is a simulation computer game series, developed by TechnoBrain, that simulates the operation of an airport. The games simulate the job of an air traffic controller. The player's mission is to direct planes onto the correct ILS, land them on the runway, taxi them to the correct gate, and to direct takeoffs.
Air Traffic Controller was released in Japan in September 1998. Its sequel Air Traffic Controller 2 was released in 2001. Air Traffic Controller 3 was released in 2008. Air Traffic Controller 4 was released in 2015.
Initially released as a computer game, there have also been five PlayStation Portable versions, a Game Boy Advance version, a Nintendo DS version, nine Nintendo 3DS versions and five different mobile ports for both Android and iOS.
Air Traffic Controller The game features six airports. Players direct the air traffic for arrival and departures. There is only one channel of communication.
Air Traffic Controller Airports featured: Miyazaki Airport, Hiroshima-Nishi Airport, Matsuyama Airport, Osaka International Airport, Nagoya Airfield and Tokyo International Airport. Air Traffic Controller Power Up Kit 1 Airports: Saga Airport, Fukuoka Airport and Komatsu Airport. Air Traffic Controller Power Up Kit 1 Value Pack Airports: ATC + Power Kit 1 Air Traffic Controller Power Up Kit 2 Airports: Kansai International Airport, Narita International Airport and New Chitose Airport. Air Traffic Controller Power Up Kit 2 Value Pack Airports: ATC + Power Kit 2 Air Traffic Controller Power Up Kit 3 Airports: none. Air Traffic Controller Complete Airports: ATC + Power Kit 1 + Power Kit 2
Air Traffic Controller 2 Air Traffic Controller 2 made many improvements to the first entry. The game is now in 3D, has more airport gates, and increased to five channels of communication: Approach, Tower, Ground, Delivery, and Departure. New features included ground movements (e.g. towing planes to gates), giving correct Standard Instrument Departure, use of radar vectors, and changing channel frequency. The choice of Standard Terminal Arrival Route distance eliminates the speed instruction in previous version.
In the game, there are a few conditions that will cause game over. These include head-on, near miss, pilots' pressure bar reaching 100%, or failed to accumulate enough points to pass that particular stage. The points are awarded according to how fast to reply a response. A slow or non-response will raise the pressure bar. Other things that increase pressure bar include instructing the plane to take off in tailwind or tower failing to give the plane permission to land or go-around. Additional points are awarded at the end of the stage, but before deciding whether there's enough points to pass, for minimal % in pressure bar. More bonus points are awarded if the pressure bar is at 0%.
Tokyo: BigWing A (Alpha) Airport: Tokyo International Airport Release date: 2001 Airlines: Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Skymark Airlines, Hokkaido International Airlines, Japan Air System (Before merger with Japan Airlines), Japan Coast Guard, China Airlines and EVA Air.
There is also an airline company named after the developer of the game TechnoBrain, TechnoBrain Airlines (ICAO: TBA). Whenever TechnoBrain Airlines plane appears, special events are triggered.
Tokyo: BigWing B (Bravo) Airport: Tokyo International Airport Release date: 2001
Largely the same as Tokyo: BigWing A, but with a stage set in the evening.
Kagoshima Island Control Airport: Kagoshima Airport, New Tanegashima Airport, Yakushima Airport Airlines: Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, JALways, Japan Air System, J-Air, Oriental Air Bridge and Polar Air Cargo Release date: 2002 Special feature: Radio control, For communications with Tanegashima Airport and Yakushima Airport. Special event: During Stage 2–3, if all aircraft land before 10:15, a rocket will launch from Tanegashima Space Center.
TechnoBrain released an updated version in 2005. Changes include the merger between Japan Airlines and Japan Air System, as well as other features.
Komatsu Base Aviation Festival Airport: Komatsu Airport Airlines: Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Air Nippon, Japan Air System and Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Release date: 2002 Special feature: No Delivery Control, jobs taken over by Ground Control. Special event: During Stage 1-3 and 2–1, there will be an air show. Stage 2-2, It has been replaced by a Q&A, player must answer questions correctly to complete the stage.
Narita: Gate of Japan Airport: Narita International Airport Release date: 2002
Tokyo: BigWing Complete Airport: Tokyo International Airport Special feature: Airbus Beluga makes an appearance as the last plane to approach, land, and park in the airport at the last stage.
Nagoya: Jumble Airport Airport: Nagoya Airfield Airlines: All Nippon Airways, Nakanihon Air Service, Japan Air System (later merged with Japan Airlines), China Eastern Airlines, J-Air (airline subsidiary of Japan Airlines), Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Northwest Airlines, Thai Airways International, and Varig Release date: 2003
Narita: Star Light Airways Airport: Narita International Airport Special feature: At stage 4–1, snowing occurs. At stage 4–3, Concorde makes a special appearance at the end.
Okinawa: A Wake on the Southward Raise Airport: Naha Airport, Kadena Air Base Special feature: "Okinawa Approach Control (Kadena rapcon)". SR-71 makes an appearance as the last plane to approach, land, and park in Kadena Air Base at the last stage.
Sendai: First Flight, First Control Airport: Sendai Airport Special feature: Flight training in Civil Aviation College. No delivery channel. In stage 2–1, all runways are closed in the beginning due to low visibility by the fog.
Chitose: SnowScape Airport: New Chitose Airport Special feature: during stage 2-2 and 2–3, snowstorm forces the runways to be closed.
Kansai: Cross Over Area Airport: Kansai International Airport Special feature: Taxiway will be closed in stage 2-2 due to an object fallen off a plane. The runway lights malfunctioned in stage 2–3, resulting in closure of the runway.
Fukuoka: Oriental Wings Airport: Fukuoka Airport Special feature: stage 2–1 to 2–3, circling approach (not used now) to runway 34. Taxiway will be closed in stage 1-3 due to breakdown of nose gear.
Tokyo: BigWing Dual Site Airport: Tokyo International Airport Special Feature: In stage 2-2 and 2–3, China's and Russia's presidential plane plus Air Force One makes an appearance.
Osaka: InterCity Airport Airport: Osaka International Airport Special feature: Contains 2 mini-games within the game - directing the pilot to a gate parking and controlling the ground vehicle to move planes around. This is a first in the video game.
Narita: Complete Airport: Narita International Airport This series combined "Narita: Gate of Japan" and "Narita: Star Light Airways" onto the same disc, with minor content changes.
Centrair International Airport Airport: Chūbu Centrair International Airport Special feature: Stage 2-3 features Airbus A380. Stage 2-2 and 2-3 feature Boeing 747LCF.
Kansai: Brightly Path Airport: Kansai International Airport Special feature: An additional 4000m runway is opened for use. An airship can be seen in stage 2–3.
Air Traffic Controller 3
This sequel provides more camera angles with higher flexibility. The aircraft are now to scale with real aircraft. Arrivals and departures are now combined into a single box with strips outlining details of each flight. The strips can be ordered according to user preferences. Even more gates are added in this version. Planes taxiing can now choose any taxiway, instead of limited by up to 4 routes in previous version. Rules are identical to previous version. It also features first non-Japan airport, Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong. Additionally, a fictional airline called "TechnoBrain Airlines" (based on the company's name, abbreviated TBA) features here as it did in ATC2, presenting problems that the player has to solve or work around. TBA does not make any appearance in Kai Tak. Later, it featured the second non-Japan airport, Honolulu International Airport.
Tokyo BigWing Airport: Tokyo International Airport Airlines: Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Skymark Airlines, Hokkaido International Airlines, Japan Coast Guard Release date: February 25, 2008 Version: 1.03B (patch from official site) Special Events: During Stage 3, the first aircraft to take off from runway 16L will encounter a bird strike and taxi back to the gate. Stage 6, aircraft landing at either runway 34L and 34R will trigger microburst and windshear, causing closure of runway 34L and 34R for some time.
Okinawa BlueCorridor Airport: Naha Airport Airlines: Japan Transocean Air, All Nippon Airways, Skymark Airlines, Japan Coast Guard, China Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Galaxy Airlines, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Ryukyu Air Commuter Release date: July 2, 2008 Version: 1.03 (patch from official site) Special Events: During Stage 4, US Space Shuttle Enterprise will land at Kaneda Air Base. During Stage 5, a NASA Aircraft will land at Kaneda Air Base. During Stage 6, the NASA Aircraft will carry Space Shuttle Enterprise back to Guam
Osaka ParallelContact Airport: Osaka International Airport Airlines: Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Japan Air Commuter, and JAL Express Release date: October 24, 2008 Special events: Expect any Techno Air plane to cause problems for you in any stage they appear in, which range from medical emergencies leading to requests back to gate, to outright landing blunders or Cargo Fire.
ANA Edition Airport: Tokyo International Airport Airlines: All Nippon Airways Release date: November 1, 2001 Featuring the ANA Gold Jet and the ability to see how parts move on the aircraft such as the flaps and landing gear. It also lets you view the aircraft 360°.
Tokyo BigWing (English version) Airport: Tokyo International Airport Release date: November 17, 2008 Version: 1.06 All Japanese Airlines have been replaced with generic colour name (e.g. blue, red, yellow, and green) due to copyright issue.
Hong Kong Kai Tak International Airport Airport: Kai Tak Airport Airlines: Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon, China Eastern Airlines, Air France, Northwest Airlines, Northwest Cargo Airlines, Eva Air, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Air Hong Kong Release date: February 27, 2009 Version: 1.00 Featuring first airport outside Japan and More Difficult Stages including more frequent near-misses, TechnoBrain Air doesn't make an appearance. New Aircraft including Boeing 747-200/F, McDonnell Douglas MD-11 and Lockheed L-1011 A lot of airline will present in their historical liveries. Chep Lap Kok International Airport makes an appearance in the opening and under construction in the game.
Sendai Airmanship Airport: Sendai Airport Airlines:Japan Trans Ocean Air, All Nippon Cargo Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Hokkaido International Airlines, Ibex Airlines, Eva Air, Asiana Airlines, Japan Coast Guard, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Aviation University Release date: June 26, 2009 Special Features: The function of speed reduction is returned. No delivery channel, job taken over by Ground. Special Events: During Stage 5, a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) Dash 8 Q400 will perform Runway Inspection.
New Chitose SnowingDay Airport: New Chitose Airport Airlines: Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Hokkaido International Airlines, Ibex Airlines, Skymark Airlines, SAT Airlines, Nippon Cargo Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Airlines, Japan Coast Guard, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Hokkaido Air System