Air Traffic Controllers
Transportation and Material Moving
Tells pilots when to take off and land, and guides aircraft through assigned airspace or across the airport surface. Watches traffic on radar, computers, or by sight, and passes along nearby aircraft, weather, wind, and visibility so crews can avoid hazards. Hands departing flights to traffic control centers and takes arriving ones; in bad weather or an emergency, gives a new path or sends a plane to an emergency field and alerts airport emergency services. The work follows established procedures meant to keep traffic moving without collisions. Tends to suit people who like clear radio talk, tracking many aircraft at once, and deciding under fixed rules.
Typical education: High School Diploma or GED
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$148'080
Median Wage Market Position
$148'080
What you might do
- Direct aircraft in your assigned airspace
- Clear planes to take off and land
- Warn pilots of nearby traffic and weather
- Hand departing flights to the next center
- Hold planes in a pattern until a runway opens
- Call rescue crews when an aircraft is in trouble
Skills that matter
- Listening to pilots and weather reports
- Giving takeoff and landing instructions to pilots
- Sequencing aircraft to reduce delays
- Tracking planes on radar and visually
- Rerouting flights in weather or emergencies
- Handing off flights between control centers
AI & the future of this role
Real-time separation decisions, weather judgment, and strict licensing keep this work hard to hand off. Systems may increasingly cue traffic and weather data, yet accountability for safe sequencing tends to stay with trained controllers.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details