All coordination methods follow some common principles, which are listed in the Coordination - general principles article.
A controller acting a departure position is responsible of the IFR departure traffic and he shall ensure adequate separation with all other traffic according to the local regulations in the TMA zone.
The departure position is a sub sector of the approach position. The approach position is separated between the departure position and the arrival position. Only the biggest airfields have a separate departure position. In other airfields, the approach position handles both arriving and departing traffic.
A departure position should be opened only when the approach position and one tower position are opened.
- Negotiate the handoff point of go-around traffic for stating a new approach procedure.
- Negotiate route and climbing clearance for traffic to ensure enough separation between arrival and departure and avoid climbing stop.
- Notify any emergency declaration
- Negotiate the route and climbing clearance for traffic to ensure enough separation between en-route and departure traffic
- Notify specific information about departure before transfer
A controller acting an approach position is responsible of the IFR arrival (and departure if there is no departure position active) and VFR transit traffic and he shall ensure adequate separation with all traffic according to the local regulations in the TMA zone.
The approach controller is responsible to choose transition flight level.
- Give the transition flight level in order to complete ATIS
- Receive the clearance needs from ground and delivery positions and give adequate clearance in function of traffic expected
- Give adequate initial flight level needed
This coordination is needed to be done with TWR position if there is no GND/DEL position.
- Give the transition flight level in order to complete ATIS
- Negotiate a transfer point after take-off when necessary for IFR or VFR traffic
- Give any information about the approach sequence in order to let the tower controller anticipate the traffic flow
- Negotiate any visual approach request
- Notify emergency declaration
This coordination is not needed when the TWR position is merged with the APP position.
- Negotiate the handoff point of go-around traffic for stating a new approach procedure.
- Negotiate route and climbing clearance for traffic to ensure enough separation between arrival and departure traffic
- Notify any emergency declaration
This coordination is not needed when the DEP position is merged with the APP position.
- Negotiate the handoff point for departure and altitude
- Negotiate route, descending flight level and clearance for traffic to ensure enough separation between transit and arrival aircraft
- Negotiate traffic flow and arrival regulation
- Notify emergency declarations which have impact on the area controller
- Negotiate the handoff point between the two positions for each route
- Notify emergency declarations which have impact on the nearby approach controller
- Negotiate route, hand-off points, flight level and clearance for traffic to ensure enough separation between the two positions
We can have some specific coordination procedures in some large airports with multiple runways:
- Several ground controllers (each takes one sector of ground)
- Several tower controllers handling their own runway(s) (more than one controller to control a runway is forbidden)
- Several arrival controllers (division based on geographic zone in function of runway, or initial, intermediate or final approach controller, or combination of the different solutions!)
- Several en-route controllers (division based on geographic zone or altitude layers)
This document will not present the coordination point for these configurations due to the complexity and the procedure must be adapted to the airfield specific situation. Contact your ATC coordinator of your division or HQ to have tips to handle such situations.
See alsoReferenceAuthor
- VID 150259 - Creation
- VID 435695 - Wiki integration
- VID 496402 - Wiki.js Integration