Airservices Australia has welcomed the first air traffic controllers (ATCs) to graduate from its training partnership with New Zealand’s Airways International Ltd (AIL), set up last year to augment Airservices’ own training program and accelerate the onboarding of new controllers.
Airservices is investing in its workforce with more than 80 ATCs expected to join the organisation this financial year, adding to the 120 new controllers who have joined since 2020.
As part of this ongoing recruitment and training initiative, Airservices announced in November 2023 that it would supplement the resources of its Melbourne training academy by partnering with Airways International to deliver an ab initio* tower control training course.
Having first completed 10 weeks of online training in Australia, in March the first cohort of four trainees commenced 20 weeks of practical training in AIL’s real-world TotalControl simulator at their Christchurch based training centre, studying Aerodrome Control and Approach Control Procedural.
The trainees – brothers Mackenzie Denner and Emerson Denner, Abraham Stevens and Michael Willach – graduated from the AIL course last week, attaining a New Zealand Diploma in Air Traffic Services Level 6. The four will now return to Airservices’ Melbourne centre for additional training before completing their final field training in control towers located at regional Australian airports, as they work towards attaining their first rating.
Airservices Head of Operational Training and Resourcing Marcus Knauer said the training partnership was one way the organisation was ramping up its onboarding of ATCs to improve staff availability and ensure consistently high service levels for Australia’s aviation sector.
“This training collaboration utilising AIL’s world-class training services supplements our own training program and allows us to increase the throughput of new trainees,” Mr Knauer said.
Sharon Cooke, Airways International CEO, said: “We congratulate this cohort of students for graduating from their ATC training with us.
“We’re delighted to be collaborating with Airservices Australia to bring ATC students across to our facilities in New Zealand for training, and we look forward to welcoming further cohorts during what we hope will be an enduring partnership.”
*ab initio (Latin for ‘from the beginning’) refers to training of people who have not previously undertaken ATC training
About Airservices
Airservices Australia is the Federal Government-owned organisation responsible for the safety of 11 per cent of the world’s airspace and the provision of aviation rescue fire fighting services at Australia’s busiest airports. We work closely with our customers and industry to support the long-term growth of the aviation industry and are investing in technologies to position Australia at the forefront of innovation in the global aviation industry.
