In
aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...
, an air traffic service (ATS) is a service which regulates and assists
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...
in real-time to ensure their safe operations. In particular, ATS is to:
* prevent collisions between aircraft; provide advice of the safe and efficient conduct of flights;
* conduct and maintain an orderly flow of air traffic;
* notify concerned organizations of and assist in
search and rescue
Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
operations.
The ATS further provides four services:
*
air traffic control
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...
services, which is to prevent collisions in controlled airspace by instructing pilots where to fly;
* air traffic advisory service, used in uncontrolled airspace to prevent collisions by advising pilots of other aircraft or hazards;
* flight information service, which provides information useful for the safe and efficient conduct of flights;
* alerting service, which provides services to all known aircraft.
An ATS route is a designated route for channeling the flow of traffic as necessary for the provision of air traffic services. This include jet routes, area navigation routes (RNAV), and arrival and departure route. Routes may be defined with a designator; a path to and from significant points; distance between significant points; reporting requirements; and the lowest safe
altitude
Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...
.
List of service providers
Europe
Recently European ATS service providers are facing a greater change on the European market, with the introduction of
Single European Sky
The Single European Sky (SES) is a European Commission initiative that seeks to reform the European air traffic management system through a series of actions carried out in four different levels (institutional, operational, technological and contr ...
, that divides Europe into "functional airspace blocks" – which is replacing the old, national airspace blocks.
References
External links
CASA Part 172 - Air traffic service providers Civil Aviation Safety Authority Australia
NATS - A global leader in air traffic control and airport performanceNATS Holdings
Air Traffic ServicesFederal Aviation Administration of U.S.
Air Traffic Service Providers - Entry Control Procedures ManualCivil Aviation Safety Authority Australia
Air traffic services centres Airservices Australia
Air-Traffic-Controller careers Airservices Australia
{{Commercial air travel
Air traffic management