How to become an air traffic controller in Australia
Air Traffic Controllers ensure the safe and efficient movement of aircraft in controlled airspace and aerodromes by directing aircraft movements.
Pay and growth are for the wider air transport professionals group, which is as fine as the data goes. The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the air transport professionals group are projected to grow 13.7% between May 2025 and May 2035, about the same as the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Controls aircraft movements, and directs aircraft taxiing, take-offs and landings by radio.
- Provides pre-flight briefings and aeronautical information services.
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the air transport professionals group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 43% a degree or higher, 44% a diploma, 3% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
We haven't matched this job to courses in the admissions lists. It has its own entry route, so check the requirements with the employer or professional body. See Your Career.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Conventional, Realistic, Enterprising.
From O*NET ratings for "Air Traffic Controllers", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.