Introduction
Air traffic control is a difficult job under the best of circumstances. Constantly monitoring hundreds of aircraft in the sky and keeping them safely separated requires a sharp eye, a quick mind and nerves of steel. But lately, things have gotten even more challenging for air traffic controllers and it’s not just due to growing congestion on runways and in airspace. Say’s Dr. Jon Kiev, things like automation, aging facilities and outdated equipment are taking their toll on workers who already have one of the most stressful jobs around. Here are some ways modern aviation has made controllers’ jobs more difficult:
Air traffic controllers have an incredibly difficult job, made even more challenging by congestion.
Air traffic controllers have an incredibly difficult job. They are tasked with ensuring that thousands of planes fly safely in the sky at any given time, while also keeping them separated from one another. The task is difficult enough when there aren’t many planes flying around; but when congestion occurs and more aircraft are vying for space in the airspace, it becomes even more challenging for controllers to keep track of everything going on around them.
More aircraft are flying in less space, adding to the challenge of keeping planes safe.
More aircraft are flying in less space, adding to the challenge of keeping planes safe.
Airspace is getting more crowded because there are more flights and more people flying. In 2017, there were 3.86 billion passengers on commercial airlines worldwide (an increase of 5% from 2016). This number is expected to grow to 4.16 billion by 2021 and then 4.47 billion by 2034 according to projections made by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC).
Air traffic control has always been a stressful job. Lack of sleep, stress-related food cravings, and other symptoms of burnout are common among air traffic controllers.
Air traffic control has always been a stressful job. Lack of sleep, stress-related food cravings, and other symptoms of burnout are common among air traffic controllers. Stress is often caused by the job itself; there are many factors that can contribute to its intensity:
- Routinely dealing with large amounts of information at once (for example: managing multiple planes at once)
- Working in high-pressure situations where mistakes cannot be made or lives will be lost (i.e., landing a plane without enough runway)
The challenges of air traffic control keep growing as airlines add more flights and newer, faster aircraft to their fleets.
Air traffic controllers are under pressure to keep planes safe, but they also have to make sure that flight paths are clear. This is especially challenging when there are more planes flying in and out of busy airports like Heathrow, JFK, and LAX.
Conclusion
The future of air traffic control is not easy to predict. The number of flights will continue to grow, and new technologies like autonomous aircraft will likely be added to fleets in coming years. But as planes become faster and more automated, there may be less demand for human air traffic controllers. In fact, some experts believe that computer-based systems could eventually replace humans altogether–and if so, the challenges faced by today’s air traffic controllers will become even greater than ever before!
