Stronger together for millions of travellers
Requirements for air traffic controller training
Extraordinary jobs demand extraordinary people. As an air traffic controller, you need to be mentally strong, communicative and in good health. Among other things, it is important that you can stay on top of stressful situations and make decisions instantly. After all, we are talking about the safety of millions of travellers. Specifically, you meet the following requirements:
Basic requirements
You are very welcome at DFS no matter what your nationality or where you graduated from school. We will just need a little more documentation from you.
If you are not from the EU, we will need a valid permanent residence permit and a work permit. In addition, by the end of the application process at the latest, we will need official recognition of the equivalence of your school-leaving certificate with the German general university entrance level qualification (allgemeine Hochschulreife). You will need to have any certificates, transcripts and qualifications translated by a certified translator.
When you apply, please provide a reference to the German information portal for foreign educational qualifications (Infoportal für ausländische Bildungsabschlüsse) to prove the equivalence of your school leaving certificate with the German general university entrance level qualification (a screenshot is sufficient).
Depending on your area of work, German is mandatory as the working language. If you do not have a German Abitur, we will need proof of your German language skills in the form of a C1 certificate under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
We also need official confirmation from your consulate that you are not subject to any compulsory military service.
Personal strengths
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You can instantly make the right decisions and other people can always rely on you.
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You have good spatial awareness.
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You always approach tasks with a high level of concentration and keep a cool head even in high-pressure situations.
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You have a strong sense of responsibility and are always aware of the consequences of your actions.
Medical fitness
The training, licensing and work of air traffic controllers are laid down in law for the whole of Europe. This also includes comprehensive medical criteria for suitability. The requirements are governed by European legislation in Commission Regulation 2015/340 (PDF). You can find the important information on pages 130-172. Admittedly, it is a voluminous work.
If you have specific questions about your medical fitness, it is best to take the document to your doctor. There are even special aviation medical examiners you can turn to in case of doubt. In principle, the following medical requirements apply at DFS:
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Hoch konzentriert leitest du Flugzeuge zu ihrem Ziel.
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Du kommunizierst fließend auf Englisch mit den Pilotinnen und Piloten.
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Auch in herausfordernden Situationen behältst du einen kühlen Kopf.
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Verantwortungsbewusst überwachst du den Luftraum.
More on the selection process for air traffic controller training
More on the work life of air traffic controllers
Become part of our
close-knit team
The air traffic controller training programme starts several times a year. This means you can apply to us at any time. Ideally, you should apply 1 year before you want to start with the training. In most cases, if you are available earlier, you can start earlier.
Do you have questions about air traffic controller training?
Then, please get in touch with:
Applicant management team
+49 (0)6103 707-5155
lotsenausbildung@dfs.de
WhatsApp: +49 (0)162 254 1843