Summary of capacity performance
Romania experienced an increase in traffic from 320k flights in 2020 to 454k flights in 2021, with zero ATFM delay. However, traffic levels were still substantially below the 747k flights in 2019.
NSA’s assessment of capacity performance
The significantly reduced traffic in the pandemic context allowed during 2021 optimised traffic flows and values (0) for ATFM delay per flight. Nevertheless, in the perspective of future traffic recovery, ROMATSA continues the airspace strucure improvement process, by supporting Free Route operations expansion in the context of SEEFRA, by removing the ATS Routes above FL105 within Bucuresti CTA during Summer Season 2021 and by sectorisation improvements (planned for Q1 2023).
ROMATSA has become a member of the collaborative, pan-European, Centralised Code Assignment and Management System (CCAMS), starting with 15th of October 2021.
CCAMS aims to overcome the current and future shortages of the Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) codes used by Air Traffic Control for radar services and provides a unique SSR code to each flight operating in the countries using the service. CCAMS optimises the efficiency of European SSR code management by introducing the dynamic transponder codes allocation, allowing the simultaneous use of the same code in volumes of airspace separated by a buffer zone.
This approach assures the optimal use of SSR codes and reduces the SSR codes shortage and conflicts in the CCAMS region. Through CCAMS application within București FIR the SSR codes management is more efficient, increasing safety.
It also determines a reduction of the airborne SSR code changes, thus decreasing ATC workload and allowing for more flights to be handled.
Being among the pioneers of Mode S implementation in the entire FIR, CCAMS activation makes ROMATSA one of the few air navigation service providers in Europe that have operationalized both concepts.
Monitoring process for capacity performance
ROMATSA provided regularly inputs on capacity availability in the context of NOP Rolling Seasonal Plan implemented by the Network manager at European network level. The expected en-route performance was and is regularly evaluated by the NM for each ACC, including Bucuresti ACC, in terms of planned/maximum sector openings in relation with the estimated traffic demand.
Capacity planning
In the context of COVID-19 crisis, the capacity as previously planned and published within an annual NOP (Network Operatios Plan) has been adapted accordingly by adoption of capacity plans under a NOP Rolling Seasonal Plan format, including periods of 6 weeks, based on the expected traffic demand regularly provided by the Network Manager. These plans refer to:
- sector openings
- maximum possible sector openings
- availability of support of operational staff.
- special events and projects, etc.
Bucuresti ACC ensured a stable sector opening plan with no sector capacity reduction throughout this difficult period, with the possibility to increase the number of sectors plan, if the traffic is increasing and support operational staff working as normal.
Application of Corrective Measures for Capacity (if applicable)
As presented during the RP2 revision process, ROMATSA faces an ageing ATCO personnel. This is especially true in ACC Bucharest, where more than 1/3 of ATCOs are over 50 years old and will be over age 55 at the end of RP3. It takes between 3 to 5 years to fully train and authorize an ATCO for ACC, therefore a recruitment process was started in 2017 and should continue until the end of RP3, as was approved through the RP2 revision in December 2018, to guarantee proper staffing levels to ensure safety and capacity. As it can be seen in the figure, without recruitment capacity in ACC Bucharest would not meet the required needs.
NSA: revision to the Performance Plan which will be transmitted to the EC, after the Decision of the Inconsistency nr 2283/2022
Capacity targets are met, continuous oversight, licencing of new ACOs and training approvals.