On the occasion of International Day of the Air Traffic Controller and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Air Traffic Control Profession, ATC Guild (I), NER hosted a symposium at the Regional Training Center of LGBI Airport, Guwahati.
The Chief Guest, Shri Sanmukh Jugani, Regional Executive Director of North East Region, Guwahati, AAI, Operational Adjutant COO of the IAF, Guest of Honor Squadron Leader Rahul Chamoli, Chief Operating Officer of AGIAL (Guwahati Airport), Chief Operating Officer of AGIAL (Guwahati Airport), GM(HR) Sri Gyan Batra, GM(CNS) Sri P Acharya, officiating GM(ATM) Sri Sri Rajiv Sarma and senior pilots of Indigo, AirAsia & Flybig Airlines; other senior officials of AAI Airport and Air Traffic Controllers of Guwahati Airport and other stakeholders.
On the occasion of the 61st International Day of the Air Traffic Controllers (this day is noted as the founding date of IFATCA in 1961) and the milestone of 100 years of the ATC profession, Regional President of the ATC Guild NER, Sri Prabhakar Prabhat, sent his congratulations to all. He gave the audience a history lesson on ATC and explained why IFATCA had chosen to commemorate the organization’s founding in 1922. The events on the timeline are:
- Ten nations ratified and signed the CINA rules.
- The first mid-air accident over Normandy (France) in 1922 amply proved the necessity of ATC services to prevent aircraft collision.
- London’s Croydon received the first ATC tower’s commission in 1922.
- Jimmy Jeff received his initial air traffic controller licence in 1922.
Dr. Sanjay O’Neill Shaw, GM (HR), GM (CNS), and COO of AGIAL spoke at the occasion.
RED The efforts made by the ATCs, who work with the utmost dedication and sincerity even in the most trying circumstances, were recognised by Sri Sanmukh Jugani. “ATC is a vital component of aviation safety. Every hour of every day, air traffic controllers around the world labour to keep the airspace secure and well-organized. I applaud them for bringing their spectacular display to aviation,” he remarked.
All recognised the importance of ATCOs in civil aviation and urged them to continue working hard and with professionalism.
Around the world, more than 100,000 aeroplanes are safely guided to their destination by air traffic controllers.