Air Traffic Controllers’ Acceptability of Physiological and Behavioural Data Processing for Air Traffic Management

A significant increase in air traffic is expected in the coming years. Air traffic controllers (ATCOs) will play a pivotal role in ensuring the efficient management of this growing traffic by optimizing flight paths and addressing various constraints, including environmental concerns. Consequently, they bear a high level of responsibility, as human errors can lead to incidents or even accidents. Reducing the risk of human error is paramount in the field of human factors in aeronautics. One possible approach involves detecting and monitoring the mental states of operators, including factors such as fatigue, mental distraction, cognitive load, and stress, by measuring their physiological and behavioral parameters, such as eye movements, heart rate, and brain oscillations. However, the acceptability of these measurements by ATCOs has received limited investigation. To address this gap and provide insights for future research in human factors, we conducted a survey to gather the opinions of 174 French professional and student ATCOs. Our findings represent an initial step toward gaining a deeper understanding of the factors influencing their acceptance of such measures, while also identifying prevailing trends within the field.