The Norwegian Air Navigation Service Provider Avinor is performing an extensive program to modernize its services and to make them more cost-efficient. Part of this program is to down man personnel in the control towers at about 20 regional airports in Norway, by redistributing the assistants'  tasks among Tower and Approach controller and by increased automation.
In line with the Eurocontrol Safety Regulatory Requirements, Avinor has commissioned the performance of safety assessments for these changes of ATM. Due to its extensive experience with such assessments (including one for down manning ATC staff for regional airports in the Netherlands), the safety institute has been awarded a contract to perform a number of these assessments, in cooperation with the Norwegian-British risk consultancy company Acona. Special challenges for these assessments are that the ATC staff, who play a crucial role in the assessments, have good reasons not be neutral with respect to the foreseen changes. Moreover, the program had already led to discussions in the Norwegian press, making the assessments particularly sensitive.

The first of the assessments was performed for Tromsø, a lively town far above the polar circle, boasting the world’s most northern university and a large fishing fleet. Dedication to safety and recognition of the relevant expertise in the NLR-ATSI-Acona team, has lead the Tromsø ATC tower' s personnel to participate intensively in the assessment. The assessment also identified clues for several improvements, several of which are currently being implemented.
As a most valuable by-product of being actively involved in the assessment and thinking about safety, the personnel’s safety culture has made a big leap forward. After Tromsø, the NLR-ATSI-Acona cooperation has assessed down manning at the airports of Alesund, Banak, Bardufoss, Kristiansand and Kristiansund. A uniform approach to the assessments was used that combines the best of Eurocontrol's Safety Assessment Methodology with the methods and extensive expertise and experience of the safety institute and Acona.

This approach has successfully identified and addressed the wide range of challenges that the different airports face including suggestions of all kinds of means to improve safety in a cost-efficient way. Finally, the approach has been successful in supporting Avinor to get approval from the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authorities for actual implementation of the changes.