What is the primary function of air traffic control?

The primary function of air traffic control is to manage the safe and orderly flow of air traffic. This encompasses a range of responsibilities, including ensuring that aircraft maintain safe distances from one another, coordinating takeoffs and landings, and providing pilots with necessary instructions and information to navigate airspace safely. Air traffic controllers utilize radar and other technologies to monitor flights and give timely directives to pilots. Their overarching goal is to prevent collisions and ensure efficient airspace use, ultimately contributing to the safety of air travel.

Other functions such as maintenance services for aircraft, conducting weather reports, and training new pilots, while important in aviation, are not the central role of air traffic control. Each of those activities falls under different specialties within the aviation industry, focused on different aspects of flight operations rather than the critical task of managing air traffic.