​​Making air traffic control scalable and future-proof

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

AIrControl is a CPDLC–voice bridge and communication documentation platform for air traffic management. It lets controllers work in one primarily digital workflow, even when aircraft are not CPDLC-equipped, by converting CPDLC clearances into text-to-speech radio transmissions and translating pilot readbacks back into structured CPDLC-style messages. Because all CPDLC and voice exchanges pass through the platform, AIrControl also records, transcribes, and stores communications as structured, searchable logs linked to flight, aircraft, and pilot attributes. This enables fast, consistent reconstruction of events and supports legally required incident reporting that today often requires staff to replay long audio recordings and manually transcribe exact wording. The result is a combined operational and compliance solution: reduced frequency load and workload during live operations, plus major time savings and higher consistency in post-incident documentation, while keeping humans fully in control and meeting aviation’s high standards for traceability and accuracy. 

Goal 

The goal of AIrControl is to reduce communication workload and miscommunication risk in mixed-equipage environments while automating one of the most labor-intensive safety processes in air traffic management: post-incident reconstruction and mandatory reporting. We aim to give controllers a unified workflow regardless of aircraft capability and to provide ANSP safety and compliance teams with near-perfect, audit-ready transcripts and communication timelines that can be searched, filtered, and directly used to create incident reports faster and more consistently. 

Methodology 

We followed a lean-startup, iteration-based research process combining desk research with expert interviews. Early interviews tested feasibility and acceptability of automation concepts and pushed us away from “AI replacing controllers” toward assistive solutions. Desk research then mapped the technical and regulatory landscape, existing safety systems, and CPDLC realities. In later iterations, we used focused expert interviews with Austria’s leading air navigation service provider as well as pilots and other professionals to validate real operational pain points and refine the product. These inputs were used to finalize the product scope, define the reporting use case, and derive prioritized hypotheses for future validation. 

Results 

Our research confirmed three core findings. First, mixed equipage remains a structural barrier: controllers are forced to switch between CPDLC and voice, creating parallel workflows that increase frequency load and cognitive effort. Second, the strongest immediate economic pain point sits after operations: incident reporting and investigation frequently require long manual transcription of radio recordings with extremely high precision, tying up expensive staff and slowing documentation. Third, a platform positioned directly in the communication flow creates a unique advantage: it can capture CPDLC and voice at source, structure it into traceable logs, and generate report-ready outputs without relying on inconsistent post-processing. As a result, the final business model combines (1) operational value through a CPDLC–voice bridge that enables a unified controller workflow and (2) compliance value through automated, high-accuracy transcription, structured storage, and faster incident report creation. This makes the solution more compelling than the bridge alone because it delivers measurable time and cost savings even outside peak traffic periods, while remaining aligned with aviation’s requirements for transparency, accountability, and human authority. 

Cooperation Partner 

• ​​AIrControl – https://air-wise-control.lovable.app/
   

​​Contact Person​ 

• ​​Melih Kurtulmus - melih.kurtulmus@s.wu.ac.at

Project Manager 

• ​​​Thomas Pannermayr

• ​​Diana Lauer