PEACHTREE CITY, USA – International Day of the Air Traffic Controller takes place October 20, and honors those who ensure that air travel remains the safest mode of transport.
The history of the air traffic controller dates back to February 25, 1920, with the world’s first air traffic control tower at London’s Croydon Airport. The airport, then the world’s busiest, needed to regulate aircraft taking off and landing. The tower allowed coordination using visual signals and radio communication.
World War II helped evolve air traffic control with the development of radar. This let controllers monitor the position of military aircraft in real time, greatly improving their ability to guide planes over long distances and in adverse weather conditions. After the war, the technology was integrated into civilian air traffic control systems all over the world.
Over the next few decades the role of the air traffic controller would increase along with the growth of commercial aviation, as controllers would not only manage takeoff and landing, but also aircraft that were en route to their destinations.
Every day, air traffic controllers play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of aviation operations, making it one of the most important professions in the aviation industry.