Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) PracticeTest

What is the first duty priority of controllers?

1. Efficient traffic management

2. Safe orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic

3. Providing pilot assistance

4. Minimizing flight delays

The correct answer is: Safe orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic

The first duty priority of air traffic controllers is to ensure the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic. This priority encompasses the critical need to maintain safety as the paramount concern in aviation operations. Controllers are responsible for managing the interactions between aircraft, ensuring that each flight operates within established safety parameters. This includes maintaining safe distances between aircraft, providing timely information to pilots, and directing traffic in busy airspace. While efficient traffic management, providing pilot assistance, and minimizing flight delays are important functions that controllers perform, they are secondary to the primary goal of safety. The air traffic control system is designed to prioritize the protection of lives and aircraft, which underpins all other operational benefits. In the context of air traffic management, an effective safety protocol ultimately leads to more efficient operations and reduced delays, but those aspects cannot supersede the fundamental requirement of safety first.