As air navigation service providers (ANSPs) worldwide grapple with a persistent shortage of air traffic controllers, innovative solutions are urgently needed to address this critical staffing gap. The aftermath of Covid-19 layoffs and retirements has left the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with approximately 3,000 vacancies, mirroring the pilot shortage crisis. In response, aviation training group CAE has developed a new Air Traffic Services (ATS) program aimed at making the recruitment and training process more efficient.
Set to launch in October in partnership with NavCanada, CAE’s ATS program represents a significant step toward resolving the air traffic controller shortage. The Montreal-based company plans to prepare over 500 students by the end of 2028. The training process will begin with an initial phase lasting three to six months, followed by on-the-job training at NavCanada facilities across the country.
“One of the things we think we can bring to this situation is our global footprint and the access we have to a talent pool,” said Marie-Christine Cloutier, CAE’s vice president of civil strategy for performance, strategy, and marketing. “We are looking to form partnerships with ANSPs and help them to be more efficient to ramp up [staffing levels] quickly. There is a lot of competition [for recruits] and this is a very demanding job.”
The ATS training program is designed to be flexible, adapting to the specific needs of each ANSP. This could include recruiting instructors or even relocating recruits from one region to serve in another. NavCanada, for instance, has been actively investing in its recruitment process by expanding its presence at trade shows and student fairs, and by using questionnaires to assess potential candidates. These candidates often have little or no prior exposure to aviation but are assessed for their cerebral and scenario-based thinking skills, which are crucial for the role.
“We need very calm people,” Cloutier explained. To achieve this, CAE provides classroom training and simulation devices that replicate a control tower environment with a 180-degree view of aircraft operations, including dynamic elements like weather conditions.
“We need to make it interesting and we’re also trying to make the process more efficient because currently there is a high rate of remedial training needed for students who don’t pass [the course] the first time,” Cloutier noted. “We want the pass rate to increase and we’re looking at different things we could apply.”
A key tool in CAE’s arsenal is CAE Rise, which is used for grading students and analysing training data to identify areas for improvement. This data-driven approach allows for targeted adjustments to the training process, aiming to boost the overall pass rate and efficiency.
With the ATS program, CAE is poised to make a significant impact on the global air traffic controller shortage. By leveraging their extensive experience in aviation training and their global reach, CAE hopes to provide a sustainable solution to this pressing issue, ensuring that the skies remain safe and efficiently managed.
*CAE is a global leader in training for the civil aviation, defense and security, and healthcare markets. Established in 1947, CAE has been at the forefront of training and simulation innovation, offering solutions to improve safety and efficiency in the aviation industry.
NavCanada is a private, non-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada’s civil air navigation service (ANS). Established in 1996, NavCanada provides air traffic control, flight information, weather briefings, and other services to more than 18 million square kilometers of Canadian and oceanic airspace.
