Using ChatGPT for Air Traffic Control
Part of the "Conversations with LLMs" series.
Air traffic control decisions are often made in seconds.
Controllers must constantly evaluate aircraft spacing, runway availability, weather conditions, and pilot reports—all while maintaining safe separation between aircraft moving at hundreds of kilometres per hour.
Most of the time, these decisions remain invisible to passengers.
But when an aircraft declares an emergency, the entire arrival sequence can change instantly.
Today’s conversation is with ChatGPT (GPT-5.3) asking it to handle Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Sydney International. We’ll throw in an emergency to make it interesting.
The only thing I know about general aviation is how to check-in for my flight. I know even less about air traffic control other than if you can avoid two aircraft colliding that’s a win. What I learnt from this example was how easy it could be to embed AI into an air traffic controller’s role. I have no idea whether the decisions it made in these scenarios where correct nor how it would perform if scaled up to deal with one or two orders of magnitude more aircraft.
Note: This chat has been edited for brevity.
An Emergency on Final: How Air Traffic Control Might Handle a Crisis
Below is a reconstructed air traffic control simulation exploring how ChatGPT - as a controller at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (YSSY) - might respond when a business jet reports an engine failure and potential braking issues during approach.
Setting the Scene
> Me:
I need you to manage air traffic at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (YSSY). Can you obtain the necessary runway and weather information?
> ChatGPT:
Operational Snapshot
Before issuing any control instructions, controllers need a quick operational overview.
Airport Layout
Sydney Airport has three runways:
07 / 25
2,530 m
Crosswind / secondary
16L / 34R
2,438 m
Parallel operations
16R / 34L
3,962 m
Primary heavy runway
With southerly winds, Sydney typically operates in south flow, using the 16 runways.
Current Weather
Wind: 170° at 12 knots
Visibility: 10 km or greater
Cloud: Broken 3,900 ft, overcast 4,800 ft
Temperature: 19°C
Pressure: 1014 hPa
Conditions are good for visual and instrument approaches.
Initial Runway Configuration
With winds from 170°, the preferred configuration is:
Arrivals: Runway 16R
Departures: Runway 16L
Sydney Tower is now ready to manage inbound traffic.
Scenario One: Emergency Aircraft on Approach
> Me:
We have an Airbus A330-200 from Singapore 7 km out and preparing to land.
A Cessna Citation Ascend is 10 km out and has just declared an emergency.
The Citation is reporting loss of one engine and possible hydraulic brake failure.
An Airbus A320neo from New Zealand is 25 km out and requesting landing.
What instructions would you issue to each aircraft?
> ChatGPT:
Situation Assessment
Traffic inbound to Sydney:
Singapore Airlines A330-200
7 km
On final
Citation Ascend
10 km
Emergency declared
Air New Zealand A320neo
25 km
Inbound
In aviation, emergency aircraft receive priority over all other traffic.
To provide a clear runway, the arrival sequence must change immediately.
ATC Instructions
Emergency Aircraft — Citation Ascend
The Citation receives immediate landing priority.
Radio Call
SYDNEY TOWER
Citation [callsign], Sydney Tower.
Runway 16R cleared to land.
Wind 170 at 12 knots.
Emergency services standing by.Airport rescue and firefighting vehicles move into position alongside the runway.
Singapore Airlines A330-200
Even though the A330 is closer to the runway, it must go around.
Radio Call
SYDNEY TOWER
Singapore [callsign], go around.
Climb to 3000 feet, runway heading.The aircraft aborts its landing and climbs away to be resequenced later.
Air New Zealand A320neo
The aircraft farther away is placed in a holding pattern.
Radio Call
SYDNEY APPROACH
Air New Zealand [callsign],
enter holding at BOREE,
maintain 6000 feet.
Expect delay due emergency traffic.Continuing the Simulation
> Me:
Continue.
> ChatGPT:
Updated Situation
Citation now 5 km from runway
A330 climbing after go-around
A320 holding
Emergency vehicles are positioned along Runway 16R.
ATC Instructions
Citation
SYDNEY TOWER
Citation [callsign],
runway 16R continues cleared to land.
Emergency vehicles positioned alongside the runway.A330
SYDNEY APPROACH
Singapore [callsign],
turn left heading 090.
Climb to 5000 feet.A320
SYDNEY APPROACH
Air New Zealand [callsign],
continue holding at BOREE.
Maintain 6000 feet.The Landing
The Citation crosses the runway threshold and touches down.
The crew reports minimal braking response.
The aircraft uses reverse thrust and aerodynamic braking while rolling most of the runway length before finally stopping about 250 metres before the end.
Immediate Tower Response
SYDNEY TOWER
Citation [callsign],
confirm aircraft stopped
and advise if evacuation required.Runway 16R is temporarily closed while emergency crews inspect the aircraft.
Traffic Reconfiguration
Sydney’s parallel runway allows operations to continue.
Arrivals are shifted to Runway 16L.
SYDNEY APPROACH
Singapore [callsign],
descend 3000 feet.
Vectors for ILS runway 16L.SYDNEY APPROACH
Air New Zealand [callsign],
leave holding.
Expect approach runway 16L, number two.Within minutes, normal operations begin to resume.
Scenario Two: Emergency Declared After Another Aircraft Lands
In this variation, the arrival sequence changes.
> Me:
Now rerun the scenario to the end where the Airbus A320neo is in front of the Cessna, and has just touched down at the start of the runway when the Cessna declares its emergency.
> ChatGPT:
Situation
Just touched down
Citation Ascend
10 km final, emergency
A330-200
7 km final
Now the runway is occupied when the emergency occurs.
Immediate ATC Decisions
Three priorities must be addressed simultaneously:
Clear the runway quickly
Ensure the emergency aircraft can land
Remove the trailing aircraft
Air New Zealand A320neo
The aircraft already on the runway must vacate quickly.
SYDNEY TOWER
Air New Zealand [callsign],
expedite vacating runway 16R.
Emergency aircraft on final.The aircraft continues its rollout and exits via the nearest taxiway.
Singapore Airlines A330-200
The trailing aircraft must immediately abandon the approach.
SYDNEY TOWER
Singapore [callsign], go around.
Climb to 3000 feet.Citation Ascend
Once the runway is clear, the emergency aircraft continues its approach.
SYDNEY TOWER
Citation [callsign],
runway 16R cleared to land.
Wind 170 at 12 knots.
Traffic vacating the runway.
Emergency vehicles standing by.The Citation lands safely but rolls most of the runway due to limited braking capability.
Emergency crews respond once the aircraft stops near the runway end.
Why These Situations Matter
These scenarios demonstrate several core principles of air traffic control:
Emergency aircraft always receive priority.
Runway occupancy must be carefully managed.
Controllers constantly resequence aircraft to maintain safe spacing.
Parallel runway systems provide critical operational resilience.
Passengers rarely hear the rapid decision-making happening behind the scenes. Yet every day, controllers quietly manage dozens of aircraft at once, ensuring that even unexpected emergencies are handled safely and efficiently.