ATC Towers
Tower tier gates every plane class — upgrade before buying aircraft.
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ATC Towers in Itty Bitty Airport
ATC Tower tier is the air traffic brain of your airport. Planes check tower class before accepting approaches — Small ATC cannot sequence Boeing 777 traffic, and Large ATC still blocks Concorde until you invest in Long Range ATC Tower (Level 8, $400,000). This guide maps every tier to plane requirements.
ATC tier overview
| Tier | Example planes | Upgrade from |
|---|---|---|
| Small ATC Tower | Beechcraft, Q400, 737, Sea Plane | Starter |
| Medium ATC Tower | A320, 777, Firefighting | Mid-game cash |
| Large ATC Tower | 747, Beluga, C-17 | Late-game |
| Long Range ATC Tower | Concorde, A380 | Lv8, $400K |
Small ATC Tower
Handles:
- Beechcraft Premier I — 0 cap
- Q400 — 20 cap
- Boeing 737 — 40 cap (note: needs Medium Runway)
- Sea Plane — 10 cap
First purchase in beginner guide. Place with sight lines to Small Runway.
Medium ATC Tower
Unlocks:
- Firefighting Plane — 50 cap
- Airbus A320 — 60 cap
- Boeing 777 — 80 cap
Upgrade when approaching 50 indoor tiles — airport capacity
Large ATC Tower
Required for:
- Airbus Beluga — 100 cap
- C-17 Globemaster — 130 cap
- Boeing 747 — 150 cap
Pairs with Large Runway — major layout pivot. Endgame prep.
Long Range ATC Tower
Level 8 upgrade — $400,000
Required for:
- Concorde — 120 cap, $85k payout
- Airbus A380 — 200 cap, $95k payout
Save via 747 income and how to get money. Shared investment — buy once for both endgame planes.
Upgrade timing strategy
Don’t buy Long Range early — fund capacity tiles first
Medium ATC before 50-cap Firefighting
Large ATC before Beluga/747 push
Verify with plane requirements checker
ATC vs other requirements
ATC alone insufficient — need matching runway, jetway, capacity:
Planes not landing checklist
Funding upgrades
Codes — $162k head start
Gamepasses — 737/Q400 accelerate income
Infinite Cash (1200R$) — skip grind — tier list
Related
ATC tiers — Itty Bitty Airport BETA June 2026.