While some industry stakeholders support moving air traffic control to a remote location, others are more sceptical of the idea. Here is a look at the potential of remote air traffic control towers and the thorny issues that come with them.
儘管一些航空業股東支持將空中交通管制移到遠程地點，其他股東卻對這一想法持懷疑態度。本文將對遠程塔臺的潛能，及其隨之而來的棘手問題作出簡要的探討。
Remote ATC towers: why not everyone is on board遠程空管塔臺項目 為何有人保持觀望
文/Andrew Tunnicliffe
譯/一個鹹包
Remote air traffic control (ATC) towers are changing the landscape of airport navigation. The concept is simple: to control air traffic as it approaches and leaves the airspace around an airport, from a central location away from the airport.
遠程空中交通管制塔臺正在顛覆機場導航的傳統模式，它的概念很簡單：人們在遠離機場的一個管制中心，指揮機場周圍空域內的進離場空中交通。
While there is growing interest in the benefits remote ATC offers, such as the latest technologies and enhanced efficiency and safety capabilities, it’s not welcomed by all – at least, not all the time.
儘管人們對遠程空管所帶來的便利越來越感興趣，例如最前沿的技術以及更高的效率和安全能力，但它並沒有受到所有人的歡迎——至少現在還不是。
A controversial plan for the Scottish Highlands有 爭 議 的 蘇 格 蘭 高 地 計 劃
UK trade union Prospect has been locked in a bitter dispute with Scotland’s Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL), which has proposed a relocation of infrastructure from the Shetland Islands, Dundee, Kirkwall and Stornoway to a facility in the city of Inverness on the mainland. But David Avery, the union’s negotiator says such projects must also make situational and business sense too: 「That isn’t our view of what’s happening within HIAL.」
英國工會Prospect和蘇格蘭高地與群島機場有限公司（HIAL）早前就遠程塔臺一事陷入激烈爭端。HIAL提議將設得蘭群島（註：位於蘇格蘭東部）、鄧迪（蘇格蘭東部港口城市）、柯克沃爾（位於梅茵蘭島的北岸）和斯託諾韋（外赫布裡底群島第一大城鎮）的基礎設施搬遷至大陸的因弗內斯市。但是工會談判代表David Avery表示，此類項目也必須具有情境和商業意義：「而我們認為HIAL的提案並非如此。」
「Prospect’s view, in general, is that the system can be appropriate and can be used in the right circumstances. Particularly where it’s being used to raise standards and safety and bring traffic control to airports which have never had it before,」 says Avery.
「工會的想法是，總的來看，遠程塔臺有其適用的場景和情況，特別是可以用於提高標準和安全性，或者將空中交通管制帶到以前條件不允許的機場。」Avery說。
It seems the union isn’t the only critic of the plan; in fact, it has been widely condemned by local communities, authorities and even politicians at a national level. Speaking to local media, Member of the Scottish Parliament for Shetland Beatrice Wishart warned that 「despite legitimate concerns, HIAL continues to push on with this project」.
工會並不是該項目的唯一批評者。實際上，遠程塔臺遭到了當地社會、當局甚至全蘇格蘭範圍的政治家們的譴責。蘇格蘭國會設得蘭群島議員Beatrice Wishart在對當地媒體發表講話時警告道：「HIAL不顧合理顧慮，仍在繼續推進該項目」。
The statement raises questions, given that the International Civil Aviation Organization supports the use of remote ATC. In amended guidance earlier this year, it said: 「Visual observation shall be achieved through direct out-of-the-window observation, or through indirect observation utilising a visual surveillance system which is specifically approved for the purpose by the appropriate ATS authority.」
議員的發言引起了一些波瀾，畢竟遠程ATC項目可是擁有國際民航組織的支持。今年年初發布的修訂指南中提到：「目視觀察應通過直接的窗外視野進行觀察，或通過使用經有關空中交通服務當局專門批准的目視監視系統的間接觀察來實現。」
However, in this case, the issue has more to do with the implications ATC has for those on the ground. Prospect argues that for Shetland and the other facilities earmarked, moving the role to a centre in Inverness would have a devastating impact for local communities. 「We don’t see how this generates value for those communities, protects jobs and delivers a better service,」 Avery says.
然而在這個項目中，更需要考慮的是空中交通管制對地面上的人們帶來的影響。工會認為，對於設得蘭群島和其他被選中的機場來說，將設施轉移到因弗內斯的管制中心將對原來的所在地產生毀滅性的影響。Avery說：「我們沒看出這怎麼能為社會創造價值，或者保護就業機會，以及提供更好的服務。」
▲Avinor最近啟用了世界上最大的遠程ATC中心。版權：AvinorWhilst Prospect does have some safety worries about the proposal, it’s main focus is the brain drain of highly trained staff already in post and adding value to communities. Avery warns many of the employees across the sites would not move to Inverness, meaning their wealth of experience would be lost.
儘管工會對這個項目確實有一些安全方面的擔憂，但他們重點關注的還是訓練有素的在崗員工的流失，以及社區增值的問題。Avery指出，這些地方的許多員工都不會搬到因弗內斯，這意味著他們豐富的工作經驗將付諸東流。
「The pass rate of NATS training courses is less than 5%. Because it’s not something you get taught in school, it’s not something that is particularly obvious to you,」 he says. 「What HIAL is proposing is essentially to get rid of all of the staff they currently have and replace them with others… So you』ve potentially got a situation where HIAL will make nearly 50 staff across six airports redundant, and then have to reemploy the same number in Inverness.」
「NATS（英國空管公司）培訓課程的通過率不到5％，因為這些東西學校不教，也並不是看一眼就能學會的。」他說，「HIAL的舉措本質上將換掉他們目前所有的員工，用其他人來代替……因此，可能會出現這樣的情況，六個機場近50名員工因此被解僱，然後HIAL必須在因弗內斯再招這麼多人。」
Prospect believes the project will be difficult and cost millions, without any long-term cost or operational benefits. 「Studies are now showing that actually the cost of running a remote centre versus the cost of local centres is about the same,」 Avery says. 「It’s not going to change the cost of air traffic… The radar is the same, the staff are the same, so it’s not going to save you any money.」
工會認為，遠程塔臺不僅阻礙重重，還將耗資巨大，而且沒有任何長期成本優勢或運營收益。「現在的研究表明，運行遠程中心的成本與本地中心的成本實際上是相同的，」Avery說。「這不會改變空中交通的成本……雷達是一樣的，工作人員是一樣的，因此不會為您節省任何錢。」
A spokesperson for HIAL refutes the suggestion the move is to save money, arguing that it’s about ensuring quality navigation services for the future. They say: 「Without change, we cannot give that guarantee and air services in the future could inevitably be compromised. From the outset we have been clear that the project is not an exercise in cost saving, its primary focus is to act as the foundation stone for sustainable air services.」
HIAL的一位發言人駁斥了此舉是為了省錢的說法，並指出這是為了未來能有優質的導航服務。他們說：「不做出改變，我們就辦不到這一點，將來航空服務肯定要打折扣。從一開始我們就很清楚，這個項目不是為了節省成本的，而是作為可持續的航空服務的奠基石。」
HIAL says staff and unions, airport managers and senior HIAL representatives have been involved throughout the process, with politicians being kept informed every step of the way too. It accepts there could be local job losses but adds: 「HIAL will remain a significant and committed employer in our communities, offering high-quality local employment. We want to offer our ATC staff the best opportunities for career progression within the organisation; therefore, the company must modernise its operations.」
HIAL說，員工和工會、機場管理人員以及HIAL的高層代表都參與了整個過程，每一步的進展也會通報給政客們。機場公司承認可能會給當地帶來失業，但補充稱：「HIAL仍將是我們社會中重要而有擔當的僱主，為各地提供高質量的就業機會。我們希望為我們的ATC員工提供平臺內最好的職業發展機會。因此，我們必須實現現代化。」
Remote ATC arrives in Norway遠 程 塔 臺 落 戶 挪 威
Despite the difficulties in Scotland, remote ATC is already making a splash elsewhere in Europe. In October 2020, Norway’s air navigation services provider and airport operator Avinor cut the ribbon on what is said to be the world’s largest remote ATC centre.
儘管在蘇格蘭進行得不太順利，遠程空管在歐洲其他地方卻引起了轟動。2020年10月，來自挪威的航空導航服務提供商/機場運營商Avinor為據說是世界上最大的遠程空中交通管制中心剪彩。
「The remote towers system will make our tower services more cost effective, at the same time it will provide better solutions and tools compared with conventional tower services,」 says Avinor’s Erik Lødding, vice president of strategy and public affairs.
「遠程塔臺將使我們的塔臺管制服務更具成本效益。同時，它將提供比傳統塔臺更佳的調配方案和技術手段。」Avinor的戰略和公共事務副總裁Erik Lødding說。
Norway already has Røst and Vardø airports operational with a further 13 coming on stream by 2022, all being managed by the remote centre in the Arctic city of Bodø. The facility will be home to similar staff numbers to that at the proposed site in Inverness, but Lødding sees that as adding value, at least for Norway: 「This will enable better knowledge sharing between staff, and make our services more robust with regards to rostering and back-up.」
在挪威，Røst和Vardø兩個機場已經採用遠程塔臺運行，到2022年，還有13個機場將加入，它們都由位於北極城市博德的遠程中心管理。那裡擁有的員工數量和蘇格蘭提案中對標的因弗內斯的員工數量相差不大，但Lødding認為這是有意義的，至少對挪威來說是這樣：「這可以促進員工之間的業務交流，並且有了更完善的排班和備份機制後，我們的服務會更加穩定。」
Although Avinor’s commentary around the project seems positive, it has presented similar questions: what about the existing staff? The state-owned company says it has been working to support employees whether they chose to relocate or find work outside of the organisation, Lødding says.
雖然Avinor對這個項目的評論是積極的，但它也存在同樣的問題：現有的員工怎麼辦？Lødding說，無論員工選擇隨工作遷移新城市或去社會上找工作，Avinor作為一家國有企業，一直努力支持員工的選擇。
He also says that the new technologies will increase safety. 「The moving target indicator enables us to detect birds, drones and aircraft in the air, and moving objects on the ground,」 he says. Other benefits include night vision capabilities and camera zoom.
他還表示，新技術將提高安全性。「活動目標指示器使我們能夠探測到空中的鳥類、無人機和飛機，以及地面上的移動物體。」除此之外還擁有了夜視能力和變焦功能。
Whilst it seems an obvious choice, Avery cautions that Norway is simply not the same as Shetland. 「If you look at the Norwegian project, which is one of the ones that HIAL seeks to compare itself to, some of these airports in Norway make HIAL’s look like bustling metropolises,」 he says.
這樣看來，是否應該推進這個項目，答案似乎很清晰，但Avery警告說，挪威與設得蘭群島的情況根本不一樣。他說：「您可以看一下挪威的項目，HIAL總是拿它來和自己比較，但挪威的一些機場襯得HIAL的機場像是繁華的大都市。」
What is the attraction of remote ATC?遠 程 A T C 的 吸 引 力 是 什 麼 ？
In Sweden, the Scandinavian Mountains Airport in Dalarna became the first in the world to be constructed without the inclusion of an on-site control tower in 2019. Across the US, remote ATC has become more common too, offering levels of safety at airstrips that otherwise would not have any oversight. 「In those circumstances, it is absolutely a way of doing this in a way which is competent, cost effective and raises standards,」 Avery clarifies.
瑞典達拉納省的斯堪地那維亞山脈機場於2019年啟用，是世界上第一個「無塔臺」機場。遠程ATC在美國也越來越普遍，為那些本無人監管的簡易跑道提供了安全保障。「在那些地方，這絕對是一個有競爭力、經濟的、還能提高安全性的好辦法。」Avery解釋。
In Scotland, HIAL believes its transition to remote ATC is critical to its long-term future. it says its overriding priority is to deliver safe and secure air services that serve our local communities. 「HIAL requires a solution that will ease the issues of staff recruitment, retention and provide resilience at our airports… to prioritise air navigation service delivery in the future for all the communities we serve.」
HIAL的使命是為當地提供安全可靠的航空服務，而向遠程ATC過渡是公司長期發展至關重要的一環。「HIAL需要一個能夠緩解招聘壓力和留住人才的方案，並為機場提供穩定的服務……以便在未來繼續為各地提供空中航行服務。」
There is a place for remote ATC, and its foothold in today’s aviation industry is strengthening. But, as Avery has said, just because the technology allows, it does not mean it should happen. At least that’s the view of the union and those it supports.
遠程ATC有其用武之處，它在當今航空業中的地位也日益鞏固。但是，如Avery所說，僅僅因為理論上可以，並不意味著它應該被實現。至少這是工會及它所代表的利益團體的觀點。
The real crux of the matter is not one of technology or safety, it is about employees and the skills they have. That conundrum is one notoriously difficult to navigate, and that is not going to change any time soon.
問題的真正癥結不是技術或安全性，而是關係到每個員工個體及他們所掌握的技能。這種冰凍三尺的問題想要冰消凍釋，還需時日。
注 釋
thorny [ˈθɔːrni] adj. 多刺的；令人苦惱的legitimate [lɪˈdʒɪtɪmət] adj. 合法的；合理的devastating adj. 毀滅性的 Something very devastating happened to UIA752. UIA752航班發生了致命事故。
brain drain 人才外流
redundant [rɪˈdʌndənt] adj. 被解僱的，失業的 A lot of flight attendants have been made redundant during COVID-19. 許多乘務員在疫情期間被裁員了。
make a splash 引起轟動
come on stream 投入使用 The new digital flight strip system is coming on stream this year. 新的電子進程單系統今年將投入使用。
rostering 排班 Improper rostering of crew resulted in the accident. 機組排班不當是這次事故的原因。
notoriously [noʊˈtɔːriəsli] adv. 聲名狼藉地 Air traffic control is a job notoriously for night shifts. 空管這份工作有一個眾所周知的缺點就是要上夜班。