Conflict Resolution in En Route Traffic - A Draft Concept for an Assistance System Compatible with Solutions of Air Traffic Controllers

The primary goal of air traffic control (ATC) is safety of the flights under the controller's responsibility (Mensen 1989, pp. 3-25; Eurocontrol 1999). Such safety requires reliable detection and effective resolution of impending intersections of aircraft trajectories, which are termed ‘conflicts’ if aircraft do not remain separated for at least 5 nautical miles laterally (Mensen 1989) and for 1000 feet vertically (Eurocontrol 1998, Mensen 1989). While conflict detection has been repeatedly subjected to research and succeeds in Middle Europe practically without devastating errors, very little is known about the controller’s reasons of choosing specific conflict resolutions. This situation characterises also the development of technical systems for conflict detection, and for conflict resolution: Several tools for conflict detection have been described, but there seems to exist no technical system for the support of conflict resolution that works in a controller compatible way. All known resolution