The Dutch Safety Board (OVV) has made valuable recommendations for further improving the safety of air traffic at and around Schiphol.
Michiel van Dorst, CEO of Air Traffic Control the Netherlands (LVNL) has welcomed the report: “Safety is the top priority for Air Traffic Control the Netherlands. Hundreds of professionals work day and night to ensure air traffic is processed safely. Safety is what we stand for and is non-negotiable; this also appears from this report. We constantly strive for improvement of aviation safety - what was good enough yesterday might not be good enough tomorrow. This is why we are starting to work on the recommendations of the OVV.”
The recommendations are in line with a number of initiatives already started by LVNL, for example as regards the training of air traffic controllers and the development of new systems. An example of this is a system already adopted by LVNL that gives the air traffic controller in the tower and at the radar an extra warning when an aircraft makes a go-around.
Cooperation
In the current situation, the parties from the different sectors each have their own certified safety management system. The OVV advises better cooperation between the parties from these sectors, with the Schiphol Safety Platform (VpS) having an important role in this regard. LVNL embraces this recommendation and, together with KLM and Schiphol Group, has already begun investigating the advantages of a coordinating, integrated safety system.
“This would put Schiphol in the lead worldwide,” says Van Dorst. “You need to keep looking at your own organisation, but also at how you can be more effective together. Aviation is the safest form of travel. This is a status we must keep earning. That is why this report contributes so much, in our opinion."
More information is available from: Maj-Britt van Raalte, spokesperson for Air Traffic Control the Netherlands, +31 (0)6-51 99 34 14, [email protected]