Air Traffic Controllers - The Silent Guardians Of Air Safety

By Kisho Kumari Sucedaram

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 (Bernama) -- Tucked away behind the scenes and high above the ground, the role played by a group of unsung heroes is just as crucial as that of pilots, if not more stressful.

Though they are often not heard about frequently and oblivious to the millions of passengers who fly daily, they too maintain the highest standards of safety in assisting an aircraft to fly to and from any destination.

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Guiding pilots and aircraft to land and take off safely without incident also belong to another calibre of dedicated people - air traffic controllers (ATCs).

The recent flurry of incidents, including flight diversions, redirections and planes forced to turn back due to technical faults, not only requires quick thinking by pilots to handle emergencies as they avert potential disasters or accidents, but ATCs as well.

They serve as a crucial backbone of the team responsible for aviation security. A case in point; in July this year alone, ATCs at Kuala International Airport (KLIA) handled almost close to 38,000 flights taking off and landing.

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They are the ones who are on their toes 24/7 ensuring the safety of the thousands of flights criss-crossing the busy airspace each day, carrying millions of passengers and cargo vital to our economies and connectivity.

In maintaining order and safe air travel, the ATCs stand out as silent guardians of what is literally, invisible flight paths in the skies.  They are responsible for ensuring that every aircraft navigates safely through the complex web of the airspace and traffic congestion in the skies. Their jobs also entail ensuring planes take off and land orderly and expeditiously.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM)’s air navigation services operation division director Khairul A’Amali Ismail recently spoke to Bernama, delving into the heavy responsibility an ATC carries to ensure the safety of airspace and flights both onboard and during landing.

Khairul said the authority manages 29 air traffic control towers in Malaysia. There are about 1,000 traffic controller positions, with 87 per cent currently filled.

Interestingly, he also shared that an important condition of the job is that each ATC needs to take a short break every two hours to prevent fatigue to ensure they do not lose focus.

Growing demand for ATCs, CAAM to expand team

Strong growth in passenger air travel means more planes and route expansion in the skies and that entails greater demand for ATCs. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Asia-Pacific airlines’ growth remained strong, with a 19.1 percent year-on-year increase in demand in July 2024, which means more flights and more planes in the skies.

Based on the ACI (Airports Council International (ACI) World Airport Traffic Forecasts (WATF) 2023–2052, the region showed the largest passenger recovery in 2023 and is forecast to reach nearly 3.9 billion passengers by end-2025.

In Malaysia, Khairul said the increasing volume of flights and routes at major airports reflects this growing trend. Considering the increasing statistics, he said CAAM is working to expand its team, improve air traffic systems and adopt new technologies to manage the higher volume of flights to ensure efficiency and safety.

The initiatives would help mitigate the ongoing route expansion by local airlines while supporting the carriers and sustaining the efficiency of Malaysia’s aviation industry, he said.

As an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council member state, he said CAAM also champions gender equality, with women making up 35 percent of its ATC staff.

Handling crisis situations

Explaining how they mitigate global crises or geopolitical issues that affect the airspace, such as the Middle East crisis that led to the shutdown of the Iranian airspace, Khairul said the ATCs play a crucial role in navigating these challenges.

“Normally, ICAO will have a unit to handle this restricted zone or no-flying zone, and they will publish it on their website to alert the airlines. So, the airlines might avoid the airspace, but if they want to fly, it is up to them because ICAO is a technical body that advises and does not impose like the United Nations Security Council,” he said.

One of the most stressful jobs in the world

As an ATC, one must ensure planes follow their flight paths to avoid collisions and manage the flow of air traffic, both in the skies and in the maneuvering area. Understandably, this is not an easy job and one that is known for being among the most stressful in the world.

CAAM principal assistant director Al Faruqi Nasseri said that in Malaysia, ATCs are stationed either in control centres or at control towers at the airports. “There are three control centres in Malaysia, namely the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre, Kota Kinabalu Air Traffic Control Centre, and Kuching Air Traffic Control Centre,” he noted.

There are three different air traffic control services provided by ATC.

Firstly, there are the aerodrome controllers who oversee aircraft landing, departing and managing movement of aircraft in the vicinity of airport. Then, there are the approach controllers who are responsible for deciding when and where each airplane should land and guide them in the most efficient order. Lastly, the area controllers are those who track the exact position of each aircraft and keep traffic safely separated in the air.

ATCs give pilots instructions for take-offs, landings and during en route flights as they traverse the airspace.

Besides other controllers locally, they also work with controllers in adjacent flight information regions (FIRs) or other countries.

This is vital as ATCs can then help planes switch between different areas of airspace. “We have Malaysia, our neighbour is Jakarta FIR, and then we have Singapore FIR, Bangkok FIR, Ho Chi Minh FIR, Chennai FIR, Manila FIR and Ujung Pandang FIR.”

“So, whenever an aircraft is approaching another FIR, we have to inform our neighbour that this particular aircraft is coming, the type of aircraft, the time it will be crossing and all the information needed for a safe flight,” he said. “We also adjust their plans based on weather changes.”

Basically, an ATC at the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre manages around 10 to 12 aircraft at any one time. “We try to manage the conversations (between the pilots and ATCs), i.e., managing the radio and telephone. If I can put it in layman’s terms, it’s like an orchestra, whereby somebody is playing the trumpet, somebody is playing the guitar, somebody is playing the drum and we try to orchestrate it to make it like proper music,” he added.

Given the severity of their jobs, there is no room for human error. Any instance of pilots not following ATC instructions are taken very seriously, thoroughly investigated and addressed with corrective action to maintain safety and compliance.

CAAM handles up to 1,200 aircraft landings and departures in a day at the Kuala Lumpur Internatioanl Airport (KLIA). In July 2024 alone, 37,698 aircraft movements were recorded at the airport.

Qualifications to become an ATC

To become an ATC, candidates need a bachelor’s degree or equivalent recognised by the government, pass a series of rigorous tests including psychological evaluations, as well as meet medical and English proficiency requirements.

“Once selected, they will undergo extensive training, which includes both theoretical lessons and practical simulations. As an ATC, to ensure we meet the latest standards and procedures, we also have annual examinations to keep our skills updated,” he added.

As CAAM has pointed out, ATC is a service provided to promote the safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic and move passengers to and from their destinations.

An ATC’s job is indeed a high pressure job, taking into account the flight radar numbers of between 8,000 and 20,000 planes in the sky at any given moment.

Truly, while pilots would be the first to attest that their heroes are ATCs for guiding their planes safely in the skies and on the ground, they are without doubt heroes for all.

-- BERNAMA