7 Highest Paying Countries for Air Traffic Controllers

Air traffic controllers are among highest paid workers in many countries and here are the highest paying countries for air traffic controllers. Working as an air traffic controller means having one of the most responsible jobs on the planet, so no wonder they also have very high salaries.

Air traffic controllers are responsible for coordination of air traffic, simply put. That includes monitoring and directing aircraft during their flight, dealing with landing and taking off orders, helping and communicating with pilots providing them with all the necessary information about their flights, etc. As for the future of air traffic control, it might lie in the use of new digital technologies, as been tested in many countries. Each country has its own requirements for air traffic control trainees, but there are some universal rules. Those are  – great mental strength, since the stress levels are high and constant, good concentration and the ability to focus clearly on multiple tasks. High salaries might sound attractive, but not everyone can become a good air traffic controller.

Our information on highest paid air traffic controllers is rather controversial, if not exaggerated sometimes and comes from Salaries HUB and Wayne Farley Aviation. Those were our starting points. We say exaggerating and controversial because for some claims, such as salary in Spain, there is plenty of information on enormously high figures, but latest information we could gain was from 2011/2012. Since there were numerous strikes in Spain (and some other European countries as well, like France or Germany) going on from that period onward, when the situation has calmed down, there were not many precise mentions of salaries values.

After that initial research and the insight in the reliability of our sources, we have then checked the information we gained from those sources for each country. For some, we could check the salaries on Payscale, and for others we searched individually, for example Careers NZ, The Local de,  Nordstjernan or the Guardian.  So, since the values we represented here do not come from a single source, they can vary greatly, but we hope to have made a satisfying review of the highest paying countries for air traffic controllers. For additional information on air traffic controllers from the countries on our list we have consulted CareerATC.

If the figures were represented in other currencies, we used currency conversion from Google to convert all the salary values to USD. The figures for US air traffic controllers are somewhat clearer, so take a look at 25 Best States for Air Traffic Controllers.

As we have said, these figures rather show the relative ratio of highest paid countries for air traffic controllers than they represent strict salary values – meaning that average annual salary can vary from year to year, and of course differentiate between employees and working hours. As we will see, those are countries with some of the busiest air traffic in the world. So, let’s see which are those highest paying countries for air traffic controllers.

 

7. New Zealand

Average annual salary: $87,830

Although salary for air traffic controllers of New Zealand, the number 7 on our list of highest paying countries for air traffic controllers is high (and can get higher with the amount of experience), job opportunities are very poor, since there is a great competition for this position. For getting trained for this position, Airways is probably the best choice in New Zealand.

6. UK

Average annual salary: $ 98,918

The UK, the next one on the list of highest paying countries for air traffic controllers, handles around 2.4 million flights annually, which requires highly educated (and paid) air traffic controllers. The main UK’s air traffic service provider is NATS, where UK’s best air traffic controllers are being trained.

5. Sweden

Average annual salary: $101,604

Sweden is yet another on our list of highest paying countries for air traffic controllers. This is also one of the highest paid jobs in Sweden. Nowadays, there are around 700 air traffic controllers in Sweden.

4. Australia

Average annual salary: $104,692

To become air traffic controller in Australia, you must go through rigorous training Airservices Australia or RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force).  The good side of studying at one of these is that you get paid during your studies ($44,232), and $66,349 when you successfully finish your studies.

3. USA

Average annual salary: $122,410

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, California has the highest employment level of air traffic controllers (with 2,270 workers), and New Hampshire has the highest paid air traffic controllers with an annual wage of $143,360 and (only) 400 employees. Now, let’s see the top two entries on our list of highest paying countries for air traffic controllers.

2. Germany

Average annual salary: $134,282

Having the busiest air traffic, the German government has some strict requirements concerning their air traffic controllers. Among them are: excellent knowledge of English language, being less than 24 years of age, high levels of concentration and conscientious, prepared for highly stressful situations, etc.

1. Spain

Average annual salary: $223,188

Although Spain is on the top of the highest paying countries for air traffic controllers, we have noted in the introductory part of this article that the figures come from around 5-7 years ago. The other side of the medal in Spain is high tax bracket, it is 46-47 percent for earnings above EUR 60,000 (around $66,945).