User:Eddmsk/sandbox

Apron Control is a service at major German airports where controllers of the apron are providing guidance of aircraft moving on the ramps.

Job Description
The main task of apron control is to ensure a safe, undelayed and orderly aircraft traffic on the ramps of an airport, according to local and international regulations. In doing so, violation of the distance limits between aircraft, known as separation, collisions between aircraft or with other obstacles are to be prevented. Apron Control approves taxi and push-back procedures in order to help pilots navigate through other traffic safely to or from their assigned parking stand or runway. The boundaries of responsibility between Apron and Ground Control including the individual hand-over points can be found in the appropriate aerodrome information in the AIP(Aeronautical Information Publication). Also, Apron Control coordinates with various other participants on the ramp, such as marshalling staff (a.k.a. „follow-me“ vehicles), tow-truck drivers, airport authority, construction workers, etc.

Usually, Apron Control is located within the local control tower or some other building giving a good overview with minimal visual obstruction to the taxiways and ramps. Voice instructions are transmitted in English via air traffic radio (HF/VHF) and local radio networks. The callsign for Apron Control is „apron“.

Currently, Apron Control facilities exist at the international airports of Dresden, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich, run by the individual airport operating company, plus an Apron Control unit at Hamburg-Finkenwerder, an airfield owned by Airbus Industries

The first Apron Control service to be provided directly by the German Air Traffic Control Company (DFS) itself, will come to life when the new international airport BER in the German capital, Berlin, is opening some time in 2012. Outside Germany, Apron Control units can be found for example at Zurich Airport, Switzerland.

Legal basis
According to German Air Traffic Regulations, §45 („Luftfahrtzulassungsordnung“, LuftVZO), an airport operator has the responsibility for safe operations, thus also handling air traffic control within the airport´s boundaries. This is usually delegated to an air traffic control company (e.g. DFS, Austro Control, The Tower Company, etc.) who will extend ground control onto the ramps. However, at airports with large numbers of daily movements, more and more airport operators integrate Apron Control into their own services.

Further relevant legal publications include: German Air Traffic Regulations (LuftVZO), some annexes of the ICAO Documentation, individual airport utilization regulations („Flughafenbenutzungsordnung“, FBO) and Notices to Airmen („Nachrichten für Luftfahrer“, „NfL“).