Gift guides
Gifts for air traffic controllers
By the AvTags team · Updated
In short
- The best gifts for air traffic controllers either celebrate the job or make shift work easier.
- Under £10: a runway or holding point tag with a phrase they say every shift, like “line up and wait runway 23R”.
- For shift work: a good insulated travel mug, a sleep mask and earplugs for sleeping after nights, or a coffee or tea subscription.
- Personal and retirement gifts: a framed chart of the airport they work at, or a print of their tower.
- Ask before buying anything for use at work. Many operations rooms limit what personal items can come in.
What makes a good gift for an air traffic controller?
Air traffic controllers keep aircraft safely apart, from the moment they push back to the moment they park. Tower controllers look out over the runway. Approach and area controllers work from radar screens, sometimes far from any airport: in the UK, most en-route traffic is handled from NATS centres at Swanwick and Prestwick.
The job runs around the clock, so most controllers work shifts, including nights. It is also a job people are proud of, with its own language. That gives you two good directions: something that celebrates the work, or something that makes the shifts easier.
Air traffic control gifts under £10
Controllers spend their day giving the instructions printed on runway and holding point designs, which makes them a fun, personal gift:
- A runway tag. “Line up and wait runway 23R” is exactly what a Manchester tower controller says to departing aircraft. (What line up and wait means.)
- A holding point tag. “Hold R1 for runway 22” is the instruction that stops an aircraft before the runway at Stansted. (How holding points work.)
- A Remove Before Flight tag. Recognised by everyone who works airside.
Gifts that help with shift work
- An insulated travel mug or flask. Keeps a drink hot through a break and survives a bag.
- A sleep kit. A good blackout eye mask and earplugs make sleeping in the day after a night shift much easier. Blackout curtain linings are a bigger version.
- A coffee or tea subscription. Handy for early starts and long nights, and an easy present to post.
- Easy meals. A meal-kit voucher or a decent lunch box helps when shift patterns make normal mealtimes impossible.
- Something for days off. Controllers need to switch off. A voucher for a spa, a meal out or a hobby has nothing to do with work, which is the point.
Check before buying anything to use at work. Many control rooms limit phones, gadgets and other personal items in the operations room.
Personal gifts and retirement gifts
- A framed chart of their airport. Aerodrome and approach charts for UK airports are published in the UK AIP. A framed chart of the airport they control makes a striking picture, and colleagues can sign the mount for a retirement.
- A print or photo of their tower. Many airports have distinctive control towers, and a good photo or illustration of “their” tower means a lot.
- A model of an aircraft they often handle. A die-cast model of a type common at their airport, in the colours of a local airline.
- A flight over the airport. A trial flying lesson or pleasure flight lets them see the airport from the other side of the radio.
Gifts for trainee air traffic controllers
Training to be a controller is intense, with a lot of study and simulator time. Practical gifts work best: a good notebook and pens, a comfortable bag for college, or a small keepsake to celebrate passing a module or getting their first validation. Our student pilot gift guide has more ideas for people in aviation training.
Questions, answered
What is a good gift for an air traffic controller?
Something that celebrates the job, like a runway or holding point tag with a real ATC instruction, or something for shift work, like a quality travel mug or a sleep mask for after night shifts.
What is a good retirement gift for an air traffic controller?
A framed chart of the airport they worked at, signed by colleagues, or a print of their control tower. A flight over the airport is a memorable experience gift.
What do air traffic controllers say to pilots?
Short, standard instructions such as “line up and wait runway 23R”, “hold at R1” and “cleared for take-off”. Using exact words means nobody can misunderstand them.
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13 × 3 cm woven tags, sent from the UK by Royal Mail.
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