1980/04 - Joint Air Traffic Control Centre (JATCC)

Operationalised in October 1980, the JATCC was a joint effort between the RSAF and the Department of Civil Aviation to streamline air traffic operations. The new JATCC, which was located at Changi Airport, featured computerised systems that simplified tasks and eased manpower constraints.

The Joint Air Traffic Control Centre at Changi Airport

“The mental demands of the job are heavier than the physical. Satisfaction is when you come off the seat after helping an emergency aircraft land, or directing Search and Rescue aircraft by the shortest route to the scene of an accident. It’s knowing that it’s not just millions of dollars of equipment but also human lives that you saved.”

CPT Kwek Chee Kian, Officer in Charge, JATCC Radar Operation, 1980 on being an Air Traffic Controller in the JATCC