Do Airline Pilots have to Speak English?

Clear communication in the skies is essential to ensure the safety of airline passengers. This is why, in 1951, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recommended that English be the standard language for aviation communications.

So, why did ICAO choose English?

Well, in the early years of commercial aviation, the majority of the world’s aircraft were manufactured and operated by US and UK companies.

ICAO specifies a list of Aviation English words and phrases that all international pilots and air traffic controllers must learn. ICAO even states how the words, letters and numbers should be pronounced. These words are designed to cover the majority of situations that might occur, including emergencies.

It is interesting that some of these Aviation English words actually come from other languages. For example, aileron, fuselage, and empennage are all of French origin, and the distress call “Mayday!” comes from “M’aider!” which means “Help me!” in French.

However, even with English declared as the recommended language of aviation, communication can still be a challenge due to the various accents with which it is spoken.

Do pilots and controllers speak only English when communicating?

Unfortunately not. ICAO Aviation English is a recommendation, not a law. Aviation law is controlled by the aviation authorities for each country. Although English is the most common language that is spoken on the radio, it is not unusual to hear other languages being used. If you listen to the Live ATC feed for Paris you will hear French and in Mexico City they may well be speaking Spanish.

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Who do airline pilots speak to?

Airline pilots have to speak to many other people throughout their working day.

In the cockpit they will be communicating with other pilots and flight engineers, preparing for the flight and going through the pre-departure check list.

Throughout all the phases of flight, pilots will need to communicate with many air traffic controllers on the radio. A flight may pass through the airspace of several different countries and, at large airports, there will be different controllers managing aircraft on approach, on the ground and during take-off.

Pilots will also have to communicate with the cabin crew in order to ensure the safety and comfort of the passengers. Some communications are formal and structured, for example, “Cabin crew, take your seats for landing”, but most are informal.

Anyone who has flown commercially will recognise that the pilots also communicate with the passengers. Usually this will only happen twice on a flight. Firstly, to welcome all the passengers on board and provide basic information on the flight, such as destination and predicted time of arrival. Finally, the pilot will inform the passengers that they will soon be arriving and provide information about the destination, such as the weather.

“For those of you wondering about the weather at our destination, Honolulu is reporting sunny skies and temperatures of 86 degrees. Unfortunately our destination is Nome Alaska which is reporting 27 degrees below zero and blowing snow.”

Yes, some pilots have a sense of humour, but the passengers will only understand their jokes if they also understand the language of aviation – English.