Key facts
- Scott Nugent of Civil Air Australia said dozens of Australian controllers had resigned or were exploring overseas work.
- Airservices Australia said its national controller attrition rate was within expectations.
- NAV CANADA described its foreign recruitment of eight controllers as a limited, targeted measure.
- Josia Manyakoana said South Africa's agency limits how many staff it seeks from any single country.
- CANSO is examining ways to share training costs between current employers and the organizations that trained controllers.
- Nick von Schoenberg said his Canadian union would not block NAV CANADA's recruitment plans.
A global shortage of air traffic controllers is driving cross-border recruitment of experienced staff, aviation officials said in a Reuters report published on November 4, 2026. Countries from Australia to Canada and South Africa are competing for controllers, with some turning to foreigners to fill vacancies even as their own staff are recruited elsewhere.
Globally, 71,000 new air traffic controllers will be needed by 2034, according to a 2025 forecast from aviation training firm CAE. Australia, the United States and Canada are among countries where controller shortages have contributed to flight disruptions, the report said.
Controllers and union officials interviewed by Reuters said staff were leaving for higher pay, improved conditions and in some cases the opportunity to work beyond their home country's retirement age. Two people with knowledge of the matter said some controllers employed by Airservices Australia were moving to Qatar, which has recently advertised for staff.
Scott Nugent, president of union Civil Air Australia, said: "We are aware of dozens of ATCs (air traffic controllers) across multiple locations in Australia, including some in Sydney, who have either resigned from Airservices to work overseas, or are exploring the opportunity to do so." Most departing controllers were searching for better conditions regarding fatigue, leave, overtime and staffing, one of the people said. Airservices Australia said its national attrition rate for controllers was within expectations. Qatar's civil aviation authority did not respond to a request for comment.
NAV CANADA said it had recently used an external firm as part of "a limited, targeted measure" to recruit eight foreign controllers willing to immigrate to Canada. South Africa's Air Traffic and Navigation Services limits the number of staff it seeks from individual countries after losing 28 controllers within eight months between 2024 and 2025, chief operating officer Josia Manyakoana said. "We don't want to do that to any one specific country," he said.
CANSO, a global trade group representing air traffic control providers, is examining ways to share training costs between controllers' current employers and the organizations that trained them. A spokesperson said the country that trains a controller usually carries the full cost even if that controller later moves on.