An official website of the Washington State government
Air Traffic Controllers
Control air traffic on and within vicinity of airport, and movement of air traffic between altitude sectors and control centers, according to established procedures and policies. Authorize, regulate, and control commercial airline flights according to government or company regulations to expedite and ensure flight safety.
What an air traffic controller does
Become an air traffic controller
If you enjoy doing these activities, you might make a good air traffic controller
- Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
- Talking to others.
- Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
- Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
- Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
Discover what you could earn in Washington
- Average hourly rate is $67 per hour with an average salary of $139,300 per year.
- Half of workers earn between $48 and $82 per hour.
- Half of workers earn an annual salary between $100,600 and $169,600 per year.
Air Traffic Controller job outlook
- There are 557 workers in this occupation in Washington.
- There are 50 openings per year in this occupation in Washington.