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.
22,510 people do this job in the US. $148,080 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 73%
- 20%
- 6%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 12%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 67%. Today's estimate: 71%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 23 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provide on-the-job training to new air traffic controllers.Done daily by most who do it. | 17% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | 90%Half by now | |
| Monitor aircraft within a specific airspace, using radar, computer equipment, or visual references.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 15% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Monitor, direct, or sequence the movement of aircraft within an assigned air space or on the ground at airports to minimize delays and maximize safety.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 15% | 25 min4 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Organize flight plans or traffic management plans to prepare for planes about to enter assigned airspace.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | 97%Half by now | |
| Inspect, adjust, or control radio equipment or airport lights.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 6% | 25 min8 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Conduct pre-flight briefings on weather conditions, suggested routes, altitudes, indications of turbulence, or other flight safety information.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | 97%Half by now | |
| Analyze factors such as weather reports, fuel requirements, or maps to determine air routes.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | 97%Half by now | |
| Complete daily activity reports and keep records of messages from aircraft.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Compile information about flights from flight plans, pilot reports, radar, or observations.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 13 min4 min to 33 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Direct ground traffic, including taxiing aircraft, maintenance or baggage vehicles, or airport workers.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 13 min3 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Review records or reports for clarity and completeness and maintain records or reports, as required under federal law.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Direct pilots to runways when space is available or direct them to maintain a traffic pattern until there is space for them to land.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 2% | 4 min2 min to 8 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Airfield Operations Specialists20% now, 33% by 2028
- Commercial Pilots24% now, 27% by 2028
- Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers9% now, 11% by 2028
- Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters32% now, 33% by 2028
- Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors30% now, 30% by 2028
- Traffic Technicians22% now, 79% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).