Air traffic controller to aircraft dispatcher
An air traffic controller already meets 39% of what the aircraft dispatcher role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.6/ 100
1 How much of what an aircraft dispatcher is expected to do is already part of an air traffic controller’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the aircraft dispatcher role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An aircraft dispatcher role treats 9 of its required skills as things an air traffic controller already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- act reliably
- air traffic control operations
- airport planning
- apply airport standards and regulations
- aviation meteorology
- perform multiple tasks at the same time
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An aircraft dispatcher role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an air traffic controller background worth leading with.
- already held air traffic control operations services
- already held airport planning engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held use meteorological information information skills
- already held aviation meteorology services
- already held apply airport standards and regulations assisting and caring
- already held perform multiple tasks at the same time management skills
All 9 carried skills, including the 9 the aircraft dispatcher role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn calculate aircraft weight required
- still to learn consider weather conditions in flight decisions required
- still to learn prepare flight dispatch release required
- still to learn ensure accuracy of aeronautical data required
- still to learn disseminate flight information required
- still to learn prepare notices to airmen for pilots required
- still to learn work in an aviation team required
- still to learn create a flight plan required
- still to learn make time-critical decisions required
- still to learn meet deadlines required
- still to learn assist pilot in execution of emergency landing required
- still to learn operate radio equipment required
- still to learn apply company policies required
- still to learn use ICT systems required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an aircraft dispatcher role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assist pilot in execution of emergency landing practise this
- 02 calculate aircraft weight practise this
- 03 consider weather conditions in flight decisions practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 9 skills that carry over
- already held act reliably skill
- already held air traffic control operations knowledge
- already held airport planning knowledge
- already held apply airport standards and regulations skill
- already held aviation meteorology knowledge
- already held perform multiple tasks at the same time skill
- already held tolerate stress skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held use meteorological information skill
0 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
27 held skills the aircraft dispatcher role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role air transport law knowledge
- not needed by the target role aircraft flight control systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse work-related written reports skill
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role assist during take off and landing skill
- not needed by the target role assist in the conducting of flight checks skill
- not needed by the target role carry out navigational calculations skill
- not needed by the target role celestial navigation knowledge
- not needed by the target role common aviation safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role comply with checklists skill
- not needed by the target role electrical systems used in transportation knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronic communication knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role execute working instructions skill
- not needed by the target role give instructions to staff skill
- not needed by the target role handle stressful situations in the work place skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role have spatial awareness skill
- not needed by the target role interpret visual literacy skill
- not needed by the target role monitor aviation meteorology skill
- not needed by the target role operate airport control tower skill
- not needed by the target role operate radar equipment skill
- not needed by the target role pre-flight procedures for IFR flights knowledge
- not needed by the target role read 3D displays skill
- not needed by the target role stay alert skill
- not needed by the target role use of air traffic services document skill
Common questions about this move
Can an air traffic controller become an aircraft dispatcher?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An air traffic controller already covers 39% of what an aircraft dispatcher is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 9 of which the aircraft dispatcher role treats as required.
What skills does an air traffic controller need to become an aircraft dispatcher?
14 required skills are missing, plus 0 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is assist pilot in execution of emergency landing.
How hard is the move from air traffic controller to aircraft dispatcher?
Its learning distance is 64.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.