According to the NATCA, air traffic controllers make sure that flights are always smooth, navigating two million aviation passengers per day or nearly one billion people per year.

Chief Transportation Correspondent and Pilot MayCay Beeler explains what's called an "air traffic control washout" amid a current shortage

An air traffic control outage sent UK airports into chaos on Wednesday, with warnings that disruption could continue for days.View on euronews

The federal government runs air traffic control because that was the easiest way to do things in the early days of flying. Today, the entire system remains federally managed—even as commercial aviation has become far more complex.

Johannesburg's main airport O.R. Tambo International Airport suffered an air traffic control system failure on Friday, disrupting operations. State company Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) said in a statement that the system failure had affected the flight plan management system and was expected to cause delays to departures.

Documents released in the inquiry into the deadly midair collision over the Potomac River on Jan. 29 reveal new details about three people whose decisions shaped the outcome of the disaster.

The acknowledgement came during the second day of testimony held to discuss the collision of a commercial plane and Army helicopter in January that killed 67 people.