AIRWAYS
Inside the Christchurch Air Traffic Control Tower.
Friday, October 20 is International Day of the Air Traffic Controller. Often the forgotten men and women of aviation, ATCs play a vital role in getting the flying public safely from A to B.
Here in New Zealand, Airways is the state-owned enterprise which looks after our airspace, not only here, but also in vast parts of the Pacific Ocean.
Here’s a break-down on some of the numbers:
1987
When Airways, as we know it, came into existence as a state-owned enterprise. However, air traffic control had been around for decades previously. New Zealand was one of the 52 states which formally recognised air traffic control globally by signing the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation in December 1944. That established the rules of airspace, aircraft registration and safety.
30,000,000 square kilometres
The huge amount of airspace that Airways looks after. It includes the New Zealand Flight Information Region and the Auckland Oceanic Flight Information Region, which covers vast chunks of the Pacific, from five degrees south of the equator down to Antarctica, one of the largest areas of airspace in the world. Airways is responsible for providing air traffic services to aircraft flying at altitudes of up to 60,000 feet.
More than 800
Employees at Airways, of which about half work in air traffic control.
478,131
The number of flights handled in the 12 months to June 30, 2023
0
Aircraft accidents or serious air proximity events attributable to Airways in that time.
ALDEN WILLIAMS/STUFF
An A380 plane from Sydney to Christchurch landed on Saturday afternoon after being forced repeatedly to circle over the city in the strong winds.
19
The number of control towers, with 17 staffed by air traffic controllers, while the other two (Milford and Paraparaumu) are staffed by flight service operators.
2
Control centres in Christchurch and Auckland.
4%
The percentage of eligible applicants that are selected to begin the Air Traffic Services qualification offered by Airways International.
24
The number of places on the air traffic control training course each year.
$115,000
The starting salary of a new air traffic controller at Airways.
To find out more about getting an Air Traffic Services qualification approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, go to airwaysinternational.com/atcapplynow