Scheduling air traffic controllers at the remote tower center

Remote Tower Service (RTS) is one of the technological and operational solutions delivered for deployment by the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) Programme. This new concept fundamentally changes how operators provide Air Traffic Services, as it becomes possible to control several airports from a single remote center. In such settings an air traffic controller works at a so-called “multiple position” at the Remote Tower Center (RTC), which means that he/she can handle two or more airports from one Remote Tower Module (controller working position). In this paper, we present an optimization framework designed for automation of staff planning at the RTC. We highlight the problems experienced with real airport flight schedules, and present optimal shift assignments for five Swedish airports that were chosen for remote operation.