Summary

  • In the US, air traffic controllers earn between $60,000 and $200,000, with a median of over $130,000 yearly.
  • The highest ATC salaries in the US are reported in New Hampshire, Virginia, Illinois, and Georgia, ranging from $136,000 to $147,000.
  • In Europe, the UK offers a salary range from £20,000 to over £100,000 for experienced ATCs.

Air traffic controllers are pivotal in controlling the movement of aircraft in the airspace. In many countries with sophisticated aviation practices, flights are conducted from airports throughout the day and night, necessitating air traffic controllers to be on guard at all times. When an ATC working in the Soviet Union slept on his duty after being fatigued due to parental demands to look after his children, Aeroflot Flight 3352 crashed.

This accident gives us some cues about how big a responsibility ATCs have. For a job that has such high stakes, how much do the air traffic controllers get paid? Let’s find out.

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How much do air traffic controllers get paid in the US?

The salaries of ATCs are relatively higher than in some other areas of aviation. The salary of an Air traffic controller in the United States is between $60,000 and $200,000 a year, with the median yearly salary being more than $130,000. This corresponds to a median hourly wage of ATC of $63.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that ATCs earn the highest in states such as New Hampshire, Virginia, Illinois, and Georgia, with the yearly salaries being somewhere between $136,000 and $147,000. However, one also has to factor in how much the living expenses are in these places to see if these high salaries will correspond to higher savings.

air traffic controller working in a tower

Photo: NATS

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics highlights some of the numbers involved in the work of an ATC in the following way:

Median Pay $137,380 per year
$66.05 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education Associate’s degree
Employment Change, 2022-32 300
Work Experience in a Related Occupation None
On-the-job Training Long-term training while working
Number of Jobs for ATCs in 2022 23,000
Job Outlook, 2022-32 1% (Little or no change)

According to Forbes, the following are the states where the salaries of ATCs are the highest:

States Average yearly salary for ATCs
New Hampshire $147,350
Virginia $139,520
Illinois $136,390
Georgia $136,210
Texas $133,260
California $132,300
Minnesota $131,330
Ohio $131,180
New York $130,840
Colorado $128,210

The following are the states where the salaries of ATCs are the highest:

Montana $77,150
West Virginia $79,710
Vermont $81,630
Iowa $82,460
South Dakota $82,580
Mississippi $84,240
North Dakota $85,760
Louisiana $86,070
Connecticut $88,360
South Carolina $92,070

How much do air traffic controllers get paid in Europe?

The salary of an air traffic controller in Europe is fairly comparable to that in the US. In the UK, an ATC who has just started has an average salary of $25,000 (£20,000), while experienced ATCs earn up to $60,000 (£48,000).

At NATS, the UK’s leading provider of air traffic control services, trainee ATCs earn $26,730 (£21,330), with an accommodation allowance of $10,466 (£8,351). The accommodation allowance offers ATCs a chance to attend one of the NATS colleges for your training. Upon completion of the training at NATS, salaries are somewhere between £46,216 and £51,508, depending upon the location. Controllers with tons of experience and working at some of the busiest units of NATS, such as Heathrow and Swanwick, can potentially earn over $125,310 (£100,000).

Air Traffic Controller At Work

Photo: Burben | Shutterstock

Trainee ATCs in the Royal Air Force earn $30,203 (£31,300). The salary is expected to rise to $59,623 (£47,600) after three years, and eventually up to $72,650 (£58,000). Though the salary of an ATC in the Royal Navy is almost the same as the ones in the RAF, air traffic control officers in the Royal Navy can earn as much as $138,401 (£110,500). ATCs in the RAF and the Royal Navy have benefits packages as well.

On the other hand, in Germany, the median salary for an ATC with experience of more than three years is $118,400 (€110.000). This corresponds to a salary of $56 (€52) per hour. A yearly salary of $145,408 (€135,000) is paid to ATCs with experience of more than eight years. The average yearly salary of an ATC in Spain is $193,878 (€180,000), which is one of the highest in Europe.

How much do air traffic controllers earn in Oceania?

According to Airways New Zealand, air traffic controllers in New Zealand have a salary of US $66,143 – US$147,318 (NZ $110,000- NZ $245,000) per year, with the more experienced ones earning US$ 96,208 – US$ 147,318 (NZ $160,000- NZ $245,000) per year. An Air traffic controller working in Australia can expect to earn more than US$ 72,508 (AU$140,000), though getting the job can be quite a challenge.

Related

How Much Do Air Traffic Controllers Earn?

Experienced air traffic controllers may earn more than $200,000 a year.

How much do air traffic controllers earn in the Middle East?

According to the Economic Research Institute, air traffic controllers in the United Arab Emirates have an annual salary of $110,000. This would correspond to $52 per hour. Air traffic controllers are also expected to have a bonus of approximately $4,000 in the UAE. In Qatar, Air Traffic Controllers make $6,855 per year.

All in all

The salary of an ATC, like that of the job of any other person, depends on a whole host of factors. It goes without saying that the more skills ATCs have, the higher they earn. Besides, the demands of the job also dictate the reimbursement, which is why working as an ATC at major hubs such as Heathrow has greater remuneration than other parts of the UK.

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