All coordination methods follow some common principles, which are listed in the Coordination - general principles article.
A controller acting a tower position is responsible of any traffic movements on all runways and in the vicinity of the airfield in the ATZ, CTR zone or any airfield traffic circuit.
The air traffic controller handling a TWR position is responsible of all runways on his airfield. He decides which runways are used for take-off and landing. Be aware though that any change of runway configuration will take time for other controllers to handle such a decision. Ground taxi flow and traffic regulation on approach cannot be changed in one minute!
Unless the GND position is merged into the TWR one, the tower controller shall coordinate with the GND controller the following aspects:
- Give the runway in use
- Notify any runway configuration change (change in the landing and/or take off runways, close runway...)
- Notify the arriving aircraft of their potential exit point in order to help the ground controller managing the exit taxiways (optional and used in high flow of aircraft)
- Notify all incidents on runways (aircraft failure on runway, hard landing)
- Notify a potential emergency landing in order to vacate the holding point, exit taxiways when possible
- Give information about go-arounds
The tower controller shall coordinate with the APP controller the following aspects:
- Give the runway in use
- Notify any runway configuration change (change in the landing and/or take off runways, close runway...)
- Negotiate handoff point and altitude for IFR and VFR traffic if different from the usual management
- Notify the departure sequence planned in order to let the approach controller make regulation in function of it
- Notify VFR traffic which may be impacted by the approach regulation
- Notify all incidents on the runways (aircraft failure on runway, hard landing) that can have an impact by the approach regulation
- Notify emergency landings in order to vacate traffic away from the runway
- Notify the presence of aircrafts in distress
Be aware that the en-route (CTR) controller is in charge of the APP position if this position is not opened.
The tower controller shall coordinate with the DEP controller the following aspects:
- Give the runway in use
- Notify any runway configuration changes (change of landing and/or take off runways, close runway...)
- Notify all go around that DEP position must handle
- Notify the departure sequence planned
Be aware that the APP controller is in charge of the DEP position if this position is not opened.
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