One of 22 ARTCCs in the United States, ZAB provides Air Traffic Control (ATC) services for the airspace over and airports in most of New Mexico, Arizona, and large portions of Big Bend Country and the Panhandle Plains of Texas. Phoenix Sky Harbor Int'l Airport (PHX) is our largest and most popular destination. Serving the needs of the City of Phoenix, AZ, Sky Harbor rounds out a list of notable airports in Arizona's Valley of the Sun that includes Scottsdale (SDL) and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway (IWA), among others.

Along with the variety of airports in the Phoenix Metro Area, ZAB serves other popular commercial airports such as Albuquerque, NM (ABQ), Amarillo, TX (AMA), El Paso, TX (ELP), Roswell, NM (ROW), and Tucson, AZ (TUS). We also have a variety of military installations, including Cannon (CVS), Davis-Monthan (DMA), Holloman (HMN), and Luke (LUF) AFBs, along with White Sands Missile Range.

Mirroring the goals of VATUSA and the VATSIM network at large, we at ZAB wish to share a passion for Air Traffic Control with all the members of our ARTCC, from the newest student to the most senior and experienced. The variety within our airspace provides an interesting mix of procedures and situations to learn from. Through our growing training program, our instructors and mentors strive to teach our membership how to control traffic like they are standing in a real tower cab or sitting behind a scope full of targets.

The challenges in learning to control are many and varied, and it is not a quick path. However, the learning experience is unique, and it will open our member's eyes to a larger world that many have never considered before.

Welcome to the Albuquerque ARTCC.

Sincerely,

Nate Johns
Air Traffic Manager
VATUSA Albuquerque ARTCC