Importance of Air Traffic Control Towers | OAJ Airport

During peak air travel times in the United States, there can be around 5,000 airplanes zipping through the sky at any moment during the day. Ensuring the safety of those flying falls on air traffic controllers to coordinate the movement of thousands of aircraft, keep them at safe distances from each other, direct them during takeoff and landing, direct them around troublesome weather, and ensure that traffic flows efficiently with minimal delays.

Importance Of Air Control Towers

Air traffic control towers are located at over 500 of the 5,000 commercial and general aviation airports in the US. These towers coordinate takeoffs, landing, ground traffic and aircrafts in flight within 5 miles of the airport. Their primary purpose worldwide is to prevent collisions, organize and expedite the flow of air traffic, and provide information and other support for pilots. It is ultimately a safety measure– skies do not have traffic lights!

At smaller airports with less aircraft traffic, the pilots communicate with each other on common radio frequencies. This has proven to be safe at lower volume airports, however as traffic increases and greater efficiency is required an Air Traffic Control Tower is opened.

Air Traffic Controllers Have the Following Responsibilities:

Advising and updating pilots about nearby planes and potentially hazardous conditions
Issuing landing and take-off authorizations and instructions
Transferring control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accepting control of incoming flights
Monitoring or directing aircraft within an airspace or on the ground
Compiling information about flights from flight plans, pilots reports, radar, or observations

Areas surrounding airports can rest in knowing that air traffic will run smoothly with very slim chance of disaster. With the help of air traffic control towers, the pilot has a second pair of eyes to ensure safety. Economic developers are more likely to be attracted to areas with air control towers, and companies will have more interest in landing their larger aircrafts. Contact us today!