– It is gratifying that so many young people are applying to Avinor, the air traffic control profession and aviation, says CEO Abraham Foss in Avinor. When the application deadline for the air traffic controller training expired on 15 February, a record number of people had applied for the training. Almost 1,000 people have applied for 20 study places. It is a matter of history that this year’s admission is the first regular one since 2020. This means that there are several cohorts vying for the same places. – I think part of the reason for the record high number of applicants is a combination of the fact that you get the opportunity to work with both aviation and new technology in the coming years. We are now in a phase where the next generation technology for aviation is being developed, says Foss. – A bit scary at the start In addition to the fact that places are tight, the students have to go through several entrance exams that must be passed before they can start the two-year education. The candidates who get through the eye of the needle and are admitted to air traffic controller training start with a year of theoretical basic training in Prague, Czech Republic. If you pass the basic education, you continue in practice at an operational unit in Norway, before becoming a certified air traffic controller. Anne and Mathis are air traffic controllers. It is a challenging job, which requires vigilance and the ability to react quickly and efficiently. One of those who have made it through the narrow eye of the needle is Vegard Dompidal. – I am motivated by performance and like to have responsibility. Then I thought that air traffic controller training was right up my alley. He has completed the first of two years to become an air traffic controller. He has spent that time in the Czech capital, Prague. For the past two months, Dompidal has been on training in the tower at Bodø Airport. This is an air traffic controller Every year there are over half a million aircraft movements in Norwegian airspace. This includes both scheduled aircraft, ambulance aircraft, military traffic and helicopters. Who will fly where – and when – is coordinated by an air traffic controller. They either work in a control tower at airports or at larger control centres. Today there are approximately 500 air traffic controllers in Norway and all are employed by Avinor. The starting salary in 2019 was NOK 588,000 according to Avinor. Air traffic controller training takes approximately two years, and after the training you have to do three years of compulsory service. The education consists of: Preliminary course in Norway (one week at the beginning of September). Initial training at CANI in Prague, Czech Republic (9 months from September to June). Transition course: course in Norwegian rules and regulations, system training and meteorology (three to four weeks). Practical education and training at a control tower or a control center in Norway (approx. 12 months). This period leads to the exam and certification as an air traffic controller. Source: Utdanning.no and Avinor – Now I have started talking to actual pilots on board aircraft and not only in the simulator. – It was a bit scary at the start. The pilots catch you quickly on things you say incorrectly, and then they ask about slightly different things than what the pilots in the simulator do. After graduation, three years of mandatory compulsory service await Dompidal and the fellow students. Air traffic controllers today work in two places: Either in a traditional control tower at an airport, or as here in Bodø where smaller airports are controlled remotely from a large control centre. Photo: Avinor 40 per cent female applicants In addition to the record high number of applicants, there is also a larger percentage of women who have applied this year. Around 400 women want to become air traffic controllers from the autumn. Executive director for aviation security, Jan Gunnar Pedersen, at Avinor is pleased. – It is extremely important to us. We want to have diversity within our services and in the company. – Aviation has traditionally been male-dominated, although we have seen an improvement in that area. We think that almost 40 per cent of the applicants are women is a good figure, although it could have been even higher, says Pedersen. But who is actually suitable to be an air traffic controller? – We are looking for motivated people. It is a demanding education and profession. So we are looking for candidates who have a good simulant capacity, good short-term memory, good at coping with stress and that you are accurate, says Pedersen.
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A record number of people want the same job as Vegard – news Nordland
