Impact of continuous climb/descent procedure implementation on ATCO workload

As the density of air traffic increases, greater demands are being placed on its efficiency. Various initiatives within Air Traffic Management strive to optimize airspace design and corresponding procedures. Implementing continuous descent and climb operations has the potential to target capacity issues in high-density airspaces while optimizing flight operations to minimize impact on the environment. The underlying research seeks to prove that implementing procedures with vertical profiles positively affects air traffic controllers' workload and, thus, airspace capacity. The research results show that implementing vertical profiles in TMA improved air traffic control efficiency, which was reflected in both a reduction in the total communication time on the frequency and in the decreased number of tasks the controller has to conduct. Therefore, it can be concluded that procedures with vertical profiles can contribute to an efficient utilization of airspace.