Air Traffic Manager
Snapshot
Air traffic managers coordinate the planning of ground control, the maintenance of the aircrafts, and the handling of customers. They strive for the most efficient use of resources in directing the aircraft. They manage safety, quality, and risks in everyday work. They also plan and compare performance with other air navigation service providers.
Air traffic managers are responsible for the smooth and safe operation of air traffic within a designated area. Your day involves coordinating ground control activities, ensuring aircraft maintenance is up-to-date, and managing passenger flow. A key focus is maximizing the efficient use of resources while maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality, and risk management. You’ll also be involved in analyzing performance data and comparing it against other air navigation service providers to identify areas for improvement.
- • Planning and coordinating ground control operations.
- • Overseeing aircraft maintenance schedules and ensuring compliance.
- • Managing customer (passenger) handling and flow.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Production and specialised services managers — 186 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Romania.
Longest-running shortage: Netherlands, 4 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta, United Kingdom)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $148,080 2025-05 | +1.2% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Not reported | — | +57.4% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Assessed as balanced Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Shortage reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | — |
| United Kingdom | Not reported | £56,779 2025-provisional | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Open Government Licence v3.0
Do you guide students, clients or employees? Use this occupation data in your organisation.
Future Outlook for air traffic manager
The outlook for air traffic manager reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could air traffic manager change as AI adoption grows?
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
This role is likely to change gradually, with AI supporting selected tasks rather than replacing the whole occupation.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- follow airport safety procedures
- ensure safety in international aviation
- train staff in navigational requirements
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- perform risk analysis
- perform market research
- use modern electronic navigational aids
Tasks most exposed to automation
- manage aeronautical information management services
- perform data analysis
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Management & Entrepreneurship
A typical day as an air traffic manager
09 09:00 · Morning train staff in navigational requirements
10 10:30 · Mid-morning ensure safety in international aviation
12 12:00 · Midday follow airport safety procedures
14 14:00 · Afternoon manage aeronautical information management services
15 15:30 · Late afternoon manage air navigation services
17 17:00 · Wrap-up use modern electronic navigational aids
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
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manage aeronautical information management services
Undertake complex tasks and perform medium and high level database, desktop and GIS-related activities in order to develop quality aeronautical data sets and publications.
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perform data analysis
Collect data and statistics to test and evaluate in order to generate assertions and pattern predictions, with the aim of discovering useful information in a decision-making process.
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follow airport safety procedures
Comply with airport safety procedures, policies and legislation to ensure a safe working environment for all employees, and to ensure the safety of passengers.
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ensure safety in international aviation
Communicate with national and international agencies to ensure maximum efficiency and safety in the field of aviation.
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use modern electronic navigational aids
Use modern navigational aids such as GPS and radar systems.
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perform risk analysis
Identify and assess factors that may jeopardise the success of a project or threaten the organisation's functioning. Implement procedures to avoid or minimise their impact.
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train staff in navigational requirements
Plan and conduct ground training activities and airborne instruction; apply navigational methods to mission requirements.
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manage air navigation services
Manage air navigation services; oversee financial planning and follow evolutions in aviation technology.
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perform market research
Gather, assess and represent data about target market and customers in order to facilitate strategic development and feasibility studies. Identify market trends.
air traffic management
Thoroughly understand the major activities in air traffic management, such as air traffic control, air traffic flow management, and aeronautic information services.
celestial navigation
The science of celestial navigation and position fixing by using specialised measuring equipment.
common aviation safety regulations
The body of legislation and regulations that apply to the field of civil aviation at regional, national, European and International levels.
aircraft flight control systems
The setting, features and operation of aircraft flight control systems such as flight control surfaces, cockpit controls, connections, and operating mechanisms required to control the flight direction of an aircraft.
airport environmental regulations
The official regulations for environmental standards in airports as dictated by national codes for planning airport facilities and related developments. These include regulatory aspects which govern noise and environmental aspects, sustainability measures, and impacts in relation to land use, emissions, and wildlife hazard mitigation.
geographic information systems
The tools involved in geographical mapping and positioning, such as GPS (global positioning systems), GIS (geographical information systems), and RS (remote sensing).
- geographic areas
- statistics
Path to become an air traffic manager
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Master's or equivalent level
403 programmes in 24 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 36 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Bachelor of Aviation Management (Professional)
Swinburne University of Technology · Australia
Diploma of Aviation (Aviation Management)
Department of Training and Workforce Development · Australia
Airways Training Centre · New Zealand
Airport Planning and Management
SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES · Singapore
These are 6 of 439.
Sources
- 1. Source: Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Education), CRICOS, data.gov.au, CC BY 2.5 AU. Data as at 30/09/2026. Adapted by NexPath.
- 2. Source: EHIS (Estonian Education Information System), Ministry of Education and Research of Estonia, open data. Data as at 26/09/2026.
- 3. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
- 4. Source: Study with New Zealand (studywithnewzealand.govt.nz), Education New Zealand. Copyright in the material is owned by Education New Zealand (All content (c) Education New Zealand). Listings are provided by the education providers, are for information and promotional purposes only, and are not endorsed by Education New Zealand; each provider is responsible for its own content.
- 5. Contains information from MySkillsFuture Course Run accessed on 2026-09-28 from data.gov.sg which is made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0 (https://data.gov.sg/open-data-licence)
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does air traffic manager fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What skills are most important for an air traffic manager?
Is it common to be self-employed as an air traffic manager?
How does this role contribute to overall aviation safety?
Is there a shortage of Air Traffic Manager in Europe?
How much does Air Traffic Manager pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 19, 2026 About our data