EUROCONTROL is delighted to join IFATCA, the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Association, in celebrating the International Day of the Air Traffic Controller on 20 October 2012.

“It’s a nice opportunity to reflect on the hard work of controllers, and their crucial role in the safety of air transport”, said Jac Jansen, Director of EUROCONTROL’s Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC). “When so many of us head off on well-deserved holidays we often admire the job of pilots and flight crews. However, there’s many more people working behind the scenes of aviation. The job of air traffic controller for example is not so well known among the public, although controllers are a key link in the aviation chain.”

“At MUAC we have some of the best qualified professionals in the world, with remarkable productivity – in fact, the highest in Europe”, adds Jac. “On busy summer days our controllers control up to 5,100 aircraft per day. Today, I would like to pay tribute to these men and women who – day in, day out – push impressive amounts of traffic through some of the densest and most complex cross-border airspace in the world, and greatly contribute to MUAC’s exceptional performance. I wish all controllers of the world a safe and productive day”.

MUAC controls the upper airspace (above 24,500 feet/7,500 metres) of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and north-west Germany. It is one of Europe’s busiest and most complex air spaces owing to the high volume of climbing and descending traffic; MUAC controllers guide some 1.5 million flights per year through this airspace. Overall, MUAC is the second largest air traffic control centre in Europe in terms of traffic and one of the most efficient in Europe.

To show our appreciation for the outstanding work Air Traffic Controllers contribute to the safety of air navigation everywhere, we would like to invite you to participate in our ATC Facts Game. Participants will be challenged to decide whether the posted statements from the ATC field are true or false. The game will be open on the EUROCONTROL Facebook page from Monday 22 October until Thursday 25 October at midnight and the correct answers will be revealed on Friday 26 October.

An extra element of fun will be provided by the most humorous ATC anecdotes selected from those submitted by controllers and aviation enthusiasts. These will also be posted on the EUROCONTROL Facebook page on Monday 22 October.

Eurocontrol press release