How Air Traffic Control Works
Air Traffic Control is used to manage the safe and orderly flow of aircraft into, out of, and across Australian airspace.
Airservices Australia uses world class systems and processes to minimise the risk of collisions, while allowing the maximum number of aircraft to fly safely in our skies. Many of our systems have been replicated across the world.
Air traffic controllers manage aircraft through all phases of flight. In Australian airspace, aircraft may be monitored and tracked from terminal gate to terminal gate: pre-departure through to landing.
Controllers at one of our 2 major centres direct planes around the sky, using radar and radio links to communicate with pilots.
Controllers at 26 major airports assist pilots in all other phases of flight, including take off and landing.
While the process is most complex in large, busy airports, procedures vary according to the class of airspace an aircraft intends on entering.
Jet aircraft, and commercial flights often fly through different classes of airspace, where instrument flight rules exist and radar is actively used.
Small aircraft usually fly in uncontrolled airspace, where visual flight rules are used and pilots submit flight plans to alert Air Traffic Control about their route.