$20k sign-on bonus, new schemes: How S’pore plans to grow its pool of air traffic controllers
Vanessa Paige Chelvan
The Straits Times
July 22, 2026
New air traffic controller recruits will receive a $20,000 sign-on bonus as part of a hiring drive to support growing air travel demand and prepare for the opening of Changi Airport Terminal 5 (T5).
An undergraduate scholarship has also been introduced to woo young controllers, and a management associate programme and an air traffic control specialisation with a local university will be rolled out to attract more Singaporeans to the profession.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) plans to increase its workforce of air traffic controllers by about 40 per cent, from around 500 today to about 700 by the mid-2030s, when T5 opens.
The recruitment drive is backed by a $500 million investment over the next 15 years to hire, train and pay about 200 additional air traffic controllers. It is part of a broader $4 billion programme to upgrade Singapore’s air navigation services, including new air traffic systems and the refurbishment of Changi Airport’s iconic control tower.
Announcing the plans on July 22, CAAS director-general Han Kok Juan said aviation demand is expected to continue growing despite the current global uncertainty.
“The outlook for this year remains uncertain, given what is happening around the world. But beyond the immediate uncertainty, the future of aviation is bright, and we are confident that aviation will continue to grow in the years ahead,” he said.
Air traffic controllers are the bedrock of Singapore’s air navigation services, Han said, and the profession offers a wide range of career opportunities beyond directing aircraft.
Controllers can eventually move into areas such as planning and technology, as well as management and international leadership roles, he said.
The sign-on bonus, which was introduced on June 1, will be paid in two equal tranches – after the completion of a 10-month theory and simulator training, and after attainment of the air traffic control licence, typically about 18 months after joining, CAAS said.
Fresh university graduates currently receive a starting salary of about $64,000 a year, rising to around $120,000 annually after five years of experience and licensing. Fresh diploma holders start at about $49,000 a year.
Once they obtain their licence, all new controllers will be placed on the same career scheme and receive the same pay, regardless of their educational qualifications.
Separately, CAAS introduced an air traffic control undergraduate scholarship in March, and will launch an air traffic control management associate programme in August for fresh graduates with up to two years of work experience who aspire to build careers in aviation. The undergraduate scholarship is open to students pursuing most areas of study at local and renowned overseas universities, except medicine and dentistry.
It covers tuition fees, compulsory course fees and a monthly living allowance. Scholarship recipients studying overseas will also receive return airfares and allowances for expenses such as warm clothing, according to the CAAS website.
In return, scholarship recipients studying locally will serve a four-year bond, while those studying overseas will serve five years if they study in a non-English-speaking country, or six years if they study in an English-speaking country.
The scholarship includes a professional training pathway to become an air traffic controller and opportunities to work on international aviation safety and air traffic management.
CAAS is also working with a local university on a new air traffic control specialisation that combines undergraduate studies with professional training, allowing students to qualify for an air traffic control licence more quickly. More details will be made public later.
In addition, the authority will strengthen its engineering and research capabilities in air navigation services by establishing an engineering development centre.
It is also providing a stipend top-up of $1,500 for local PhD students under the Nanyang Technological University Research Scholarship scheme to build Singapore’s research capabilities in air traffic management.
The opening of T5 in the mid-2030s, together with the wider Changi East development, will nearly double the airport’s size and increase its annual passenger-handling capacity from 90 million to 140 million.
Today, air traffic controllers manage about 2,000 flights a day, comprising around 1,000 arriving at and departing from Changi Airport.
The airport recorded 374,000 aircraft movements in 2025 – or an average of one take-off or landing every 84 seconds.
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