“They operate in the shadows, and no one doubts their existence. But every year millions of lives depend on it.” These are the words they introduce themselves on their Instagram account, with a riddle worthy of Father Furas. They are poetically called “air traffic controllers”, but in the city their name is more prosaic. They are Air Navigation Control Engineers (ICNA) or, for short, Air Traffic Controllers. Their decision to go on strike, initiated by their main union (SNCTA), has led to the cascading cancellation of a thousand flights from France this Friday, September 15. This shows how important their role is in the well-oiled machine of airports.
Loic Parisi, Air Traffic Controller at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport since 2005 and National Secretary of SNCTA, summarizes: “We are the eyes of the pilots”. “Inside the airport, we manage the area, take-off or landing, so that safety is guaranteed.“Most often in pairs, they plot the trajectories every day, analyze the speed, altitude, course of 10,000 flights in the French airspace. They are also the voice that guides the pilot in the cockpit throughout the journey.
Eyes in the sky (but not only)
The goal? To avoid, of course, that there is “pastein other words, an accident in flight or on the ground. But also to ensure that procedures are followed, for example in terms of noise pollution or environmental protection. We know it less, but in addition to civil aviation, some air traffic controllers specialize in business aviation and chartering during exceptional events, such as this summer’s wildfires.
Is the epinal image of them in their towers facing the screen walls correct? “In reality, we look at the outside more through the glass than on the screen.”clarifies Loic Paris, who officiates particularly in the north tower of Roissy, 95 meters high, one of the highest in Europe. “It’s the only way to find out how an aircraft behaves that isn’t visible on the radar screen. But screens make it possible to predict.”
180 controllers in Roissy
Officials of the Ministry of Environmental and Inclusive Transition, under the auspices of the DGAC (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), the air traffic controllers of our airports are recruited competitively, after two years of higher education, by the National Civil School. aviation (ENAC), in Toulouse. They graduate after three years of training.
The profession is then divided into three main categories.
- tower controllers who look after aircraft on the ground at the airport and from takeoff;
- approach controllers or “approachers” who manage everything after take-off and landing;
- route controllers dealing with aircraft crossing French airspace. They are located in special bases such as Athis-Mons in the Paris region.
At Roissy, 180 people rotate as tower supervisors and approach supervisors, complementary roles. On the other hand, the function of “route supervisor” is, in his opinion, too technical to be carried out by the first comer. “I wouldn’t have been able to finish it despite my five years of training».
Passionate work
All this forms a precise but invisible ballet. Undoubtedly, but permanent. Controllers must show a great capacity for concentration and reactivity in order not to miss anything, the slightest thoughtlessness can have dramatic consequences. They also need to be able to change plans in a split second in the event of the unexpected. “It is a job that requires constant attention. We can’t afford to last thirty seconds.” At Paris-Charles de Gaulle, they take a regulated 30-minute break every two and a half hours to ensure maximum concentration. Hours are reduced (32 hours per week) and retirement age is set (59 years).
The specialist describes it as a “passionate profession”, like many professions in aviation. “There remains a certain magic in the fact of successfully flying a plane. And the view of Paris from our towers is breathtaking.” Proof of this interest. SNCTA’s “Air Traffic Controller” account on Instagram is followed by 11,000 people.
Source: Le Figaro
