A Field Study on Safety Performance of Apron Controllers at a Large-Scale Airport Based on Digital Tower

Jianping Zhang, Xiaoqiang Tian, Jian Pan, Zhenling Chen and Xiang Zou
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Jianping Zhang: The Second Research Institute of Civil Aviation Administration of China, Chengdu 610041, China
Xiaoqiang Tian: The Second Research Institute of Civil Aviation Administration of China, Chengdu 610041, China
Jian Pan: Baiyun International Airport, Guangzhou 510470, China
Zhenling Chen: The Second Research Institute of Civil Aviation Administration of China, Chengdu 610041, China
Xiang Zou: The Second Research Institute of Civil Aviation Administration of China, Chengdu 610041, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: The innovative concept of digital tower provides a new solution for reducing the construction and operation costs of airports with adverse natural environments, poor intervisibility conditions, or sparse traffic. However, it leads to changes in the situational awareness of air traffic controllers and to challenges in safety performance. To research the safety performance of apron controllers at a large-scale airport applying a digital tower, a field study was conducted at Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, China. In this study, we established a comprehensive index system from the perspective of situational awareness, which provided measurements on the areas of interests, gaze and physiological features, and vigilance of controllers. Three modules were compared: a physical tower module, a digital tower module with a large panoramic screen, and a digital tower module with a small panoramic screen. The differences in the safety performances of apron controllers are discussed in two aspects: adaptability and reliability. The results indicated that the apron controllers at the three modules performed different cognition patterns, but similar cognition effort was paid toward maintaining performance. Furthermore, the significant vigilance decrement of controllers exists between after-duty and before-duty, but with no significant difference among the three modules. In conclusion, apron controllers at a large-scale airport could obtain effective safety performances based on a digital tower that were no less than those from a physical tower.

Keywords: digital tower; safety performance; apron controller; situational awareness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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