New Delhi: From ground clearance and takeoff to descent, landing and taxiing, air traffic controllers (ATCs) are critical to flight operations. It is a high-stakes, mentally demanding role and there is no room for error.
As an air traffic controller with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) told ThePrint, “Becoming an air traffic controller isn’t just about clearing an exam—it’s about being trained to handle split-second decisions under pressure … You can’t afford to have an ‘off day’. One wrong call, one delayed instruction, and it could compromise safety.”
Adding, “We’re not in the spotlight, but we’re constantly in control—keeping hundreds of people safe without them even knowing.”
In an interview with ThePrint, he narrated a typical day in the life of an air traffic controller and on-the-job challenges, besides talking about systems they rely on to monitor and guide flights, the standard protocol for emergencies like when a pilot declares “Mayday” as well as the impact of AI on air traffic control.
ThePrint has withheld the name of the air traffic controller at his request.
The process to recruit air traffic controllers in India involves a national-level exam, with applicants typically being graduates in communications engineering (ECE), physics, or mathematics. Next, is the Civil Aviation Training College (CATC) in Prayagraj, where pilots are trained in aviation law, meteorology, radar systems, communication protocols and airspace structure. This includes both theoretical training and simulator-based modules.
Classroom sessions are followed by live traffic simulations. “Then we’re posted under supervision for on-the-job training, which can last anywhere from six months to over a year, depending on the complexity of the airport.”
Even after certification, an air traffic controller constantly undergoes recurrence checks, refresher training, and emergency drills every year.
“Air traffic control isn’t just about radar screens and headsets, it’s about responsibility without visibility. We sit in rooms with no windows, under intense concentration, making decisions that could impact hundreds of lives within seconds.”
A day in the life
A typical day for an air traffic controller begins with a briefing on weather conditions, air traffic expectations, runway closures, or any unusual activity that could affect flight operations. “Then we take our positions, either in the control tower or radar room, depending on our assigned sector for the shift.”
The job, said the air traffic controller with three years of experience, is “all about maintaining safe distances between aircraft, giving pilots instructions on when to land, take off, or change altitude, and making sure there’s no conflict in the airspace”.
For this, they rely on radar screens, radio communication, “and a lot of mental coordination to manage multiple aircraft at once—sometimes dozens in just a few minutes”.
Air traffic controllers work in short cycles, usually two hours on and 30 minutes off, guiding an aircraft through every phase of a flight—from ground clearance to landing and gate arrival. While tower control handles takeoff, the aircraft is passed to en route controllers during the cruise. “As it nears the destination, approach and tower controllers manage descent and landing, and finally, ground control takes over again for taxiing to the gate.”
En route controllers guide aircraft cruising between cities at higher altitudes, while tower control oversees takeoffs, landings, taxiing and the immediate airspace around the airport.
Also part of an air traffic controller’s job is to communicate to the pilot how much nautical miles a flight should maintain. Prompt and clear coordination across ATC sectors too is crucial to the process, “especially at regional airports where weather can change rapidly”.
Air traffic controllers are in constant contact with the pilot through a very high frequency (VHF) radio, using phraseology that is short, precise, and leaves no room for ambiguity. “Every instruction is followed by a readback from the pilot, so we know they’ve understood it exactly as intended.”
“It’s a constant dialogue—not casual, but critically timed.”
Another tool air traffic controllers rely on is the flight data processing system (FDPS), which allows them to track updated arrival times and runway occupancy.
How do air traffic controllers handle heavy traffic, or bad weather, which adds another layer of complexity to the process? “It’s all about staying ahead of the situation.”
As the air traffic controller put it, each flight needs spacing, sequencing, and clearance, and “even the smallest delay can create a ripple effect”.
To do their jobs effectively, air traffic controllers rely heavily on a mix of radar, satellite-based systems, and real-time communication tools. “Our primary monitoring is done through radar surveillance—both primary radar (which detects aircraft echoes) and secondary radar, which picks up transponder data like altitude and identity. We also use ADS-B, which allows aircraft to broadcast their GPS-based location directly to us.”
ADS-B or automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast is technology that relays the aircraft’s position, altitude, speed and other important data to air traffic controllers and other aircraft.
Has the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in any way changed how air traffic controllers function? Earlier, they “relied heavily on manual coordination and basic radar” but now “automation and AI-based support systems are making our decisions faster and safer”.
“For instance, modern radar upgrades offer higher resolution and real-time 3D tracking.”
AI, the air traffic controller told ThePrint, is also being tested in “predictive traffic flow management—it can alert us to potential conflicts or bottlenecks before they even occur”.
This is a reference to systems that can automatically suggest optimal flight levels, arrival sequences, or holding patterns, though the final call still lies with the controller.
In addition, “speech recognition tools are being explored to transcribe communication in real time, and automated weather alerts help us stay a step ahead during rapidly changing monsoon conditions.”
Loss of comms, ‘Mayday’ & emergencies
Though the primary task of an air traffic controller is making sure there’s no conflict in the airspace, there are times when an emergency triggers special protocols. One such instance is loss of communication mid-flight. Though rare, when this happens, it triggers an “immediate standard radio communication failure protocol”.
Once this protocol is in place, air traffic controllers first try to re-establish contact on the primary frequency, then switch to alternate emergency frequencies. They also ask nearby aircraft to try and relay messages—a process called relay comm—in case the aircraft can still hear air traffic controllers but can’t transmit. “If there’s still no response, we monitor the aircraft’s radar path closely to ensure it’s following its last assigned heading and altitude. Most pilots are trained to follow a standard route or holding pattern in case of radio failure, which helps us anticipate their moves.”
Another such situation is when a pilot declares “Mayday” or a “Pan-Pan” (a lower-level urgency). In such instances, “everything else takes a back seat”.
The first thing air traffic controllers do in this case is to acknowledge the call, note the nature of the emergency—whether it’s a medical issue, engine failure, low fuel, or technical snag—and immediately prioritise that aircraft.
“We clear airspace around it, establish direct communication, and begin coordinating with nearby sectors, the destination airport, and emergency response teams on the ground. If the aircraft needs to land immediately, we work with tower and ground controllers to clear a runway and prepare for a potential crash or medical emergency.”
There are also clearly defined standard operating procedures (SOPs) for handling rare but serious threats like hijackings, bomb threats, or major technical failures. For instance, in case of a hijack or unlawful interference, the pilot may use specific transponder codes to “silently alert” air traffic controllers. “… that signal alone sets off an immediate chain reaction.”
Emergencies, however, are not the biggest challenge air traffic controllers face right now—it’s handling “rapidly growing air traffic with infrastructure that’s still catching up”.
“It’s a high-pressure job, but also very rewarding. You’re invisible to the world, but you play a crucial role in keeping thousands of lives safe in the skies every single day.”
Tanzia Alam is an alumna of ThePrint School of Journalism, currently interning with ThePrint
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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