One for all
January 15, 2021
This post, intended especially for those who work in aviation, is a little out of line with our standard teaching articles. However, a few ugly experiences and a few observations in recent times have led me to write it.
Aviation is currently experiencing difficult times. Probably even harder times are being experienced by the people who work in it. And those who have recently stopped working in it are having an even worse time. This probably won't surprise anyone today, because we see it around us almost daily.
The human factor is one of the most critical parts of the aviation system. So critical even that it still causes the vast majority of air traffic events. Everyone who works in this field has recently noticed how the atmosphere of work has been somewhat bitter by uncertainty - airports, airlines, aviation organizations, navigation services, suppliers, manufacturers and research industries. Not only have there been staff redundancies, often in large numbers, but market pressure is also being exerted on all by various parties. There is no money, there is no work - there is no work, there is no money. But aviation did not stop completely. Airplanes are still flying and relatively a lot in some sectors - be it freight, training flights, aerial work and more. These sectors still need to use a large part of the civil aviation system, which is bleeding heavily but cannot stop completely. They often face difficult decisions here, and this can sometimes lead to friction in the human factor.
Imagine a pilot crew being presssured by their superiors due to a growing delay at the airport. And if they don't depart right away, they won't make another flight in time, for which the company doesn't even have a spare plane, because it stands mothballed somewhere at a remote airport. The pilots are under a lot of pressure. Their nervousness is rising, and so it happens that they let off the steam towards the airport workers, who clearly seem to be the culprit for this delay, which is why they now have a problem. Airport personnel automatically come under pressure as well, because they are pushed by pilots to speed up their work, as they delay their flight, and they complicate the operation of the airline in this difficult time. These airside workers have witnessed massive redundancies in recent months - and those who remain are very happy that they have not lost their jobs. And they do what they can. However, they lack more than half of their colleagues, so what was previously a job for 10 employees, they now have to manage with three. Because of optimizing costs and accumulating work responsibilities, they did not de-ice the plane on time, and the same team did not have a chance to change to snow clearing machines fast enough. The airport is covered in snow and the planes have to wait on the ground and in the air. However, it is also difficult to blame the airport operator . When 99% of your income dries up, it is a miracle that we are not witnessing a wave of bankrupt airports that would hardly be able to return to the game in the future.
Such stories certainly do happen around us. I don't have any accurate data, but from what I know, the smaller the airport, the greater the struggle and the fewer the human resources. However, a certain minimum is required to keep the system running. It happens that the loading of aircraft and clearing surfaces from snow must be provided alternately by the same team of a few individuals. We eagerly await the traffic to return once, so we cannot sacrifice important parts of the system. In a few years, they would be critically absent and it would be difficult to have time to catch our breath - as was the case in the last years of rapid growth in air traffic before Covid-19, when traffic in Europe was exceeding the capacity of the entire system more and more.
I would like this post to remind everyone of the importance of solidarity and operational empathy across aviation, which we now need even more than before. Every part of this enormous and great system has suffered greatly, but one factor remains unchanged. Safety. As a result, the loss of system capacity is logically negatively reflected in the flow of operation, and this complicates the work of people with the domino effect. We should not forget that. Of course, everyone has their responsibilities and duties to safely do their part in this extraordinary chain - but let's keep in mind that the others are having an even harder job now than they had before. Despite the fact that we are professionals, we are still humans, and our personal life is inevitably reflected in our work in some way. Many people are also experiencing very difficult times in their families, whether associated with the health of relatives or with surviving. Let's meet each other halfway in our work.
Let us not forget to support this human factor. How? Don’t let the chain break. Whether you are sitting in a cockpit or a de-icing truck, whether you are loading cargo containers in a firefighter’s suit, snow cleaning the surfaces, guarding the airport perimeter or sitting by the radar, let's always pull together. And let's focus mainly on solving operational situations. At least that is how I envision the human contribution to mitigating the effects of this aviation crisis.