SYDNEY: A global shortage of air traffic controllers (ATC) is fuelling cross-border recruitment of experienced staff, exposing staffing gaps that are raising concerns about air safety and travel disruption, aviation officials say.
Countries from Australia to Canada and South Africa are competing for experienced controllers, with some turning to foreigners to fill vacancies even as their own staff are recruited elsewhere.
Globally, 71,000 new ATCs will be needed by 2034, according to a 2025 forecast from aviation training firm CAE.
The competition highlights a broader problem for an industry struggling to replace an ageing workforce and train controllers quickly enough to meet demand.
Moving experienced staff between countries can offer short-term relief but does little to address the underlying global shortage, while training replacements can take years.
Australia, the United States and Canada are among countries where controller shortages have contributed to flight disruptions. Controllers and union officials interviewed by Reuters said staff were leaving for higher pay, improved conditions and in some cases the opportunity to work beyond their home country’s retirement age.
Two people with knowledge of the matter said some controllers employed by Airservices Australia were moving to Qatar, which has advertised for staff.
“We are aware of dozens of ATCs across multiple locations in Australia, including some in Sydney, who have either resigned from Airservices to work overseas, or are exploring the opportunity to do so,” said Scott Nugent, president of union Civil Air Australia.
Most departing controllers were searching for better conditions regarding fatigue, leave, overtime and staffing, one of the people said.
Airservices Australia said its national attrition rate for controllers was within expectations.
Qatar’s civil aviation authority did not respond to a request for comment.
Canada, which normally hires only citizens or permanent residents as controllers, has also looked overseas.
NAV Canada, the country’s air navigation service provider, said it had recently used an external firm as part of “a limited, targeted measure” to recruit eight foreign controllers willing to immigrate to Canada.
South Africa, meanwhile, is trying to avoid simply transferring shortages elsewhere. Its Air Traffic and Navigation Services agency limits the number of staff it seeks from individual countries after losing 28 controllers itself within eight months between 2024 and last year.
“We don’t want to do that to any one specific country,” said Josia Manyakoana, chief operating officer at Air Traffic and Navigation Services.
New Zealand’s agency similarly said air navigation service providers should collectively tackle staffing shortages “rather than simply shifting” the problem from one organisation to another.
Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (Canso), a global trade group representing ATC providers, is examining ways to share training costs between controllers’ current employers and the organisations that trained them.
“The (country) that trains a controller usually carries the full cost, even if that controller later moves on,” a Canso spokesperson said.
“We’re aware that several of our members have been concerned about losing controllers they trained at their own expense.”
Still, some countries are also looking for new ways to expand the global pool.
Indonesia, which has a surplus of controllers, has agreed to deploy five to Australia next year to work there until 2030.
“Australia needs more controllers and we have a surplus at the moment,” AirNav Indonesia Director of Operations Setio Anggoro said. “We are ready to export our controllers.”
Ultimately, aviation officials say recruitment alone cannot solve the imbalance: countries need to train more controllers while improving retention. — Reuters
