Improving the training of air traffic controllers: Opinions from instructors in Singapore

Air traffic controllers play a vital function with regard to ensuring the safety and efficiency of international civil aviation. Despite this, there is a lack of research addressing how air traffic controllers are trained. This paper collects opinions about the air traffic control (ATC) training programme in Singapore from a group of 30 instructors who were working within the aerodrome training team. Convenience sampling was used to recruit the participants and thematic analysis was used to identify key opinions. Significant advantages and disadvantages of the current training programme were identified, such as pre-training and simulator constraints. In addition to findings relating to the learning of required skill sets, interviews also highlighted the need for a just culture in the workplace and human factors training.