Though pilots play a critical role in maintaining aviation safety, air traffic controllers equally have important positions in ensuring the skies are safe for everyone in the air. Air traffic management is an important, in-demand career path that is incredibly rewarding and beneficial.

What Is Air Traffic Management?

Air Traffic Management includes but is distinctly different from Air Traffic Control (ATC). ATC provides instructions to aircraft to ensure safe, legal separation between aircraft as they traverse the National Airspace System from pushback to parking.

Air Traffic Management, meanwhile, deals more broadly with dealing with air traffic from a holistic viewpoint, including not only telling aircraft what to do but also managing traffic flows, identifying potential bottlenecks and congested areas, sending information digitally to aircraft, and mitigating delays efficiently.

What Services Are Available?

There are three different services under the Air Traffic Management umbrella. Air Traffic Services is the most critical. It includes the ATC system as well as the Flight Information Service, which provides pilots with critical in-flight information and assistance to benefit the safe, efficient operation of a flight.

Another segment of Air Traffic Management is Air Traffic Flow Management, which regulates the flow of aircraft to avoid congestion in certain control sectors. This system considers the impact of individual actions on the whole system.

Air Traffic Managers also coordinate with private parties in the National Airspace System, such as airlines, general aviation, and the military. This allows the ATC system to prevent radio congestion by working with larger units; by talking to big airlines, for example, ATC passes the responsibility of communicating certain delays on to the airline, which can tell multiple crews to make adjustments before the aircraft calls ATC in the first place.

Air Traffic Management Job Opportunities

Getting a job in air traffic management requires specific requirements to be met. Air Traffic Controllers need to be U.S. citizens who pass a medical exam, a pre-employment test, and background checks. Controllers are also required to have three years of progressively responsible work experience, a Bachelor’s degree, or a combination of work and postsecondary education that equals three years.

Air Traffic Controllers have opportunities to step into further Air Traffic Management roles after being hired at the FAA. Air Traffic Control System Command Center staff managers, for example, are responsible for exercising supervisory responsibilities for multiple support activities, including planning and infrastructure; quality assurance; airspace and procedures; and training.

Aviation Technical Systems Specialists, meanwhile, maintain the systems and equipment that keep air travel safe. They install, operate, maintain, and repair components such as radar, communications, navigational aids, airport lighting, HVAC equipment, and more. These employees ensure the systems that allow for the safe, efficient operation and management of aircraft and air traffic operate reliably, preventing errors caused by faulty equipment.

Like being an Air Traffic Controller, U.S. citizenship is required, as is drug testing and even Selective Service registration and a valid driver’s license. This career path equally has opportunity for advancement, such as into supervisory positions that oversee broader operations and employees to ensure consistent, quality operations.

Getting an Air Traffic Management Education

While any number of Bachelor’s degrees may qualify a candidate for a job in Air Traffic Management, some universities offer degrees specifically centered on Air Traffic Management or Aeronautical Management Technology. These degree programs are able to focus information specifically on ensuring the safe operation of aircraft. Programs are offered by universities that have specialties in aviation, allowing for a higher amount of specialization and expertise.

Candidates can also receive training in two-year college programs. These associate degrees can be an effective way to pursue a career in air traffic management when combined with previous experience, such as being a military air traffic controller or working for a company with whom the FAA contracts to provide ATC services in control towers.

Common Career Paths

The most common career path for people with Air Traffic Management is the FAA, who provides a large proportion of the ATC services in the United States. Some graduates do go on to work for FAA ATC contractors, found at a variety of control towers across the country. Others work for the Department of Defense, who provide ATC systems at military bases and to U.S. aircraft operating outside of the bounds of FAA authority.

Air Traffic Management is a highly rewarding career path. It requires a high amount of focus, management, and intelligence, but is accessible to a wide variety of applicants. ATC is an essential service that ensures the continued success of the National Airspace System.