Supervisory control paradigm: limitations in applicability to advanced air traffic management systems

Currently the one-to-one coupling between the air traffic controller and all the aircraft under his/her control is seen as a key-limiting factor in capacity growth. The trend towards overcoming this problem is too put the controller in a more standby and supervisory role. Placing the responsibilities for the routing of the aircraft and the safeguarding of separation of aircraft in the hands of pilots and airline operations, and by automating part of the routine tasks of the controllers, the controllers will be freed up from routine duties. They should then, in a supervisory manner, be able to focus more on issues like traffic management, overall system safety, and handling exceptional situations. This paper explores the applicability of this paradigm in advanced air traffic management.