Spotlight Episode 24 - Chile

This episode of the IFATCA Spotlight podcast, hosted by Thorsten Raue, features Vanessa Godoy from Chile's Air Traffic Controllers' association, the Colegio de Controladores de Tránsito Aéreo de Chile (founded in 1994). Vanessa shares how her late father inspired her ATC career, which began in 2006. She now controls at Santiago's Arturo Merino Benítez tower and teaches future controllers. She discusses Chile's roughly 580 controllers, 24 airports, mountainous departure challenges, oceanic control covering Easter Island, bilingual Spanish/English operations, and demanding 12-hour shifts. As South American RVP, she also highlights IFATCA's family spirit and invites colleagues to Chile's regional meeting, October 6–8, 2026, in Santiago.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Welcome to our podcast Ifadka Spotlight where we shine a light on a member association and find out what unique insights and expertise each member association brings to the Ifatka family. My name is Torsten, I'm from Germany, and in this episode it's my pleasure to shine a light on Chile and the local member association. Chile is a long, narrow country situated along the western coast of South America, squeezed between the Andes Mountain to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It stretches over 4,000 kilometers from the arid Atacama Desert in the north to the fjords and glaciers of the far south. It has almost 20 million citizens. The official language is Spanish. Time zone in summer is UTC-3 and in winter it's UTC-4, at least in most of the country, because some remote regions like the Easter Islands have different time zones. But enough about dry effects. We want to know more straight from the source. And today our source is Vanessa Godoy. Welcome to the podcast, Vanessa.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Hi, how are you?

SPEAKER_00 1:16

I'm fine, thank you so much. Always stand out question first, Vanessa. How did you get into ATC? What's your story?

SPEAKER_01 1:22

Oh it's uh sad, but with a happy end. Because that was in 2006. And I went to the airport with my dad. My dad has um a glasswork store, and he has some jobs to do there in the airport. And we went together to the tower and he told me, Do you want to work there? And he was showing me the tower, and I say, Yes, I would like it. And he said, Okay, do it. Find some information about how you can work there. Because in that period of time, I was working as a travel agent, and I really love the aviation, but I wanted to do more in the aviation. So I start to find information. And a few months later, my dad, that is the saddest part because the doctor say that he has cancer. So a few months later, and uh a few days before he passed it away, he told me, find information, find everything about that and fight for that. And I'm going to give you all the support for helping you. A few days later, my dad passed away. Um I called Aeronautical Institute here in Santiago and then told me that they are not going to open the career for the next year, so maybe I can call later. I did it. I don't know how, but because I was very sad because my dad passed away a few days before. I call again with all my hope and thinking that I wanted to be in a traffic controller. So I call and they told me, yes, we're going to give the career next year, but you have to apply in I I can't remember in what month was, but you have to pay about $10 and then apply. And I say, okay, I'm going to do it. Obviously, I was thinking in my dad's words that he's going to give me all the support. And well, here I am. 18 years later, I'm working as an ATC in the same tower that my dad asked me if we want to work in that monster because Arturo Merino Benitez tower is a big monster but the most beautiful monster. Actually, I'm working as a teacher in the Aeronautical Institute, preparing for the new atrophic controllers or the future air trophy controllers. So that is my story. But I have to say thank you to my dad.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

Yeah, thank you so much for sharing. Uh it's uh sad, but it has a happy end. Welcome to the ETCO family. Yes. Thank you so much. You're not just working as an ETCO in the tower, you said, you're uh working in the academy as well.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

Teaching future ETCOs. Thank you for doing that as well. Important work. Where's that? Where's the academy?

SPEAKER_01 4:12

The academy is located in Pudawel District. It's not so close at the most important airport, Arturo Merino Benitez Airport. But here is in this site is located a lot of things related with the aeronautical. So here is the new institute. I can remember in the year of starting to work this institute, because this is a new building. I have been working here since October of 2024. And for me it's very good, it's very nice because preparing the new controllers is something very challenged because you have to deal with the personalities, say, oh, he's very good or not so good. For me, it's good because every day I'm learning new things, and my knowledge is very clear, it's very freting.

SPEAKER_00 5:04

It's always good when active controllers are teaching the future controllers. That's a huge advantage there. You don't only have two jobs, you've got three jobs. You're working in the association as well. First of all, to be honest, I skipped the name because I wouldn't have it it wouldn't have done justice. What's the name of the Chilean ETCO Association?

SPEAKER_01 5:26

I'm going to say it in Hispanic.

SPEAKER_00 5:28

Yes, please.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

Colegio de Controladores de Transit Aero de Chile.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

Okay. And what's the history there? How old is it?

SPEAKER_01 5:36

The Colegio Controladores de Transit Aero de Chile was born in 1994. A group of traffic controller met in the hotel in Santiago, the Tupague Hotel, with a purpose. They have been developing for a long time to give a tape of the organization. Obviously, they wanted this organization good represent them with a voice, with a professional identity, and obviously the strength that only the unit or the association can give them. So they create the Colegio de Controladores Transit, and this is under the protection of the decree law number 2757. And with that, the Colegio de Controladores was formally born in 1994.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

Okay. And part of the IFATCA family. That's why you're here.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 6:33

What's your job in the MA and what's your connection to EFATCA?

SPEAKER_01 6:38

My connection.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

Yeah, have you been to meetings yet?

SPEAKER_01 6:41

Yes, yes. Well, I know I knew all the time that a Colegio de Controladores was part of EFATCA. And when I start to work in this as part of the directory, I went to a regional meeting the first time in 2023 in Bahamas. That was very nice, was very lovely, because I could see all the traffic controller family and we speak the same language. That is the most important thing because it's very amazing when you see that, for example, the problems that you have in your country. I don't know, in Panama they have the same problem. In Peru, they have the same problem. And we are speaking the same language. I really love that. I started to participate in the regional meetings in 2023, then 2024. And in last year, I was selected as an RBP, South American RBP. So now I'm working more than the other years, and it's very nice because I can speed with my colleagues in every country here in South America. And in the other countries too. It's very nice. It's very lovely. I really love it. All this this part of being of IFATC. And I could see in that time that IFATC is a big family. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 7:59

Yeah, that's why I'm doing this because I love talking to controllers from all over the world and connecting.

SPEAKER_01 8:04

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 8:05

I always learn something new. But speaking about EDCOs in Chile, how many do you have?

SPEAKER_01 8:11

About uh in Chile we have about 580 traffic controllers.

SPEAKER_00 8:16

And do you have a general idea of how many uh lit males and females work in this field?

SPEAKER_01 8:23

I could say about 60% of men and 40% of women. Actually, in the last class, um it was uh 50 per s 55% of men and 45% of women.

SPEAKER_00 8:37

Okay, almost parity. Love it. Yes, cool. And let's go into the EDCO stuff. Generally, just uh how many airports do you have in Chile?

SPEAKER_01 8:47

We have 24 airports controller in Chile.

SPEAKER_00 8:50

Okay, and which one is the most beautiful of them?

SPEAKER_01 8:53

Obviously, I'm going to say Arturo Merino Benítez Airport. Yes, that's because my tower is the place where I work.

SPEAKER_00 8:58

Okay, let's stick to that one. Explain that a little. So I'm looking at the bird's eye view here. I see it in the west of the city.

SPEAKER_01 9:06

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:07

What's the runway layout?

SPEAKER_01 9:10

Santiago has two runways, runway 17 left and runway 17 right. And when the wind changes, but that is only when it's raining, we use the runway 35, 35 right, 35 left.

SPEAKER_00 9:22

Okay, so you've got this microclimate only when you've got bad weather, you've got the wind from the north.

SPEAKER_01 9:29

Yes. But that is a couple times in the year.

SPEAKER_00 9:33

Okay, good weather all year. Love it. It sounds good.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

Well, actually I have to say that this year, I guess just twice we use the runway 3.5. Nothing else.

unknown 9:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

Okay. So but that makes sense because yeah, nobody or very few people live in the north, so less uh noise uh problems. That's good. What else? Do you use independent approaches?

SPEAKER_01 10:02

Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 10:05

For that, we need very good uh weather conditions and for example, the traffic who approached from the north is coming to the runway 17 left, and traffic from the south is coming to runway 17 right. But for example, you need some weather conditions, the clouds should be over 5,000 feet, and the visibility should be over 500 5 kilometers because the traffic who is approaching from the south should see the traffic who is coming from the north.

SPEAKER_00 10:39

Okay, interesting. Are they both joining the final at the same altitude? Yes. Not not a thousand feet apart, okay.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

They start the approach at 5,000 feet.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

Okay, that's probably why then. And what about departures? Do you uh do they depart independently as well?

SPEAKER_01 10:57

No. No, at this moment no. But our authority are work they are working in the independent departures. Maybe that is going to come in a near future, because you know that he is a long country, and for example, departure from runway 17 left is going to be very useful for traffic who is going to the south and make a left turn, for example, traffic who is going to Argentina. And all the traffic who goes to the north can depart from runway 17 right because they make the right turn to the north. It's supposed that is coming when? I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 11:33

They want to go to the north, they depart on the 17, and then they'd have to do a right turn. And when you look at it from the bird's eye view, the reason are the huge mountains in the east. Let's get into that a little because the MVAs, the minimum vectoring altitudes are huge here. For example, traffic going to Argentina, what level do they have to cross at the border?

SPEAKER_01 11:58

Depends on the point. For example, if they have to cross in Alball position, that is the most common and used living point, is flight level 200. And in the north is Neve Position. And they have to cross the mountain at flight level 23C.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

That's really high. That breaks my European brain.

SPEAKER_01 12:25

But that is very common. Almost, I guess, more than the 90% of the traffic who is going to Argentina, they cross via Al Val. So that is not a problem.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

Yeah, still flight level 200 is pretty high.

SPEAKER_01 12:38

That is something very normal. We have a lot of traffic going to there. Almost of the traffic use that point for leaving the country. So they across the mountain at flight level 200 without problems.

SPEAKER_00 12:52

Okay, let's talk about the general uh traffic patterns you have. Where is the traffic coming from that's going to Santiago de Chile?

SPEAKER_01 13:01

We have traffic from United States, we have traffic from Mexico, we have traffic from Panama, Bogota, that is from the north, Canada too, but that is only in a period from October to April. We have traffic from Europe too. Well they enter in the in the east side. And we have traffic from England, Spain, France, Turkey, and what else? From Brazil too, Argentina, Peru. So we have uh traffic from different cities of the world.

SPEAKER_00 13:36

Right. So I mentioned the Easter Islands in my introduction. So they are smack in the middle of the Pacific, that's Chilean airspace as well. So do you have oceanic control as well?

SPEAKER_01 13:47

Yes, we have. Yes, we have. It's an like an a small part of the area control center here in Santiago. And obviously they control all the traffic, the oceanic traffic. Included this traffic who is going to Eastern Island, all the traffic who is going to New Zealand and Australia too. And all traffic who is coming from the north enter in the Pacific. So the Oceanic Control Centre control all the traffic.

SPEAKER_00 14:19

Okay. That sounds like quite a bit of traffic. How many are working in the oceanic control?

SPEAKER_01 14:26

Well, sometimes, well, you know, they make day TIF and night shift, and sometimes they work two, three controllers per shift.

SPEAKER_00 14:35

Okay. So not that many controllers. But let me get one thing straight. So you said just a day shift and a night shift. That would mean twelve hours per shift. Did I get that correctly?

SPEAKER_01 14:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 14:50

Okay. Is that usual? Is that what you have to do in the tower as well?

SPEAKER_01 14:54

Yes. Yes. We um in the tower we control 12 hours. Well, no control. Our TIFF are from 8 to 8. So 12 hours TIFF.

SPEAKER_00 15:05

That strikes me as pretty long.

SPEAKER_01 15:07

So Yes, very long.

SPEAKER_00 15:11

Yes. How many working days do you have? What about the working hours in general?

SPEAKER_01 15:15

Well, you know that in TLN traffic controllers, we are public employees, so we have to work 8.8 hours per day, labor day. So, you know, some months we have 22 labor days, so we have to multiply that 8.8 to the amount. So sometimes we have to work about 200 hours in the month. That is our legal. So we distribute that in 12-hour tift. And for example, yesterday I had to work in a day tift. Today I have night tift. Tomorrow I'm going to go out. I'm going to have a day off on um Thursday. And then Friday again I'm going to come back to day shift and that continue.

SPEAKER_00 16:04

And just to make sure that's in addition to your teaching job you're doing as well.

SPEAKER_01 16:10

Yes. In addition.

SPEAKER_00 16:12

That is a little crazy. But you said in the introduction that you love the adrenaline, and we mentioned that all EDCOs are a little crazy.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

Yes, that is true. Yes, it's a little crazy. Sometimes we feel very tired, but it's very nice teaching to the new traffic controllers because, see, for example, in my case, that now in in Arturo Merino Benitez Tower, we receive six new traffic controllers, and I have to chance to teach them. So for me it's very nice work now with them because I was part of his education and now they are my colleagues, so that is very nice. But yes, it's very crazy or insane sometimes because sometimes we we came after our night shift and we have to work here being teething, and oh, sometimes you are very tired. But I guess it's for me it's a win-win.

SPEAKER_00 17:11

Well, honestly, let me tell you, after night shift, I would be a very cranky teacher. So I am. You are as well.

SPEAKER_01 17:20

Actually, when I I came to the institute, I say I'm activating my evil teacher mode.

SPEAKER_00 17:26

Okay, evil teacher, okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:29

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 17:29

Speaking about what you teach and what you do, language. What's the language you use in ATC?

SPEAKER_01 17:36

Well, you know, in the first government of our president, Michel Bachelet, she told that we have to give the traffic services in Spanish and English. So in the tower we can speak English and Spanish. For example, we have an Airlines, Sky Airlines, who all the pilots are they speaking English all Wednesday. So they are Chilean, they speak Spanish, but they call us in English all Wednesday because they have to practice their language.

SPEAKER_00 18:09

Well, sometimes it makes sense if you go to that English-only speaking countries, so you have to use it. Yes. But I love I love hearing non-English phraseology. What would you say is the phrase you use most often or you like best? Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 18:26

Well, I use a lot of phraseology, but when I'm controlling in local control in the tower, when I transfer the communication with the area control, I say, for example, Lanchile 122 contacts Santiago Radar, Frequencia 129, Okay, sending flights away.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

That's uh something I like as well, getting rid of traffic.

SPEAKER_01 18:49

Yeah, and I and I use my air traffic controller voice too.

SPEAKER_00 18:52

And uh air traffic controller, having said that, what is air traffic controller in Spanish?

SPEAKER_01 18:57

Controlador de transito aéreo.

SPEAKER_00 18:59

Okay, we are I remember that one from Peru for sure. And let's talk about the working environment in general. How many sectors do you have in the ACC and how do people work there? Do you have the four-year principle there? Yes.

SPEAKER_01 19:14

Well, I have to be honest because I didn't know how many sectors are in the area control center. So I called my colleague, Jorge, and I asked the information. So he told me that they have six positions of control. One position of the for the VFR flights, only for information, and one of the supervisor. That is in the area control space.

SPEAKER_00 19:37

Right. And only one person per uh sector.

SPEAKER_01 19:40

Yes, and sometimes if the traffic is very heavy, very complicated, they have a coordinator.

SPEAKER_00 19:46

Ah, okay. That's good to hear. And uh so you're working in teams sometimes as well. That leads us to team resource management. Do you have some kind of structured team building efforts? Okay. And critical incident stress management. We know that sometimes things go wrong and you've got an critical incident. Do you have any support there?

SPEAKER_01 20:09

Actually, as a system, we don't have. But when we have some critical situations, we receive some help from the psychologist of the institution, our DGAC. But we are working as a collegio de controladores because we want to have our own system. We are working on that. We make some coordination with Andrew, so we are waiting because we want to have it here. Because I know that in our neighbors' countries, for example, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, they don't have so we want to do it because I know and I see that that team is very important, especially when we are suffering a lot of things, different things. For example, the the earthquake in Venezuela, they don't have anything, and they are receiving some help of that kind of help. So we are working on that.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

Yes, I hope you succeed. That's definitely a great thing. Thank you for the overview already into the ETCO stuff. Let's talk about the future. What are you planning as an MA and you personally, Vanessa?

SPEAKER_01 21:12

Well, I have to say that the first time that I participated in a regional meeting that was in 2023 in Bahamas, and I say, why don't we be a hostess of this? And I think that it's a very nice opportunity to share the time with your colleagues. Obviously, going to the Caribbean is something very amazing. But Chile, Santiago, we have a lot of beautiful things. I spoke with my colleagues with the directory, and I say, why don't we do that at regional meeting? Last year in 2025 when we went to Aruba, and they say we want to do, we want to be hostess of the 2026 regional meeting. So we are working on that. We are making big efforts, we are giving all our hearts. Not our 100% is more than that, because we want to that our colleagues in America enjoys the enjoy the time here in Santiago. So we are doing that. We are so exciting and we are so happy for receiving all our colleagues here in Santiago.

SPEAKER_00 22:21

Yes, and tell us the date and where it's gonna be.

SPEAKER_01 22:24

Well, the regional meeting is planned to be in October 6th to 8th in the Hilton Double Tree Hotel that is located in Bitacura District. It's very close to Tobalava Subway Station, so the location is very good. You can find there close the hotel different things, for example, restaurants, dine, malls, and very nice landscape. We have the Mapucho River very close, so you can walk there. There is a big park, very beautiful part, so it's very nice.

SPEAKER_00 22:58

So I guess most of the people are gonna fly into Santiago, and uh how do they get from the airport to the hotel?

SPEAKER_01 23:06

You have different ways to go. You can get a taxi, you can have an Uber, you can go to the hotel in public transportation. So but we are we are looking if we can do something else for our colleagues. We are coming because we are trying to see if we can obtain some transport from the airport to the hotel. We don't have nothing yet. We are working on it.

SPEAKER_00 23:32

Okay. You're working on it, perfect.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 23:35

And if anybody wants to know more, you can go on the IFATCA website on the regional meetings, and there is a link to a website.

SPEAKER_01 23:46

We have the information too in our web page, ATC Chile. And when you open the website, it's going to be immediately the information about the regional meeting.

SPEAKER_00 23:59

Perfect. So I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

You could see it.

SPEAKER_00 24:04

Yes, I I just opened it, and for everybody who's listening, there's a better link. It's easier to spell out. That's AlphaTechO Charlie, Charlie Hotel India Lima Echo dot Charlie Lima.

SPEAKER_01 24:16

Perfect. That was perfect.

SPEAKER_00 24:18

Thank you so much, Vanessa, for giving us this overview and for organizing the lovely regional meeting. It's going to be awesome, I'm sure. And that just leaves us with saying goodbye. What do you say as goodbye in Chile?

SPEAKER_01 24:32

Just ciao.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

Ciao. Are you sure you are you sure that you're a Spanish-speaking country?

SPEAKER_01 24:39

No, but that that was that was Chilean. You know, that one of the things that I'm not so proud of that because in Chile, our Spanish is not so good. We speak very fast, we change the word, and sometimes we use one word for describe a lot of things. So with one word you can make a sentence. Our our Spanish is not so good. That is for the reason that I say we don't speak Spanish, we speak Chilean. I have to say that it's it was very nice to speak um in your podcast. And I feel a little bit anxious because you know my English is not so good, but I try to do my best with my language. I hope you could understand everything that I'm saying. Um well, I have to say that for me it's very important and very nice to be part of this big family of the traffic controller and be part of IFATCA. I feel so happy.

SPEAKER_00 25:31

Thank you so much for being with me. Your English was very nice. Thank you so much, and ciao, Vanessa.

SPEAKER_01 25:38

Ciao.