How to become an air traffic controller

Official title: Air traffic controllers

Also called: Air traffic controller

Air traffic controllers direct aircraft movements in airspace and on the ground, using radio, radar and lighting systems, and provide information relevant to the operation of aircraft.

Main tasks

• Directing and controlling aircraft approaching and leaving airport and their movement on the ground
• Directing and controlling aircraft operating in designated airspace sectors
• Examining and approving flight plans
• Informing flight crew and operations staff about weather conditions, operational facilities, flight plans and air traffic
• Applying knowledge of principles and practices of air traffic control in order to identify and solve problems arising in the course of their work
• Initiating and organizing emergency, search and rescue services and procedures
• Directing activities of all aircraft and service vehicles on or near airport runways
• Maintaining radio and telephone contact with adjacent control towers, terminal control units and other control centres, and coordinating the movement of aircraft into adjoining areas

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: HK$27,000 a month
• About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Ships' deck officers and pilots
• Aircraft pilots and related associate professionals
• Ships' engineers
• Air traffic safety electronics technicians

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Questions people ask

Do you need a degree to become an air traffic controller?

Not always. 41% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of an air traffic controller?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026