Description
Manage and separate air traffic in and around airports and across assigned airspace, issuing clearances and instructions to ensure safe, orderly, and expeditious flight operations in compliance with procedures and regulations.
- • Monitor and control aircraft in assigned airspace and on airport surfaces to minimize delays and ensure safety.
- • Track aircraft using radar, automation systems, and visual observation.
- • Provide traffic advisories and report hazardous conditions, winds, visibility, and weather.
- • Issue vectors, altitude changes, or diversion guidance for weather or emergencies.
- • Notify and coordinate with airport emergency services during aircraft incidents.
- • Sequence arrivals and departures; instruct aircraft to hold or enter traffic patterns as needed.
- • Hand off and receive aircraft between positions, facilities, and sectors.
- • Control ground movements of aircraft and vehicles on movement areas and, when authorized, ramps.
- • Determine timing for vectors, altitude assignments, and speed control.
- • Maintain communications with adjacent towers, TRACONs, and centers to coordinate traffic.
- • Communicate meteorological, navigational, and NOTAM information to pilots.
- • Initiate and coordinate search-and-rescue procedures for overdue or missing aircraft.
- • Evaluate traffic and weather at requested altitudes and approve or deny altitude changes.
- • Relay flight progress data: routes, altitudes, and expected arrival times to appropriate facilities.
- • Gather and update flight information from flight plans, pilot reports, radar, and observations.
- • Operate authorized communications equipment and airfield lighting controls.
- • Provide departure information via ATIS and advisories on weather, routes, altitudes, and turbulence.
- • Analyze weather and traffic to plan and approve safe routing.
- • Review and organize flight plans; apply traffic management initiatives for inbound and outbound flows.
- • Maintain required logs, recordings, and reports per regulations.
- • Complete shift activity logs and record aircraft communications and clearances.
- • Provide on-the-job training and mentoring to developmental controllers.
- • Issue takeoff, landing, and taxi clearances.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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Last reviewed: Jan 2026
