We asked Angela Kopp from the Network Operations Control Centre (NOC) what requirements are important for her work and how they proceed in the event of a hurricane warning.

Angela, how long have you been with us at SWISS and what does your unit do?

I’ve been working in the NOC – our Network Operations Control – since February 2020. We’re responsible for all our flight operations, both on the day and for the next seven days. On our daytime shifts we work in teams of two or three with a shift leader. And there’ll always be someone on duty in the NOC at night, too, so we have a 24/7 operation.

The team is divided up by fleet, more precisely into long-haul and A320 family as well as A220 family and wetlease.  Two people are responsible for the daily updates on the respective fleet. The middle team optimises the aircraft allocation for the coming days and prepares scenarios for strikes or snow days, for example. All in all, our team consists of 17 people. And we need six of these to cover each 24-hour operation.

Who are your main interfaces with?

We’re the first point of contact for our pilots if they have any problems at all with their flight’s operation. We’re also the first people to be informed about any emergency that occurs. And we have further major interfaces with Crew Control, the Passenger Care Center, Ground Ops, Flight Dispatch and Cargo.  

What does it take to work in the NOC?

Well, our backgrounds are pretty varied! Some of us moved here from elsewhere within SWISS, such as Crew Control or Flight Dispatch. I myself came from Skyguide, where I was an air traffic controller. You need to have some prior knowledge of aviation, I’d say. And you also need to be pretty stress-resilient: it’s not uncommon for us to have to find an optimum solution in as little time as possible using whatever information is available. Joined-up thinking is very important here, to pay due and full regard to all the issues and influences involved.

How do you handle something like a hurricane warning?

We look at all the projections on the hurricane’s possible direction and development and the flight routing we have planned, and then we make the appropriate decisions in consultation with the crew. If the flight has not yet taken off, we have full authority over its operation. But every decision we make will come with its own consequences. If we cancel a flight, for instance, the Passenger Care Center will have to coordinate all the passengers’ rearrangements. So a smooth and seamless interplay of all the various parties involved is absolutely vital.

Do you like flying yourself?

I held a PPL – a private pilot’s licence – for quite a long time. Unfortunately, though, I found that I got airsick pretty quickly aloft. So I feel better when I’m on the ground. That hasn’t diminished my love of travelling, though!