreefficientRNAV

routessaveoperators

millionsofdollarsayear

infuelcostsandreduce

aircraftemissions.

17

Arr

ival

s an

d D

epar

ture

s

Month

97000

98000

99000

100000

101000

102000

103000

104000

105000

106000

TargetYTDSepAugJulJunMayAprMarFebJanDecNovOct

FY07

FY06

Figure 3.1 Average Daily Capacity at the 35 Busiest U.S. Airports

YTD

Target

October November December January

February March April May

June August SeptemberJuly

Figure 3.2 Airport Weather by Category 35 Busiest U.S. Airports

FY07FY06 FY07FY06 FY07FY06 FY07FY06



None Minor Moderate Severe

New Runways/Taxiways in Boston, Los Angeles and Atlanta

Anewrunway(Runway14/32)openedinNovember2006atBoston’sLoganInternationalAirport,whichhelpedreducedelaysby40percent.LosAngelesInternationalAirport’sRunway7R/25Lopenedin March2007.

InApril2007,anend-aroundtaxiway(figure3.3)wascommissionedatHartsfield-JacksonAtlantaInternationalAirport,thebusiestairportintheUnitedStates.Thisprovidesanalternativetoaircraftcrossinganactiverunwayandeliminatesmorethan600runwaycrossingsperday.

Chicago Airspace Project – Phase One

Infiscal2007,PhaseOneoftheO’HareModernizationPlandoubledthenumberofeastbounddepartureroutesoutofChicagoandincreasedefficiencieswiththreenewRNAVarrivals.

ThesenewroutesandprocedureswereimplementedaspartoftheChicagoAirspaceProjecttobetterservedomesticandinternationalaviationcustomers.

New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia Airspace Redesign

ToimprovetheefficiencyandreliabilityoftheairspacestructureandairtrafficcontrolsystemfromsouthernConnecticuttoeasternDelaware,theFAAchosetheIntegratedAirspaceAlternativeasthepreferredalternativefortheNewYork,NewJerseyandPhiladelphiaMetropolitanAreaAirspaceRedesignProject.Thisalternative,amongthefourstudiedoveranine-yearperiod,bestmeetsthepurposeandneedoftheproject.

Figure3.3:Anendaroundtaxiwayprovidesasaferalternativeforaircraftmovingacrosstheairportsurface.Illustration:JeffBruzdzinski,ATO

Taxiway

Taxiway

Taxiway

Taxiway

08L

08R

End Around Taxiway

Active Runway


TheNewYork,New

JerseyandPhiladelphia

AirspaceRedesignProject

willsaveapproximately

12millionminutesof

delayannually,reduce

carbonemissionsand

$248millioninfuel

consumption,andreduce

aircraftnoiseexposurefor

morethanhalf-a-million

people.

19

RedesigningtheNewYork,NewJerseyandPhiladelphiametropolitanareaairspaceisexpectedtoreducedelays,fuelconsumption,aircraftemissionsandnoise.

Theplancombineshigh-altitudeandlow-altitudeairspacetocreatemoreefficientarrivalanddepartureroutesandwilleliminate12millionminutesofflightdelaysannuallyforthearea’sfourmajorinternationalairports—JohnF.Kennedy,LaGuardia,NewarkLibertyandPhiladelphia.Thisairspacewasfirstdesignedinthe1960sandhasbecomemuchmorecomplex.

Advanced Technologies and Oceanic Procedures

AdvancedTechnologiesandOceanicProcedures(ATOP)providesafullymodernizedoceanicairtrafficcontrolautomationsystemthatallowscustomerstotakeadvantageofinvestmentsmadeincockpitdigitalcommunications.

WithATOP,theATOsignificantlyreducestheintensivemanualprocessesthattodaylimittheabilityofcontrollerstosafelyhandleairlinerequestsformoreefficienttracksoraltitudesoverlongoceanicroutes.ItallowstheATOtomeetinternationalcommitmentsofreducingaircraftseparationstandards,therebydramaticallyincreasingcapacityandefficiencyforourcustomers.

Infiscal2007,ATOPwasimplementedatallthreeoceanicsites:theAnchorage,OaklandandNewYorkAirRouteTrafficControlCenters.

WithsomuchtrafficroutedovertheNorth

PoleandthePacificOceanbeyondradar

coverage,Anchoragewasanaturallocation

forAdvancedTechnologiesandOceanic

Procedures.

ATOPcreatesaradar-likeimageusing

informationknownabouttheflight,extracting

aflightpath,thencorrectingitasnew

informationiscalledinbypilots.Inthepast,

planesdisappearedfromthe“glass”at

AnchorageCenterafterflyingoutofradar

range.ATOP,whichbecameoperationalin

March2007,replacespaperflightstripsthat

forcedcontrollerstokeeptrackofflightsin

theirheads.

Photo:DaleHopper,ATO

Atop exceLs

Buildingfor

Next Generation Air Transportation System:NextGenwillhavethetechnologyandinfrastructurenecessarytohandletheincreasingairtrafficexpectedinthecomingdecades.Satellite-basednavigationwillallowaircrafttoflymoredirectroutesandnavigatearoundinclementweather,whichwillincreaseairspacecapacityandreducedelays. Illustration:JeffBruzdzinski,ATO

theFutureNow

Focused on the next Generation:


21

iT is An exciTing Time TO be in AviATiOn. The AdvAncemenTs being puT in plAce TOdAy will be The fOundATiOn upOn which TOmOrrOw’s nATiOnAl AirspAce sysTem (nAs) will resT. while reAping The benefiTs Of imprOved TechnOlOgies TO mAke flying sAfer And mOre efficienT, The ATO musT hAve A sOlid And deliberATe plAn TO secure The fuTure Of The nAs. The nAs musT cOnTinue TO exisT And funcTiOn in A finAnciAlly heAlThy mAnner fOr generATiOns TO cOme, And meeT The evOlving needs Of iTs users.

Ensuring a Viable Future

AssuchtheATOisacceleratingtheNextGenerationAirTransportationSystem(NextGen).Usingsatellites,digitalnetworksandairportenhancements,thismodernizationprovidesaddedflexibilitytomeet21stcenturyairtrafficdemands.

Delivering NextGen

Astheaviationindustryinfiscal2007sawgreateruseofperformance-basednavigationproceduresunderRequiredNavigationPerformance(RNP)andAreaNavigation(RNAV)procedures,theATOalsomovedforwardwiththefivefoundationalprogramsforNextGen:

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) »

System Wide Information Management (SWIM) »

Data Communications »

NextGen Network Enabled Weather (NNEW) »

NAS Voice Switch »

ItiscriticallyimportantthattheworkonthesefivefoundationalprogramscontinuessotheywillbeoperationalintheNASintimetomeetprojectedtrafficincreases.

Working with Partners

TheATOisalsoengagingitsinternationalanddomesticpartnerstodeliverontheNextGenpromise.TheATOactivelyworkswithotherairnavigationserviceproviders,civilaviationauthoritiesandglobalorganizationstoexpanduseofperformance-basedandsatellite-basedtechnologiesthatserveasthefoundationofNextGen.Itisnotcosteffectiveforairlinestoequipaircraftwithmultiplesame-purposesystemssolelybecauseofoperationsinothercountries.TheFAAisworkingcloselywithEuropeanpartnerstoharmonizetheU.S.andEuropeanvisionstojointlysupportglobalairtrafficmanagementmodernizationefforts.Additionally,theATOhasformedsteeringgroupswithCanada,China,JapanandMexicoinanefforttoinfluenceregionalairtrafficmanagementsystemsdevelopmentwithU.S.NextGentechnologies,procedures,conceptsandsystems.

TheNextGeneration

AirTransportation

Systemisawide-

rangingtransformation

oftheentirenationalair

transportationsystem–

notjustcertainpiecesof

it.NextGen’spurposeis

tomeetfuturedemands

andavoidgridlockinthe

skyandintheairports

whileimprovingsafety

andprotectingthe

environment.”

—VickiCox,ATOSeniorVicePresidentforNextGenandOperationsPlanning

“


Fiscal 2007 Accomplishments that Build Toward the Future

ADS-B Moves Forward

ADS-BusesGlobalPositioningSystem(GPS)technologytodetermineanaircraft’sexactposition.BecauseADS-Bprovidesmorepreciseinformationthanradar,planescansafelyflyclosertogether,thereforeincreasingcapacity.InFebruary2007theFAAmadethefinalinvestmentdecisionfortheADS-Bprogram.InAugust2007,theFAAawardedtheprimecontractforADS-BtoITTCorp.

SWIM Advances

SWIMprovidescommoninformationacrossasecure,digitalnetworktoallNASusers.TheinvestmentdecisionfortheSWIMprogramwasmadeinJune2007.

NextGen Implementation Plan

TheOperationalEvolutionPartnership(OEP)wascharteredtodeveloptheFAA’sNextGenimplementationplan.TheOEPintegratedplanningactivitiesintoonecomprehensive,high-leveldocument.Itisorganizedaroundthreekeytransformationareas–airtrafficoperations,airportdevelopmentandaircraftandoperatorrequirements–focusingonthecapabilitiesneededforaviation.(TheOEPwasrenamedtheNextGenIntegrationandImplementationOfficein2008).

International Cooperation

The FAA and the European Commission announced the creation »of the Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emissions partnership (AIRE). The partnership aims to accelerate develop-ment of operational procedures to reduce aviation’s environmen-tal footprint for all phases of flight.

A top-to-bottom review of FAA policies and procedures was »completed to identify differences with international Standards and Recommended Practices established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Aligning the procedures and technologies ensures all airspace users, regardless of which country the pilot is from, follow the same rules and thereby improve safety. The ATO set a goal to reduce the 318 differences by 10 percent – or 32 items – by fiscal 2012.

A representative from the European Organization for the Safety »of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL) was detailed to the ATO to coordinate NextGen and Europe’s Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research Program harmonization.

The ATO sent a representative to Germany’s air traffic agency, »Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, and hosted a representative from that agency to learn how each respective country manages and operates the air traffic systems.

Through interaction with ICAO and the Civil Air Navigation »Services Organization, senior leaders learn corporate best prac-tices from global partners so that the ATO continues to be an international leader in running an air transportation system.

Thissignalsaneweraof

airtrafficcontrol.ADS-B

—and,inturn,NextGen

—willattackthedelay

problemheadonby

dramaticallyincreasingair

trafficefficiency.”

—BobbySturgell,ActingFAAAdministrator

“

23

The ATO has established an international leadership goal as an »FAA performance target related to the expansion of NextGen technologies. The objective for fiscal 2007 was to expand use of performance-based systems to one country. Toward that end, the FAA successfully signed a technical assistance agree-ment with China to support Reduced Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM) implementation ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics. RVSM allows decreased vertical distance between properly equipped airplanes, a more efficient use of airspace.

Delivering the NextGen Promise

Thecurrenthard-wiredsystemofmovingairplanesusingground-basedradar,radiotechnologyandcapacity-constrainedairportswillnotmeetfuturedemandsbecauseofincreasedtrafficandnewclassesofaircraftsuchasverylightjetsandunmannedaircraftsystemsflyingalongsidesuperjumbosandcommercialspaceflights.Toavoidgridlock,NextGentransformshowtheFAAhandlestheincreasedtrafficandnewtypesofaircraft.

NextGentransformsallthreecomponentsofairtraffic-theairport,theaircraftandairtrafficcontrol–toprovidetheflexibilityneededtosafelyandefficientlyhandleairtrafficintothe21stcentury.Airportswillprovidegreatersafetyandcapacity,andlessentheenvironmentalimpactonsurroundingareasthankstoNextGen.Pilotsandgroundpersonnelwillhavegreatersituationalawareness,therebyreducingrunwayincursions.

NextGen Transformation

From...Ground-Based Navigation and Surveillance »

Voice Radio Control »

Disconnected Information Systems »

Air Traffic “Control” »

Fragmented Weather Forecasting »

Visibility Limited Airfield Parameters »

Forensic Safety System »

To...Satellite-Based Navigation and Surveillance »

Digital Data Exchange »

Net-Centric Information Access »

Air Traffic “Management” »

Informed Decisions Using Integrated Weather »

“Equivalent Visual” Operations »

Prognostic Safety System »

NextGenwillnot“powerup”onacertain

inauguraldatewiththeflipofaswitch.

Rather,itisanevolutionarychangethathas

alreadystartedandwillbeimplementedin

stagesoverthenext20years.

TheATOisalreadybeginningthetransition

toNextGenwithnewcapabilitiesbeing

integratedintomanyoftheexistingsystems

toimproveoperations.

Thebottomline:whilethefuturesystem

willlookandfeelverydifferentfromtoday’s

environment,thechangewillbeincremental

–thepublicwillbeabletoreapthebenefits

throughouttheNextGeninvestmentperiod

andnothavetowaituntil2025.

Illustration:JPDO

reAping BeneFits From new technoLogies now

FAAHeadquartersinWashington,D.C.Photo:JeffBruzdzinski

Governance


25

Air Traffic Services (ATS) Committee

Createdin2003bythe“Vision100—CenturyofAviationReauthorizationAct,”theAirTrafficServices(ATS)CommitteemeetsquarterlytoassessandadvisetheATO.Thepanelmembers,whoservethree-yearterms,areappointedbythePresidentwiththeadviceandconsentoftheSenate.Theyarechosenbasedontheirprofessionalexperienceandexpertiseinmanagement,customerservices,procurement,technologyandlaborrelations.TheAdministratoroftheFederalAviationAdministrationchairsthecommittee.

ATS Committee

Robert Sturgell, Acting FAA Administrator and ATS »Committee Chair

Sharon Patrick, President and CEO of the Sharon Patrick »Company

Leon Lynch, International Vice President of Human Affairs »(retired) for the United Steelworkers of America

Phil Brady, President of National Automobile Dealers Association. »

FAA/ATO Leadership

RobertSturgellActingAdministratorforFAA

HankKrakowskiATOChiefOperatingOfficer

GeneJubaSeniorVicepresidentforFinanceServices

VickiCoxSeniorVicePresidentforNextGenandOperationsPlanningServices

NancyKalinowskiVicePresidentforSystemOperationsServices

RickDayVicePresidentforEnRouteandOceanicServices

BruceJohnsonVicePresidentforTerminalServices

SteveZaidmanVicePresidentforTechnicalOperationsServices

RobertO.TarterVicePresidentforSafetyServices

JimWashingtonVicePresidentforAcquisitionsandBusinessServices

SandraSanchezVicePresidentforCommunicationsServices


STARSkeyboard.Photo:JonRoss

Produced by ATO Communications Services »

800 Independence Ave, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20591www.faa.gov

AJC

2008

06-0

06

Focused on Performance

Documents

air traffic organization

past fiscal year

major accident

operational errors

single passenger fatality