Managers of the Swiss skies
Air traffic controllers monitor and control the aircraft coming into their area of responsibility from takeoff to landing. Skyguide employs around 450 air traffic controllers.
What does an air traffic controller do?
Air traffic controllers are responsible for managing and monitoring all the takeoffs, landings and overflights in Swiss airspace and delegated adjoining regions in neighbouring countries. They do so by telling pilots what altitudes to fly at and by ensuring that minimum distances are constantly guaranteed between aircraft. The Fighter Control Service provides air traffic management and support services for the Swiss Air Force when they are on tactical deployments. Air traffic controllers also coordinate civil and military aviation activities, and manage and monitor the use of military training areas. Working on the front of air traffic control calls for intense concentration. That is why an air traffic controller's working day is limited to seven hours with one hour's break.
- In the Tower or Aerodrome Control, the air traffic controllers supervise the entire airport's taxiing, takeoff and landing operations, as well as handling all the airborne traffic in the airport's immediate vicinity.
- Im Approach Control, they guide all approaches and departures within a radius of around 50 kilometres from the airport. This includes managing and monitoring departing flights as they climb to their assigned airways, and assisting aircraft down until they are handed over to the Tower.
- The job of the air traffic controllers in the Area Control Centre is to manage and monitor all air traffic on the airways themselves. Radio communications, radar and flight plan data are their main tools.
- Air traffic control for the Swiss Air Force is divided into two areas – on the one hand, covering tower and approach control at the military aerodromes; and on the other hand, tactical fighter control in the military Air Defence and Direction Centre, which supports pilots in tactical air combat and coordinates the airspace. Tactical fighter controllers first follow the regular air traffic training for about one year, then specialise in military and tactical air traffic control in the Air Defence and Direction Centre.
Photo reportings |
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Vera Bosshard, air traffic controller at the Zurich control tower: "Tower control allows you to see in real time, right in front of your eyes, the impact of your decisions and actions, and the very sound of plane engines you hear around you adds to the reality of your job". Photo reporting |
Michaël Bernhard, air traffic controller at the Sion tower: "In Sion both the volumes and the types of traffic we handle - civil and military, IFR and VFR - vary tremendously from season to season and even from day to day". Photo reporting |
Types of deployment
As an air traffic controller, you would work according to your specialisation:
- In the tower in the civil airports of Zurich, Geneva, Bern, Lugano and Buochs
- In the tower in the military or combined zivil-military airports of Dübendorf, Payerne, Sitten, Meiringen, Emmen, Locarno and Alpnach
- In the area control centre in Zurich or Geneva or the military ATC centre.
Salary
Air traffic controllers have a very demanding job that carries a lot of responsibility, and this is reflected in the salaries they receive. With their first licence (Endorsement 1) - after approximately two to three years of training already - air traffic controllers are paid CHF 71'500 annual salary. 42 months after the beginning of their training, they are paid from CHF 87'927 to 109'909 full annual salary (after 25 years, from CHF 133'659 to 167'074). Moreover, after their first licence air traffic controllers receive a particular responsibility bonus of CHF 14'900 to CHF 24'000 per year.
Career
As an air traffic controller you have interesting opportunities for promotion and development. Many staff in management positions and expert posts at skyguide began their careers as air traffic controllers. The path is via services, managing services, responsibility for training, procedural expertise posts and other management functions.
Recognised licence and profession
Air traffic controllers can basically work outside Switzerland, because their Swiss licence is internationally recognised (any transfers to positions abroad are generally organised by the company to which the controller is moving). As the profession is recognised by the Swiss Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET), air traffic controllers are awarded the official Swiss Federal Air Traffic Controller diploma upon completion of their training.
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