General Findings

Responses were received from 6 ANSPs, 8 airports, one aircraft operator and one national authority.

Q1. Are one runway, one frequency operations in use at aerodromes?

A slight majority of respondents indicated that they use some form of Triple One type operations with vehicle drivers able to transmit directly on the Tower frequency. In most other cases, drivers can transmit indirectly via ‘cross-coupling’. (See also Q3 below).

The most common reasons cited for not using Triple One type ops are:

• Lack of necessary communication infrastructure.
• The driver training burden in particular concerning the use of English as a single language.
• Perceived risks of distraction/’interference’ caused by drivers utilising the Tower frequency.
• There is no clear regulatory background (see ITU regulation vs ICAO and EAPPRI); moreover, there is a lack of provisions in the aerodrome rules for obligatory use of Air-Ground frequency by vehicles for runway operations.

Q2. On aerodromes with multiple runways, does each runway have its own assigned Tower frequency?