Business Insider: What it takes to be an air traffic controller at the world’s busiest airport
- In 2019, air traffic controllers at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world’s busiest airport, directed 909,431 flights through takeoff and landing.
- The airport’s 58 controllers are responsible for the safety of hundreds of millions of passengers on board those planes.
- Controllers have to contend with weather, tight schedules, and knowing any mistake they make could cause a ripple effect of delays across the country.
- Pre-pandemic, in February 2020, Business Insider went up inside the tallest air traffic control tower in America to see how training, technology, and diligence make this job possible.
- Since Business Insider’s visit, the tower has closed to all visitors and implemented social distancing and a mask requirement. The airport has seen just 60% of last year’s air traffic volume, with 1,500 takeoffs and landings a day.
