The Air Traffic Management Division (ATMD) is responsible for the provision of air navigation services to civil aircraft operating within the Hong Kong Flight Information Region (HKFIR). The services include air traffic services; communications, navigation and surveillance; and search and rescue coordination. With the mission of providing reliable and sustainable air navigation services and maintaining efficient and orderly air traffic operations within the HKFIR, ATMD is also responsible for the training of air traffic control (ATC) personnel, provision of aeronautical telecommunication services and design of ATC procedures.

During the year, ATMD continued to provide safe and efficient ATC services and met all challenges in a dedicated and professional manner. With the concerted efforts made by ATMD staff, the daily air traffic movements scaled new heights and broke the record twice with2 472 flights on 2 August 2019, and then 2 495 flights on 23 January 2020 during the Lunar New Year peak season, setting the highest record in Hong Kong.

However, the global outbreak of COVID-19 has dealt a massive blow to the aviation industry. Air traffic demand began to fall subsequently. In the midst of the global downturn in air traffic demand, ATMD adopted a pragmatic and forward-looking approach to tackle the unprecedented calamity faced by the aviation industry. Training of ATC personnel, enhancement of the air traffic management system, regular review of ATC operating procedures, and collaboration with neighbouring air traffic control units will be continued to ensure our readiness to cope with the resurgence of air travel.

Air Traffic Operations

During this financial year, there were a total of 378 907 aircraft movements at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) handled by ATMD. In addition, the division handled 365 290 overflights transiting the HKFIR (65 402 of which were flights into and out of the Macao International Airport). Due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the aircraft movements at HKIA and the number of overflights handled by ATMD had decreased year-over-year by 11.9% and 4.07% respectively.

Runway Capacity

The handling capacity of the two runways at HKIA was maintained at a maximum of 68 movements per hour within the year.

Validation and Revalidation Examinations of ATC Officer Ratings

Safety is of paramount importance in air traffic control. To ensure that safety standard is maintained, the Training and Safety Section of ATMD has a well-established mechanism to administer the validation examinations for the issuance of initial ATC qualification to Student Air Traffic Control Officers (SATCOs). The Operations Section of ATMD also conducted regular re-validation examinations to verify the standard and competency of rated Air Traffic Control Officers (ATCOs). In the year, 273 validation and revalidation examinations were conducted in the four ATC streams, i.e. Aerodrome Control, Approach Control, Terminal Control and Area Control. On top of that, ATMD also conducted examinations and issued certificates for officers who had attained other ATC-related qualifications, such as Assistant Controller Certificates, ATC Meteorological Reporter Certificates, On-the-job Instructor Certificates and Flow Control Certificates.

Recruitment and Training of ATC Staff

Recruitment and Training of Student Air Traffic Control Officers (SATCOs)

To identify suitable candidates with potential in ATC aspects and to ensure they are properly trained, the Training and Safety Section of ATMD has a thorough recruitment process and training plan for ATC staff. A total of 46 SATCOs and seven ATCOs III were recruited in the year. A new round of recruitment exercise also kick-started, with a target to hire over 40 SATCOs in 2020-21.

During the recruitment process, candidates are tested in various aspects and capabilities, such as cognitive ability, English proficiency and personality traits. These tests are periodically reviewed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of recruitment operations.

To equip SATCOs with the required aviation knowledge, a series of well-designed training will be arranged for them after they joined ATMD. They are required to complete the training programme, which comprises a number of modules at different stages, so as to perform operational ATC duties independently. To start with, the SATCOs are provided with induction training to acquire basic aviation and ATC knowledge, then they will attend basic ATC and flying training as part of their professional training.

The basic ATC courses aim to impart fundamental ATC knowledge and skills to SATCOs through theoretical and practical training to meet the training requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). In the past, these courses were provided by overseas training organisations. In 2019, with the launch of the first Basic ATC Course by the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy (HKIAA) of the Airport Authority Hong Kong on 23 September 2019, local training became available. Among the new recruits in 2019-20, a total of 30 SATCOs attended the local basic training course.

Overseas flying training will also be arranged for SATCOs to broaden their exposure to various aspects of ATC operations from the perspective of airspace users and enhance their understanding of basic principles of aircraft operations.

SATCOs will then attend specialised ATC rating courses to attain ATCO qualifications. In addition to classroom learning, there will be practical simulator exercises in the ATC Surveillance Simulator or the Control Tower Simulator. Subject to satisfactory performance in the simulator practice, SATCOs will be given on-the-job training at operational working positions. During the training, SATCOs have to achieve the required standards to perform ATC duties independently before they can be recommended for initial qualification checks. After passing the initial qualification checks, the SATCOs will progress to ATCOs III. To become a fully qualified ATCO II, further specialised ATC rating training is indispensable. It normally takes around five to seven years for a SATCO to become an ATCO II. 

As at 31 March 2020, there were 337 ATCOs and 131 Air Traffic Flight Services Officers (ATFSOs) (supporting staff to ATCOs) established posts.

ATC Training for ATCO staff

To ensure continuous supply of qualified ATC manpower, the Training and Safety Section of ATMD has developed a well-crafted training programme for ATC personnel. The training programme is reviewed regularly to ensure operational needs are fulfilled and the anticipated air traffic growth can be coped with.

Over the year, 29 professional ATC training courses were conducted and 74 ATC ratings/professional ATC qualifications were issued.

Controllers' ability to respond to unusual circumstances and aircraft emergencies is of utmost importance. To ensure controllers’ competency, regular refresher training is arranged to refresh the rated controllers on the operating procedures in relation to unusual occurrences. In 2019, Approach Control and Area Control refresher training was arranged for 193 rated controllers.

In addition, other advanced training, such as supervisor course, search and rescue course, aircraft incident investigation course and instrument flight procedure design course, were also arranged to equip ATCOs with the requisite knowledge to undertake supervisory responsibilities and to perform more specialised duties. 

ATC/Flight Procedures

ATS Interfacility Data Communication (AIDC)

Accomplishing a satisfactory result of operational trial of AIDC operation with Manila ATC Centre in March 2019, Hong Kong ATC Centre implemented AIDC operation with Manila ATC Centre in May 2019. Currently, a total of four adjacent ATC centres (Guangzhou, Sanya, Taipei and Manila ATC Centres) have implemented AIDC operation with Hong Kong ATC Centre. Through AIDC operation, the operational and processing efficiency and accuracy of flight data pertinent to flight operation could be highly improved. With the provision of greater accuracy of flight data from adjacent ATC centres, ATCOs could tactically plan and manage air traffic in a more efficient manner.

Support to ICAO Asia-Pacific Flight Procedure Programme (FPP)

The ICAO Asia-Pacific (APAC) FPP has been established since 2010 with the objective of assisting APAC members to develop their own capabilities in instrument flight procedure (IFP) design and to accelerate the implementation of Performance-based Navigation (PBN). This is achieved by providing training courses and workshops, on-the-job training, assistance with quality assurance and procedure design processes, consultation services and access to IFP-related automation solutions. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has been one of the Active Participating Members since the establishment of APAC FPP and has been contributing by providing expertise and financial support.

The CAD representatives attended the 11th Steering Committee Meeting (SCM/11) of APAC FPP held in Kunming in November 2019 and gave a comprehensive presentation of IFP implementation flow detailing the sequence of steps and major milestones for implementing a flight procedure. The presentation received full recognition from the audience and it was suggested to make use of the presentation materials in relevant future courses or workshops with the aim to familiarise members with the relevant process and to accord appropriate resources for a complete IFP implementation. SCM/11 also endorsed the extension of APAC FPP from Phase 3, which would end in 2020, to Phase 4 until 2023. The CAD will continue the support to APAC FPP in the coming years.

Implementation of Safety Net: Approach Path Monitoring (APM) and Departure Path Monitoring (DPM)

APM and DPM were successfully implemented on 12 September 2019. Alerts will be triggered if an aircraft flies lower than normal altitude or deviates laterally from the normal flight path when approaching to or departing from HKIA. Timely detection of such abnormal situations and appropriate recovery actions are of paramount importance to ensure flight safety. During the first six months of implementation, 20 APM or DPM alerts were generated, allowing air traffic controllers to give prior warnings to the pilots concerned for effective flight adjustments.

Enhancing Instrument Landing System (ILS) Approach Procedures for RWY 07L and RWY 07R using Performance Based Navigation (PBN) Technology

The PBN technology provides flexibility to satellite-based flight path designs, enhances flight track accuracy by satellite navigation, increases integrity of navigation data achieved by the on-board performance monitoring and alerting functionality, as well as provides more reliable and predictable flight paths with standardised navigation database coding. Furthermore, the widely used ILS enables a lower precision approach decision altitude, which facilitates landings under poor visibility conditions.

In order to reap the benefits of both PBN technology and ILS, the CAD designed a set of enhanced ILS approach procedures for RWY 07L and RWY 07R for HKIA based on PBN transition which has been implemented to replace the previous conventional ILS procedures since February 2020. Instead of relying on the guidance of ground-based navigation aids, the new procedures lead arriving aircraft to join the ILS final approach course for RWY 07L and RWY 07R based on satellite navigation.

In light of the practical experience and further evaluation, the CAD will, at an opportune time, apply this new flight procedure design criteria to enhance other existing ILS approach procedures. 

Renaming of Waypoint LOGAN to VENGO

Reviewing the feedbacks on the needs of the aviation community has always been one of the priorities of the CAD. In response to comments received from local operators, in order to better differentiate between similar standard instrument departure (SID) designators and to reduce the likeliness of possible confusion during noise mitigating period, a project to rename a waypoint known as LOGAN commenced in mid-2019 and was completed in early 2020.

The project of changing a SID designator involves numerous challenging tasks. The project began in August 2019 with a review on all flight procedures to determine the scope of procedures and charts affected, followed by a safety assessment in November in the same year. It also involved making adjustments to publications and the Air Traffic Management System (ATMS), as well as providing relevant information and guidelines to frontline ATCOs. Finally, the corresponding Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) Supplement was issued in January 2020, promulgating the implementation in February 2020.

Renaming of waypoint and its associated SIDs from LOGAN to VENGO enabled flight crews a better differentiation of the noise mitigating SIDs from other day-time SIDs, thereby reducing the chance of error in Flight Management System or pilots and ensures flight safety during night operation.

The CAD will continue to work closely and collaboratively with the aviation community and take in valuable comments from all stakeholders in order to enhance flight safety and operational efficiency. 

Air Traffic Management Plan for Pearl River Delta (PRD) Region

The CAD has been maintaining close liaison with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao (AACM) through the Tripartite Working Group (TWG) to discuss the phased implementation of enhancement measures as stipulated in the PRD Region Air Traffic Management Planning and Implementation Plan (the Plan) with the aim to raise operational efficiency.

As a step forward in setting objectives for the future development of air navigation services and airspace in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), the Director-General of the Air Traffic Management Bureau of the CAAC, Mr Che Jinjun; the then Director-General of Civil Aviation of Hong Kong, Mr Simon Li; and the President of the AACM, Mr Chan Weng-hong, signed the Agreement on GBA Airspace Collaborative Development on 30 July 2019. In accordance with the Basic Law and relevant regulations, the three parties agreed to promote technical exchange within the aviation industry in the GBA, collaborate in personnel training and training accreditation, and continue with the introduction of new technologies, air traffic management data platforms and personnel interaction at different levels.

To support the continuous development of all the major airports in the PRD region, including the construction of the Three-Runway System (3RS) at HKIA and the expansion of other airports, flight procedure and airspace design specialists and other technical experts from the CAD, the CAAC and the AACM continued to work together on the GBA airspace evaluation project using the advanced Fast Time Simulation (FTS) software. The project aims to construct an airspace model for the evaluation of future ATC operation in the region. The FTS software could conduct computerised simulation of GBA airspace model with high authenticity, and provide data and technical support to the expert team to design safe and effective airspace enhancement measures.

Looking ahead, the CAD will continue to follow up with the CAAC and the AACM according to the framework of the Plan in respect of tasks on airspace optimisation, airspace capacity enhancement, operational efficiency and improvement in air traffic flow management. These initiatives would help achieving the ultimate target runway capacity of 102 air traffic movements per hour under the 3RS operation at HKIA, accomplishing greater synergy in the GBA airspace and creating an airport economic belt with international influence. 

Aeronautical Information Management Centre (AIMC)

AIMC is responsible for the provision of aeronautical information service to the aviation community and processing of flight plans for flights departing from HKIA. In the year, AIMC handled 901 321 Notices to Airmen and 209 613 flight plans.

With the launch of the Electronic Aeronautical Information Publication (eAIP) in March 2019, aeronautical information has been provided to the aviation industry in an efficient and reliable manner. The CAD will continue to follow the initiatives by ICAO on further transition to a more digitised aeronautical information management.

Telecommunications Services

Being one of the major aviation communication hubs and also a Regional Operational Meteorological Centre in the Asia Pacific region, the Aeronautical Network Centre (ANC) continues to provide reliable, high quality and efficient telecommunication services for the exchange of air traffic messages and operational meteorological messages to support provision of air navigation services. In addition, ANC provides 24-hour aeronautical broadcasting service to aircraft in flight for acquiring latest weather information necessary for flight operation.

In the year, the total number of messages handled by the Air Traffic Message Handling System (AMHS) was recorded at 80 507 805, representing an increase of 2.37%. On aeronautical broadcasting service, the number of operational meteorological messages broadcasted to aircraft in flight was 322 151.

Since the successful implementation of data communication circuit on Common Aeronautical Virtual Private Network (CRV) with Manila in June 2019, Hong Kong continued to take active role in CRV related tasks. In January 2020, the data communication circuit connectivity test and interoperability test with Fukuoka were conducted. Upon completion of pre-operational trial, operational use of Hong Kong-Fukuoka AMHS/CRV circuit will be officially announced. The data communication circuits on CRV with Beijing, Bangkok, Macao, Ho Chi Minh City and Taipei are planned to be gradually tested and established in 2020.

Safety Management System (SMS)

To mitigate and minimise safety risks during our daily operations, ATMD implement a comprehensive SMS, with an aim to prioritise safety, enhance safety culture within the division, and continuously improve safety performance in our airspace. Furthermore, through safety risk management, as well as safety data collection and analysis, potential safety issues can be identified. Appropriate risk mitigation measures and corrective actions may then be implemented in a timely manner to prevent occurrence of safety related incidents.

ATMD monitors safety performance constantly and compiles quarterly summaries, which are reviewed by the Air Traffic Management Standards Office, the regulatory office of air traffic management related matters independent of ATMD. In addition, internal audits are conducted every year on different key functional areas of ATMD to ensure our operations are up to the required standards and there is continuous improvement in our SMS.

ATMD will continue to apply the safety risk management principles in various air traffic enhancement projects related to the 3RS project at HKIA, to ensure the identified risks are mitigated properly.

Overseas Aeronautical Meetings and Conferences

ATMD is one of the leading air navigations services providers (ANSP) which has remarkable contributions in enhancing air navigation services in the Asia Pacific region. To ensure continuous and close collaboration with other ANSPs in the region and seamless integration of important air navigation services upgrades in the aviation industry such as the improvement of airspace capacity and efficiency by enhancing the longitudinal spacing requirement of air routes, ATMD actively participated in regional and international meetings, seminars and conferences organised by ICAO, Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) and other civil aviation authorities within the region.