Spotlight on Fatigue Risk Management: A Growing Priority for ANSPs
Over the past few months, the CANSO Safety Steering Committee and Human Performance Workgroup have received a surge of inquiries from Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) around the world, all seeking guidance on how best to establish or enhance their Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS). This wave of interest is both timely and encouraging as it signals a growing awareness that fatigue is not just an individual challenge, but a critical operational and systemic safety issue.
In air traffic management, human performance is our most valuable, and vulnerable asset. Fatigue isn’t simply about feeling tired. It is a measurable reduction in alertness, cognitive processing, decision-making, and reaction time. These effects can arise gradually or unexpectedly, and their variability across individuals means fatigue cannot be effectively managed through duty time limits alone. Instead, it demands a structured, evidence-based, system-wide approach.
FRMS moves beyond basic compliance with duty hour regulations, FRMS enables organisations to:
- anticipate fatigue risks based on operational data,
- monitor performance impacts and identify trends,
- empower staff through reporting and support mechanisms,
- audit and improve fatigue management practices over time, and
- embed fatigue risk into overall safety and wellbeing strategies.
In short, FRMS allows fatigue to be managed like any other operational hazard, systematically and proactively.
New Quick Reference Guide Coming Soon
To support ANSPs in strengthening their approach, CANSO’s Human Performance Workgroup is currently developing a Quick Reference Guide to FRMS. This will be a practical, user-friendly tool that complements existing foundational references — including ICAO Doc 9966 and the CANSO/ICAO/IFATCA Fatigue Management Guide for Air Traffic Service Providers (2016) — by offering actionable strategies for day-to-day operational realities.
Tell Us What You Need
A short survey was recently conducted by the HPMWG. This survey will help us understand where organisations currently stand across key areas such as regulation, policy, scheduling, data collection, and continuous improvement. The feedback received will directly shape not only the reference guide, but also future CANSO activities, tools, and peer learning initiatives.
Managing fatigue is essential not just for safety, but for the wellbeing and sustained performance of the professionals who keep our skies safe. The survey ran throughout September, and results will be shared with the CANSO community in the months ahead.
If your organisation didn’t receive the survey or would like to participate (non-members are also welcome), please contact the CANSO Safety Programme Manager at safety@canso.org
