From radar to runway - keeping our skies safe

Each day, commercial and private aircraft pass through Irish airspace, often without passengers giving a second thought to how planes are kept safely controlled in the skies.

So, what does it actually take to manage the volume of daily air traffic from the ground on a regular basis?

In her role as an Air Traffic Management Specialist, Moate's Katharine Ross shares the responsibility of air safety with her AirNav Ireland colleagues from her base at Dublin Airport.

Now 21 years into her current role, Katharine has worked in the aviation industry since 1993, responding to a Department of Transport job advertisement for air traffic controllers in the careers office at Maynooth University where she was studying at the time.

Katharine had recently graduated from the Kildare university with a postgrad diploma in information technology, was looking for work and the job advertisement "caught my eye".

"It was a time when work wasn't as plentiful (Katharine also holds a BA in history, geography and music), so the air traffic control job seemed interesting to me. I had never set foot in an air traffic control tower so it was a completely new departure," Katharine said.

Having passed the interview process, Katharine relocated to Shannon airport where she was based for a 12-year period, until 2005.

"I was an assistant air traffic controller for an initial two years, before graduating to a first level position. Recruitment training was extensive and intensive but when in the role, you worked as a team ensuring the safety of aircraft were always to the front of your mind," Katharine said.

With air safety regulations and aircraft ATC procedures being regularly updated, Katharine said exams were commonplace to ensure air traffic controllers "were aware of their responsibilities".

"As an air traffic controller, you had to obtain a 70% pass rate to remain in your role," Katharine stated.

Katharine relocated to Dublin Airport in 2005 and has been commuting to her place of work for over 20 years from her home in Moate.

Prior to her Dublin Airport relocation, Katharine also spent two years in Paris in the early noughties which, she said, allowed her to get a "greater understanding" of the software used in the air traffic management system, knowledge which ultimately benefits her role today as an air traffic management specialist.

As an air traffic management specialist, Katharine liaises daily with the bank of air traffic controllers and engineers in Dublin Airport, passing on her three decades of knowledge and experience to her colleagues in the control tower and centre.

The scope of her role is vast.

"As a member of the air traffic management specialist team, we work on airspace design, communication systems and the traffic flow of all aircraft.

“The role also involves testing and maintaining the air traffic control systems, updating adaptation data (routes, maps) and the enhancing of safety protocols," Katharine said.

As an air traffic management specialist, Katharine said, she and her colleagues are "driven by safety requirements, software improvements, and airspace updates " which impact the flow of air traffic.

"These airspace updates are implemented on 13 specific dates in the Aeronautical information regulation and control (AIRAC) calendar year," Katharine said.

There are five remaining AIRAC dates in 2026 and Katharine said the updated aeronautical information, provided in advance of the effective dates, is important to ensuring pilots and air traffic controllers are made aware of changes to flight management systems.

"This process is crucial for maintaining operational efficiency and safety in the aviation industry," Katharine stated.

Katharine said that "close to 90%" of all transatlantic air traffic "passes over Irish airspace" due to the Gulf Stream and the air traffic management team are "always on alert" in their safety roles.

"My role now is to assist the air traffic controllers as they maintain the safety of aircraft in the skies around Dublin airport and above Ireland. It's essential that I make their role as simple and comfortable as possible as it can be a stressful job," Katharine added.

Katharine said working in a team environment at Dublin Airport to ensure the "ultimate safety" of moving aircraft brings great reward.

"Our motto in the control room is to be safe, efficient and expeditious, three words that are part of our daily routine.

Working alongside a team of approximately 70-80 air traffic controllers and management specialists, who Katharine described as "extended family members", she said "no two days are the same".

The role continues to pique her interest and she has advised those with an interest in matters aviation to apply for the AirNav Ireland student controller programme when the application process opens twice yearly.

"A career in aviation was certainly not what I envisaged in the early 1990s, but over 33 years later it still retains my interest and brought me great reward through the years," Katharine concluded.