From fragmented to connected: The future of ATC training
Jonny Cooke
Head of Products
The digital transformation of air traffic control training is well advanced. The industry’s investment in high-fidelity simulation, competency-based learning frameworks and data-driven selection tools has fundamentally changed what modern ATC training can deliver. The technology has, in many respects, never been better.
However there’s a gap in this picture that doesn’t get enough attention.
As an industry, the way we track, assess and manage ATC trainee and controller progress during training has barely changed over the past two decades. From our industry research and validation, training progress reports are predominantly paper-based for the majority of Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), and assessment materials stored in disconnected places rather than in a shared digital system. We’ve seen no evidence of a single, consolidated view of how a trainee is developing, from their first day in selection through to operational validation.
The weak link in the training chain
From our perspective, these are structural weaknesses in the training pipeline. The systems many ANSPs use to track and assess that training are not keeping pace with rising regulatory expectations or the growing cost of training failure.
Paper records can get lost or misread, and assessments vary depending on who is conducting them and what materials they are working from. Without a real-time view of trainee performance, the warning signs that should trigger early intervention can go unnoticed.
New regulatory direction is reinforcing the urgency. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s recent regulation to modernise ATC training, introducing competency-based and virtual methods, signals a clear global shift toward digital, transparent and data-informed training environments. The expectation is no longer just aspirational, it is becoming the standard.
So what does a genuinely connected, digital air traffic control training journey look like, and how we get there?
A connected training journey
At Airways International we’ve spent decades building digital tools that support each stage of the air traffic control training lifecycle. SureSelect, our online ATC selection tool helps ANSPs identify candidates most likely to succeed before training begins. In the classroom, AirBooks supports digital theory instruction, while our AKO virtual courses extend Airways’ training expertise to learners globally. The learning is then applied in our world-class, high fidelity simulation delivered by TotalControl.
What was missing was a single connected digital tool that brings assessment content, performance tracking and training oversight together, from selection through to validation. Enter OnTrac, Airways International’s new digital platform for ATC training and assessment.
Introducing OnTrac
OnTrac was developed in direct response to challenges within Airways New Zealand’s operations that will be familiar to many ANSPs, such as fragmented trainee progress tracking, paper-based assessments, and inconsistent practices across units and individuals.
It brings assessment configuration, performance tracking and training insights together in one connected platform for instructors, assessors and training managers.
As the commercial arm of Airways New Zealand, Airways International brings product and services to the global market shaped by genuine operational requirements. We develop solutions to solve real ANSP challenges, and then we keep refining, driven by feedback from the people who use them in live operational environments.
Our SureSelect and TotalControl solutions are strong examples of that approach. OnTrac is the next.
At its core, OnTrac delivers four key capabilities:
- A central knowledge hub brings assessment items, competency checklists and rating guides into one place, reducing duplication and supporting standardisation across units and instructors.
- A flexible assessment builder with a central question bank allows training teams to create and customise digital assessments including period training reports and oral board assessments. When source documents are updated, the system automatically highlights the questions affected by those changes – saving assessors significant time and ensuring assessments always reflect the latest standards.
- A connected end-to-end training dashboard gives instructors, assessors and QA leads a single view of trainee performance across every stage of the journey.
- A continuous feedback loop supports early intervention by surfacing patterns and trends in performance data, reducing subjectivity and giving instructors the information they need to act before problems escalate.
OnTrac is being developed iteratively, with prototype versions tested and refined through direct feedback from Airways instructors and assessors. That grounding in real-world use is what gives us confidence in its value for the wider industry.
Connecting every stage of the training journey
Better outcomes for trainees, instructors and ANSPs
For instructors, reduced administration means more time focused on developing trainees. For assessors, consistent digital tools mean fairer, more defensible decisions. For training managers, a connected view of the entire trainee cohort means stronger oversight and greater confidence when making operational readiness calls.
Earlier access to meaningful performance data gives everyone the ability to intervene sooner, before a trainee reaches a critical decision point.
I’ve seen firsthand how much this industry has invested in ATC simulation, selection and learning technologies. It surprises me that, compared to other industries, there is such an under-investment in systems to manage, assess and inform the training journey from end to end, tailored for the unique training environment that our controllers develop in.
We look forward to sharing more about our OnTrac development at Airspace World in Lisbon, and to continuing the conversation with ANSPs who are ready to close the gap.
About the author
Jonny Cooke
Head of Products
At Airways International, Jonny Cooke leads a cross-functional team of software developers, product managers, and product specialists to design, develop and deliver innovative solutions for aviation – including the TotalControl simulation solution, AirShare uncrewed traffic management system, and SureSelect ATC selection solution.
Jonny has over 10 years’ experience working in digital products development in an operational, technical and strategic capacity, and has experience and expertise in the deployment of a number of software-based products and services to customers around the world, including numerous ATC simulation deployments. Jonny holds a Master of Information Technology.
