EASA and EUROCONTROL are urging national aviation regulators to prepare early for a change in air traffic controller training, following a workshop held on October 27–28, 2026.
In its October 30 workshop statement, EASA says competency-based training and assessment (CBTA) requirements are due from January 1, 2029 for initial training, operational air traffic services units and controller training organisations.
Why approval planning matters
The workshop called for training organisations and regulators to discuss submissions and approval schedules early. Authorities should explain expected review times and documentation needs, according to EASA.
EASA also says courses can be updated with CBTA in mind while remaining compliant with the requirements applicable through the end of 2028.
Further support is planned
The agencies plan further discussions to align oversight and intend to develop an introductory online course for inspectors and other stakeholders. These are proposed support measures, rather than a course already available to book.
For training providers, the practical next step is to establish the approval process with their own authority before changing a programme. A workshop summary is not an individual course approval. For passengers, the announcement does not establish that controller staffing shortages or flight delays have been resolved.
Archive photograph: Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport control tower and apron, February 18, 2017; not the October 2026 workshop or a training session. Photo: Dylan Agbagni (No copyrights), via Wikimedia Commons and Flickr. CC0 1.0; Commons Flickr review passed November 17, 2017. Resized and compressed to WebP; additional crops supplied for article metadata.
