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Comment by wNjdbfm | Hacker News Reader

Is this a US ONLY problem? I'm not trying to start a flame war, I'm genuinely wondering for example: European air travel doesn't seem any less safe than the US so whatever they are doing seems to work just as well. Do they have trouble hiring and keeping ATCs? Is their comp/work life/training/etc very different than ours? Would appreciate any insight from folks that know.

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It looks like Europe also has staffing issues, but they're more likely to cancel/delay flights rather than overwork their ATC https://skift.com/2023/08/22/europes-air-traffic-controller-...

Yes — it reached a point where Ryanair made a website on the issue: https://www.atcruinedourholiday.com/

There was a mass firing in the early 1980s (~90%) which led to the development of a bathtub curve in ATC staffing. By the 2010s this had become a critical issue but was met with a hiring freeze (not the first). Now we're seeing the outcome of those poor decisions paired with the slow hiring/training process to fill the roles.

This is a worldwide problem. ATC staff under 35 would be a rapid visa approval for Australia, if trained to world-class standards.

The Canadian system is much better.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nav_Canada#History

I have seen job listings for ATC's in australia that sounded much like begging.

And yeah, my understanding is we have much the same physical, mental and technical requirements as other countries.

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