When an airplane lands at an airport, someone needs to tell the pilot where to go. Otherwise, planes coming from different places might crash into each other or at least cause major delays. Air traffic controllers help to keep everything working smoothly so that airplanes can come and go in an orderly way.

If you look at a large intersection in a city or town, you can see how complicated it can be. City planners must make sure that vehicles and pedestrians all get to their destinations safely. An airport can be like that. At a small airport, maybe only two or three airplanes take off or land at once, but a busy airport can have five or ten times as many planes using the runways. Air traffic controllers make sure that the planes are not on paths that would lead to collisions.

Being able to coordinate these different factors at once involves an ability to read and understand maps and spaces. Air traffic controllers generally need at least a high school education, although it is better to have at least some post-secondary education or experience in related fields. Courses in English and mathematics can be very helpful, and even a course in a field like architecture or interior design can help people see how the movement of the different airplanes fits together.

Licensing for being an air traffic controller goes through Transport Canada. Usually, training takes about two years, and students get paid about $35,000 per year during this time. For fully qualified air traffic controllers, salaries start at about $65,000 per year and can rise to about $145,000 with experience.

Working in this field is not necessarily physically difficult, but it can be very stressful, especially at large airports where many airplanes take off or land at once. Shift work is common for air traffic controllers, so people might have to work several nights in a row and then have a series of day shifts with little time to adjust to a new sleep pattern.

Career prospects for air traffic controllers are moderate in Canada these days, and the field is very competitive. Retirements and other factors mean that at least some jobs are likely to be available, but not necessarily where the candidate wants to work. Cities are the best places to look for employment, but even some small towns can have airports where people can find jobs.

Working as an air traffic controller requires the ability to concentrate, often with noise and commotion in the background. People in this field need to be able to communicate clearly so that pilots can understand the instructions that they are receiving. Being able to understand and remember terminology specific to airlines is important since all air traffic controllers use the same standard instructions. That way, pilots from anywhere in the world can understand what they are supposed to do.

Working as an air traffic controller is a very important job. If you are precise and detail-oriented and you can stay calm under pressure, it might be the right job for you.

Bibliography

Bouw, Brenda. “I Want to Be an Air Traffic Controller. What Will My Salary Be?” https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/career-advice/life-at-work/i-want-to-be-an-air-traffic-controller-what-will-my-salary-be/article19432111/.

Indeed.com. “Air Traffic Controller Salary in Canada.” https://ca.indeed.com/career/air-traffic-controller/salaries.

Job Bank. “Air Traffic Controllers and Related Occupations.”  https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/marketreport/summary-occupation/22705/ca.

Salary Explorer. “Air Traffic Controller Average Salary in Canada 2024.” https://www.salaryexplorer.com/average-salary-wage-comparison-canada-air-traffic-controller-c38j63.