Air Traffic Control (ATC) is the universal means of communication between pilots and the airports which they are using. But what is the language used by Air Traffic Control? By that, we mean, which of the many languages used throughout the world, are used by air traffic controllers?
The language used by Air Traffic Control is quite simple: whichever the pilot chooses to use. Normally this is between English and whatever the language is of the place that they are flying to/from. Although English is the only official language.
Take this for instance, an American pilot coming in to land at Paris Charles de Gaulle, would instigate the conversation in whichever language he was most comfortable using, whether that was French or English.
This is the same, whether it is a private jet terminal, or a commercial terminal. For most non-English speaking nations, and some English speaking nations, is it obligatory that Air Traffic Controllers speak at least one other foreign language.
Usually, this is English for non-English speaking nations, and either French or Spanish (Although, usually French), which they will be tested on to make certain that it is correct.
How does the pilot know what the language used by air traffic control is?
Short answer, the pilot doesn’t really know. When he arrives at the airport (just before he begins his descent), he makes a call to the air traffic controllers on the ground.
When he does that, he dictates which language is used, as whilst the air traffic controller may know English and, say, French, the pilot doesn’t necessary know French.
It’s a general rule between air traffic controllers that you always address in English, as you don’t necessarily know the nationality of the pilot who you are talking to. English is compulsory for all pilots to know how to speak, which is the main reason it is the universal language to address pilots in.
However, if a French pilot is flying London Heathrow to Paris Charles de Gaulle, and is coming in to land, he would likely address the French air traffic control in French for simplicity’s sake.
The same can be said for a Spanish pilot in Spain, a German pilot in Germany or an Italian pilot in Italy.
Is this latter part acceptable, or a breach of conduct?
The language used by air traffic controllers is down to the pilot, so it is an unofficial rule between ATC and pilots that you can use your own language if it is easier.
This means that a Punjabi pilot flying into Punjab could use Punjabi with the air traffic controller if he wished to. The same can be said for any language in any environment.
We interviewed a former (French) air traffic controller who used to work at the Charles de Gaulle ATC, he said:
The language used by air traffic control was determined by the language used by the pilot. As a general rule, unless I knew the pilot very well, I wouldn’t talk to him in a different language.
I know how to speak English and French. However, this doesn’t mean an American pilot would know how to speak French.
I only know of one occasion where the language used by air traffic control was different to the one the pilot was using. And that nearly ended badly for aircraft, and did end badly for the 20 year-old ATC trainee.
We also interviewed a former German air traffic controller, we asked him “What is the language used by air traffic control?” He responded:
German, French, English, it made no difference to me, I speak them all. Some of the newer controllers think that because they speak German and English, that they are set.
They are often quite wrong, normally it’s either Air France or KLM that breaks that arrogance. Normally they get addressed in French, as German controllers are known for being quite linguistically adept.
Then they freak out and end up looking like an idiot in front of everybody. We normally just take their place, land the aircraft, and hold it over their head.
Which are the most used languages by air traffic control?
The language used by Air Traffic Control that is used the most, is often dependent on the region. For instance, Spanish or Portuguese is more likely to be spoken by South American pilots flying to/from South America than in North America.
The same with Chinese in China versus Europe. This list includes English as number one, and carries on from there:
- English, as this is obligatory, and is the default language, there’s no wonder that it’s #1. English is also the Universal language (Lingua Franca). However, this English is slightly different from standard English, it is called Aviation English. Aviation English is only slightly different from standard English.
- French, this one is to be expected. French was previously the language of aviation, having its own Aviation French. Aviation French, too was different from standard French, and is still a language used by air traffic control in France on occasions.
- German, this is one which shows the dominance of Germany abroad. Not many countries outside of Germany and Austria speak German. But many people go to Germany for vacations due to its history and love of the West. Many of the world’s largest airlines are German, including Lufthansa, Air Berlin (defunct) and Condor are all German.
- Russian, this one is usually used, mainly in Russia, but sometimes other surrounding nations and Alaska. Mainly ATC controllers from former USSR nations use this to address Russian pilots, over English as many grew up in the USSR and speak Russian.
- Chinese (Mandarin), this one is mainly due to the size of the Chinese aviation market, rather than the scope of the language. Most of the time Chinese is the language used by air traffic controllers in China and its surrounding countries. Very rarely are pilots addressed, or address the ATC controllers in Chinese.
I hope you have enjoyed this article on what the language used by air traffic control is. It is often overlooked as it isn’t seen to be that glorious compared to being a pilot.
I’m curious, do you believe that this will stay the same in the coming years? Will French come back to be the most used language in aviation? Tell me in the comments below!