air traffic control 
noun [mass noun]
The ground-based personnel and equipment concerned with controlling and monitoring air traffic within a particular area.Declare an emergency and air traffic control will drop everything to get airplanes out of your way....
- How do pilots communicate with air traffic control when flying over the ocean?
- All of these people stayed on their post, did their job, got the rest of air traffic control on the ground.
Derivatives
air traffic controller
- Will I need more training in order to continue my career as an air traffic controller at an airport?
- He also earned certification as an air traffic controller with military control-tower rating.
- Imagine looking at the blips on the monitor of an air traffic controller in Las Angeles, multiplying those radar blips by 100-then zooming in on the flight path of a single aircraft.