Evaluating the Performance-Shaping Factors of Air Traffic Controllers Using Fuzzy DEMATEL and Fuzzy BWM Approach

Abstract

In the air traffic management domain, a set of performance-shaping factors are defined to characterize how such factors influence the overall performance of air traffic controllers. While it is worth understanding the nature of these factors, including their priority for policymaking and strategy implementation, no research in the extant literature has conducted an in-depth investigation of this matter. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the performance-shaping factors of air traffic controllers by using fuzzy DEMATEL and fuzzy BWM—such methodologies in the classification of factors as well as their corresponding priority vector. As an illustration, a case study in the Mactan Control Tower of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) is conducted. The key results of the hybrid methodology showed that causal factors are ‘situation awareness,’ ‘communication,’ ‘teamwork,’ ‘vigilance,’ ‘and ‘attention.’ Effect factors are ‘workload,’ ‘trust,’ ‘fatigue,’ and ‘stress.’ Furthermore, ‘communication’ is found to be of the highest priority among other factors. The results can provide relevant insights to the decision-makers of air traffic management in formulating programs and strategies related to the improvement of air traffic controllers’ performance. Note, however, that the study is limited to identifying the inherent characteristics of the factors and their priority ranking; specific plans of action for improving the performance of air traffic controllers are not provided. As a future research direction, the inputs obtained in this paper can pave the way to a more in-depth analysis of improving the performance of air traffic controllers.