Japanese Ministry Proposes New Air Traffic Coordinator Post

Tokyo, June 24 (Jiji Press)--Japan's transport ministry proposed Monday that a new post for coordinating takeoffs and landings be established at the air traffic control of major airports, in the wake of a deadly aircraft collision on a runway at Tokyo's Haneda Airport earlier this year.

The proposal was included in an interim report submitted by the ministry to an expert panel set up to discuss measures aimed at preventing aircraft from mistakenly entering runways.

The report said that air traffic controllers in charge of runways are currently burdened by having to monitor runways, communicate with pilots and coordinate with other controllers. It said that a position exclusively for coordination should be created.

As early as late July, the ministry plans to allow the resumption of the practice by air traffic control of indicating the order of takeoff by using phrases such as "number one" and "number two."

The use of the phrases has been suspended following the collision on fears pilots might mistakenly interpret them as permission to enter runways. But pilots say that the phrases are useful for understanding the situation of other aircraft.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]