Guardians of the air always vigilant

“It’s less going on,” Damaris Schonfeld sighs. At the German Air Traffic Control (DFS) in Langen, the 26-year-old controls the airspace east of Frankfurt in a triangle as far as Nuremberg and Stuttgart. Because of the corona crisis, only a few passenger aircraft and the currently well-used freighters are flying in the otherwise extremely densely populated airspace.

Traffic performance has dropped by around 85 percent and, despite merging sectors, pilots have to be careful not to overlook anything important in the doldrums. “Keeping concentration up is an important part of my job,” says Schonfeld, who has been on the control screen for almost three years after completing her training. By the way, never alone, but always at least in teams of two. “Air traffic controllers are not lone warriors” is an important principle of air traffic control.

With its four control centers and towers at all 16 international airports in Germany, DFS is undoubtedly part of the country’s critical infrastructure. Airspace must function smoothly even in times of crisis. This means that contingency plans have been drawn up for scenarios such as the current pandemic.
High specialization

According to its statements, the federally owned GmbH has experienced ten proven corona cases in its ranks, four of which have already recovered. After proof of corona at an active tower pilot in Munich in early March, the entire shift had been sent to quarantine. Even at the slightest suspicion, the employees and contact persons would be sent home or left there, spokeswoman Ute Otterbein affirmed.

The pilot’s consoles are large enough that you can keep a minimum distance of 1.5 meters from each other, assures Lotsen Schonfeld. Beside her, there is always disinfectant for the console, and she uses her headset exclusively herself. In the short term, plexiglass partitions were discussed with colleagues but were quickly discarded. “We just have to communicate with each other.”

A basic problem in personnel deployment is the strong specialization of the approximately 2,200 pilots in certain airspace sectors. Your licenses are only valid for certain sectors, a pilot from the Frankfurt Airport Tower should not be able to easily do the work of a colleague in the Karlsruhe center, who is responsible for the top airspace. Damaris Schonfeld, too, is only allowed to work in her “Operational Permission Group 04”, more effectively referred to as Frankfurt East. There, however, she knows every corner and all delicate places, she says.

Sufficient employees

The approximately 900 DFS technicians are also licensed to use individual systems and cannot be easily dispensed with or replaced. Most control systems have to continue to run and military flight operations continue as usual, even in Corona times. According to an internal analysis, this means that even with the current minimal operation, 60 to 70 percent of the crew must still be on board.

Although Schonfeld and her colleagues currently supervise five sectors at the same time, as is usually the case on very quiet nights, a large number of other forces are required. For safety reasons, the pilots have to take a break every two hours and let the detachment go. There are also standby teams on call and air traffic control is even prepared for the failure of an entire center, for example, due to a fire, by taking over other centers.

Nevertheless, after years with a shortage of personnel, DFS sees itself in an unusual situation that there are more than enough pilots available. According to Corona, due to the lower air traffic, fewer personnel needs can be expected for years, says DFS boss Klaus-Dieter Scheurle.

Air traffic control has therefore concluded a “corona collective agreement” with its in-house trade union GdF: 300 hours of reduced work can be arranged for each pilot and technician. Only half of these hours will have to be completed in the coming years.