Back to top
Absence of air traffic control procedures and tools for runway changes at Melbourne Airport
Date issue released
Safety Issue Description

Airservices Australia did not provide procedures with associated local instructions to Melbourne air traffic controllers regarding how to coordinate runway changes at Melbourne Airport. Furthermore, an absence of system tools increased the risk of the controllers forgetting to coordinate those changes with the Essendon Aerodrome Controller.

Issue number
AO-2016-005-SI-01
Transport Function
Airspace
Issue Owner
Airservices Australia
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Issue Status Justification

The action by Airservices Australia minimises the risk associated with the safety issue. 

Proactive action
Action number
AO-2016-005-NSA-004
Organisation
Airservices Australia
Action date
Action Status
Closed
Action description

In response to this safety issue, Airservices Australia advised the following proactive safety action:

  • A temporary local instruction was issued to Melbourne air traffic controllers that introduced a runway change coordination checklist. The checklist is intended to provide a recordable process for implementing and coordinating runway changes. This checklist has since been incorporated into the Melbourne and Canberra Terminal Control Unit local instructions.
  • A temporary local instruction was issued to Melbourne air traffic controllers introducing a runway configuration coordination prompt. This prompt requires the Melbourne Tower Coordinator to remove the text ‘COORDINATE WITH MPL [Melbourne Planner] AND EN [Essendon]’ when preparing the digital automatic terminal information service, thereby prompting the Melbourne Tower Coordinator to conduct the required coordination. In addition a pop‑up memory prompt is being developed that will amend this temporary procedure.
  • Any update to the Melbourne Airport automatic terminal information service is automatically displayed in the message queue in the Essendon Tower cabin. This system change is intended to increase Essendon air traffic controllers’ situation awareness and to provide them with early opportunities to detect breakdowns in communication between them and Melbourne Airport air traffic controllers.