Eyes on the sky: the air-traffic controllers watching 11% of the world’s airspace
When you think about that dot on the screen and how many people that represents,” Jess Walton says as she points to a blinking circle on one of the four screens in front of her. “It’s our job to keep them safe, so you can’t really get distracted.” The air-traffic controller sits in the “en route” section of the air-traffic services centre next to Melbourne airport, in the offices of Airservices Australia, the commonwealth-owned organisation responsible for the management of the country’s skies. While towers overlooking airports might be where most people think air-traffic controllers work, taking off and landing is just the tip of the iceberg. Different sections of airspace and altitudes are carved up and split between the roughly 100 desks in the Melbourne control room. Between this room and a similar one in Brisbane, Australian air-traffic controllers manage 11% of the world’s airspace, 24 hours a day. Walton sits below a map of a section of airspace between Katoomba and Griffith, west of Sydney, which is the zone she will focus on for several months. She is tasked with safely separating aircraft flying through this section, but only between 19,000 ft and 25,000 ft. Next to her is Adam Heap. Before becoming an air-traffic controller, he worked as a baggage handler in Perth. “I prefer being inside with a roof over my head, it’s much more mentally stimulating,” he says. Air-traffic controllers Jess Walton and Adam Heap in the Melbourne en route centre at Melbourne airport.<br/>Air-traffic controllers Jess Walton and Adam Heap in the Melbourne en route centre at Melbourne airport. Photograph: Penny Stephens/The Guardian Heap has been charged with overseeing airspace between Mungo and Oxley, in western New South Wales, and south through an area between Melbourne and Adelaide. For six months, he’ll be in charge of separating all aircraft operating above 25,000 ft in that area. Others will handle movements through the space at lower altitudes.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2023-04-03/general/eyes-on-the-sky-the-air-traffic-controllers-watching-11-of-the-world2019s-airspace
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Eyes on the sky: the air-traffic controllers watching 11% of the world’s airspace
When you think about that dot on the screen and how many people that represents,” Jess Walton says as she points to a blinking circle on one of the four screens in front of her. “It’s our job to keep them safe, so you can’t really get distracted.” The air-traffic controller sits in the “en route” section of the air-traffic services centre next to Melbourne airport, in the offices of Airservices Australia, the commonwealth-owned organisation responsible for the management of the country’s skies. While towers overlooking airports might be where most people think air-traffic controllers work, taking off and landing is just the tip of the iceberg. Different sections of airspace and altitudes are carved up and split between the roughly 100 desks in the Melbourne control room. Between this room and a similar one in Brisbane, Australian air-traffic controllers manage 11% of the world’s airspace, 24 hours a day. Walton sits below a map of a section of airspace between Katoomba and Griffith, west of Sydney, which is the zone she will focus on for several months. She is tasked with safely separating aircraft flying through this section, but only between 19,000 ft and 25,000 ft. Next to her is Adam Heap. Before becoming an air-traffic controller, he worked as a baggage handler in Perth. “I prefer being inside with a roof over my head, it’s much more mentally stimulating,” he says. Air-traffic controllers Jess Walton and Adam Heap in the Melbourne en route centre at Melbourne airport.<br/>Air-traffic controllers Jess Walton and Adam Heap in the Melbourne en route centre at Melbourne airport. Photograph: Penny Stephens/The Guardian Heap has been charged with overseeing airspace between Mungo and Oxley, in western New South Wales, and south through an area between Melbourne and Adelaide. For six months, he’ll be in charge of separating all aircraft operating above 25,000 ft in that area. Others will handle movements through the space at lower altitudes.<br/>
